VORBECK MATERIALS CORP. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: Substitution of standard military tires for low rolling resistance tires have yielded 7% f

Description

Substitution of standard military tires for low rolling resistance tires have yielded 7% fuel costs savings on Army demonstrator vehicles. However, tire changes to improve rolling resistance affect other areas of tire performance. A tire is a composite structure made up of different rubber compounds that contain reinforcing fillers, and the fillers have important effect on the tires final performance properties. Despite tire technology and filler advances, a sacrifice of wet grip, abrasion resistance, and/or chip and cut resistance occurs for further improvements in rolling resistance. In the proposed program, Vorbeck Materials will utilize graphene filler technology to develop low rolling resistant, high performance, fuel efficient military tires. Since its isolation a few years ago, graphene has generated significant attention, due to its combination of outstanding electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties. For the current tire application, the unique form and chemistry of graphene can fundamentally change the mechanical performance versus rolling resistance trade-off in rubber tread composites. The Phase I development program will focus on developing graphene-rubber tread composites to achieve maximum mechanical and rolling resistance performance; evaluation of the graphene-rubber composite performance; and demonstration of improved tire fuel efficiency of a baseline military tire using modeling and simulation.