SHERIDAN, WYOMING – Mar 6, 2025- In a significant advancement in automotive technology, The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., in collaboration with Dr. Bo Nils Johan Persson, a renowned expert in rubber friction, announced the development of the world’s first theoretical model capable of predicting rubber wear on surfaces with multiscale roughness. This pioneering research, conducted in Hiratsuka, Japan, marks a monumental step forward in tire technology and surface interaction studies.
The model, developed jointly by Yokohama Rubber and Dr. Persson, who is affiliated with the Peter Grünberg Institute in Germany and the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics in China, offers unprecedented insights into the wear-rates of rubber on uneven road surfaces and the size distribution of resultant wear particles. Dr. Persson, also the head of Multiscale Consulting, has been instrumental in pushing the boundaries of how rubber interacts with various surfaces under different conditions.
This research was featured as the cover story in the February 21, 2025, edition of "The Journal of Chemical Physics," published by the American Institute of Physics, highlighting its importance and innovation in the field. "The ability to accurately predict how rubber materials wear under varied environmental conditions and surface textures is crucial not only for enhancing the durability of tires but also for improving safety and performance," said Dr. Persson.
Yokohama Rubber’s partnership with Dr. Persson began in December 2024 and quickly led to breakthroughs in understanding multiscale (ranging from nanometer to centimeter levels) wear behaviors. The experiments conducted under this partnership provided robust validation of the theoretical model, demonstrating its efficacy in predicting mass loss per unit of sliding distance and the characteristics of dispersed wear particles under both dry and wet conditions, at different contact pressures and sliding speeds.
As part of its ongoing efforts to innovate and lead in tire technology, Yokohama Rubber has committed to further research and development activities in collaboration with Dr. Persson and Multiscale Consulting. The aim is not only to enhance the wear resistance of tires but also to address environmental concerns associated with tire wear particles, especially with the rise of heavy electrified vehicles like EVs.
These initiatives align with Yokohama Rubber’s three-year medium-term management plan, Yokohama Transformation 2026 (YX2026), which focuses on adopting cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), to revolutionize rubber material and tire design. This plan underscores the company’s commitment to "low cost, speedy development of quality products," and aims to strengthen the capabilities of the entire Yokohama Rubber Group through innovative approaches and strategic collaborations.
The success of this research not only propels Yokohama Rubber to the forefront of the tire industry but also sets a new standard for how companies can leverage scientific research to advance their technological capabilities and meet the evolving demands of the global market.