Tire abrasion is one of the largest sources of microplastics in Europe, polluting the air, soil, and water. With the SUMERA project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM, with support from the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, is developing a digital model that comprehensively simulates tire abrasion for the first time and makes emissions predictable.
According to the German automobile club ADAC, around 500,000 tons of abrasion particles are generated in Europe alone every year. Tire abrasion is an invisible but significant and long underestimated environmental pollutant.
The new Euro 7 emissions standard, which will apply from the end of 2026, will also introduce limits for tire and brake abrasion. This means that emissions not caused by exhaust gases will be regulated for the first time. This presents the automotive industry with a further challenge.
How Digital Tires Make Abrasion Visible and Predictable
With the SUMERA research project (simulation methods for investigating particulate matter and microplastic emissions from tire abrasion), Fraunhofer ITWM is laying the foundation for a holistic digital simulation of tire abrasion. »Digital twins are now considered the key to innovation in many industrial applications – and in vehicle development, this also applies to tires,« says Dr. Klaus Dreßler, head of the »Mathematics for Vehicles, Systems, and Production« division at Fraunhofer ITWM. »With our digital twin, we will support companies in developing new designs in the future. The virtual tire accurately depicts the interaction between tire tread, rubber compound, road surface, and driving dynamics.«
This not only allows abrasion to be measured, but also reduced in the simulation before the first prototype is created. The amount of abrasion that occurs depends on numerous factors:
- Road surface: The material and condition of the road surface influence abrasion.
- Driving style: Cornering, acceleration, and braking increase wear.
- Tire tread and rubber compound: Harder compounds are more durable, while softer ones offer greater safety at low temperatures but wear out more quickly.
In the future, the simulation should enable these influences to be calculated precisely and the distribution of the resulting particles in the traffic area to be visualized.
»Manufacturers can test new designs virtually much more quickly, shorten development cycles, and optimize their products specifically for lower abrasion,« explains Stefan Thielen. He heads the project at Fraunhofer ITWM. »This saves costs, provides more accurate predictions of abrasion behavior, and enables more sustainable tires without compromising safety or comfort.«
In the institute’s »Mathematics for Vehicles, Systems, and Production« division, the focus has been on research topics such as vehicle mobility and energy efficiency for several years. The team is conducting particularly intensive research into the use of simulation and artificial intelligence, for example for validating sensors in the context of autonomous driving. Another focus is on simulation models for tires. Among other things, the successful software tool »CDTire« was developed here, which is already in widespread use in the tire and automotive industries.
Read more about the project in our Press Release: www.itwm.fraunhofer.de/pm-sumera
