The starting signal for a clean future has been given.

The kick-off meeting for the ‘Green Tyre’ project took place on 16 April. Tyre abrasion accounts for a significant proportion of particulate matter pollution in urban centres and along main traffic arteries. However, to date, far too little is known about how abrasion combines with different road surfaces, how large the abrasion particles are and what effects they have on the environment and health. ‘Green Tyre’ is trying to find answers to these questions. Due to the small size of the abrasion particles, electron microscopy at TU Wien is also involved. Dr. Sabine Schwarz is in charge of the analytical and imaging electron microscopy area within the Green Tyre project.

The particles of the measurements will be systematically characterised (chemical, structural, and morphological parameters) using high-resolution microscopic and spectroscopic methods. Particular focus will be given to separating tyre abrasion from brake and road abrasion. These data are then used for tribological studies and simulations to describe the tire-road tribological system and provide detailed analyses at the molecular level. This allows wear to be determined in a macroscopic tyre model (in terms of tyre slip, stress distribution and temperature influence). The model can then be integrated into a passenger car operating strategy to reduce tyre particles based on a unique tyre wear-optimised slip controller. Plausibility checks and optimisation of the operating strategy will be carried out with real-world driving and test bench measurements. Based on the particle analyses and the micro-/macro-scale tyre models, a method for the transfer of real-world driving measurements to test bench measurements will be developed.