Tire Technology Expo 2006 held.

Tire Technology Expo 2006, sponsored by UKIP Media & Events, will be held March 7-9 at the Stuttgart International Exhibition Center in Stuttgart, Germany.

Said to be Europe's biggest trade show dedicated to the tire manufacturing industry, Tire Technology Expo 2006 will cover technology today, new manufacturing technology, nanotechnology, black hole and black box materials technology, noise and comfort, tires and the environment, and modeling and simulation.

Over 60 speakers are scheduled for the three-day conference. Over 120 exhibitors will present a variety of equipment and products for the tire industry.

The University of Akron, OH, will hold its 30th Annual Tire Mechanics Short Course in conjunction with Tire Technology Expo 2006, March 6-9. This four-day educational and developmental course will provide engineers and scientists with an in-depth, intense study of developments surrounding tire engineering.

Dr. Alan Gent of the University of Akron's Institute of Polymer Science will present, "Strength, wear and friction of rubber." This presentation deals with the elasticity and strength of rubber, its viscoelastic properties that cause rubber to have inherent damping, and the laboratory measurement and interpretation of tear strength, fatigue resistance and adhesion to wire cord. The unusual frictional properties of rubber will be discussed, along with the difficulty in meeting the competing requirements of low rolling resistance for good fuel economy, but high sliding friction for good traction and braking.

Dr. Gerald Potts of Test Measurement Systems will present, "The tire as a vehicle component." Today's pneumatic tire is said to serve four functions, including supporting a moving load, generating steering forces, generating driving and braking forces, and providing isolation from road irregularities. In examining the complex mechanism involved in satisfying the four requirements, participants will study the tire's importance in determining overall vehicle performance.

Dr. Timothy McDonel, a consultant retired from Michelin North America, will present, "Tire materials--rubbers/ reinforcements." Materials used in today's pneumatic tires are said to be designed to act together with construction features to provide optimum durability and performance for a given tire application. Proper rubber compound formulation and application of cord-rubber composites are said to be crucial to the successful operation of a tire. This part of the course will provide participants with an introduction to the unique performance and physical properties of rubber compounds and their textile materials used in tires.

Dr. Joseph D. Walter from the University of Akron's Department of Mechanical Engineering will present, "Rules and regulations governing tires." Government regulations, industry standards, customer specifications and marketing requirements are said to directly impact the ultimate design (and consequently the performance level) of all tires, especially original equipment and aftermarket passenger car tires. Discussed in this part of the course will be the current state of regulatory affairs, including the TREAD Act, design trade-offs often inherent in meeting sometimes conflicting rules and regulations, and different market requirements.

Dr. Michael Trinko of the University of Akron's Department of Mechanical Engineering will present, "Tire stress and deformation analysis." The properties of the anisotropic cord rubber composite are said to have primary control of the overall performance characteristics of pneumatic tires. In order to optimize a given tire performance parameter, knowledge of the combined cord rubber composite material properties is said to be necessary and will be covered in this part of the course.

Dr. Marion G. Pottinger of M'gineering LLC will present, "Tire wear, traction and force generation." Tire force generation, wear and traction are all said to be crucially determined by what takes place in the tire/road contact patch. This section will provide a discussion of how tire design, kinematics, the road surface and driver behavior come together to determine wear, traction and cornering behavior. The discussion will be conducted not only with a scientific basis, but also with an eye to product design.

Dr. Joseph Padovan of the University of Akron's Department of Mechanical Engineering will present, "Advanced tire modeling." This presentation will include past, present and possible future analytical-numerical models of the tire, a development of tire behavior and discussions of current numerical simulation techniques.

Further information on Tire Technology Expo 2006 and the 30th Annual Tire Mechanics Short Course is available from UKIP Media & Events, tel.: [phone]; fax: [phone].