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Challenges in Quantifying Tire Wear Particle Emissions on an Outer Drum Test Bed

SAE technical papers on CD-ROM/SAE technical paper series 2025 1 citation ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Ludwig Schubert, Miguel Torres García, Stephan Bigl, Gerald Steiner, Michael Huber, Cornelia Lex

Summary

Researchers worked to develop reliable methods for measuring tire wear particle emissions on an outer drum test bed, a key challenge since tire wear is a major source of microplastics. They found that a degumming method using talcum powder increased wear rates to realistic levels but complicated particle measurements, requiring new techniques to distinguish tire particles from the powder. The study highlights the technical difficulties involved in accurately quantifying tire wear emissions for environmental assessment.

Polymers

Tire wear is a significant source of microplastics and airborne particulate matter, contributing to environmental pollution and posing health risks. This study aims to develop a reliable method for quantifying tire wear and TWP on an outer drum test bed while achieving realistic wear rates. A degumming method using talcum powder was applied to prevent tire adhesion, which significantly increased wear rates but introduced complications in particle measurements. To address this, a flow-optimized enclosure was implemented to minimize background emissions. Particle emissions were quantified using APCs, PM samplers, and an ELPI+. The results underscore the challenge of distinguishing between TWP and talcum powder contributions. To estimate the percentage of airborne particle mass, a novel method was employed that calculates the RGB values of images of PM filters. This method estimates the blackening of the filter to determine the amount of TWP present. Size distribution analysis revealed that talcum particles are coarser than TWP, exhibiting a bimodal size distribution. This differentiation is crucial for accurate quantification of TWP in the presence of talcum powder.The study highlights the importance of developing precise methods for measuring tire wear and its environmental impact. The findings provide valuable insights into the complexities of particle measurement and the need for improved techniques to accurately assess the contribution of tire wear to airborne particulate matter.

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