Tire Technology Expo 2007 held.

Tire Technology Expo 2007, organized by UKIP Media & Events, will be held March 13-15 at the Cologne International Exhibition Center in Cologne, Germany. This expo offers visitors a technology showcase covering materials and equipment through the complete spectrum of the tire manufacturing process.

The 32nd Annual Tire Mechanics Short Course will be held concurrently with Tire Technology Expo 2007 on March 12-15. This four-day educational and developmental course is said to provide engineers and scientists with an in-depth, intense study of developments surrounding tire engineering.

The preliminary conference program for Tire Technology Expo 2007 is as follows:

Tuesday, March 13--Session 1--Future advances in tire design, development and manufacturing: "Development of and outlook for the global rubber industry," Prachaya Jumpasut, International Rubber Study Group; "Methods to retrieve data from tires (other than pressure and temperature) and related problems," Federico Mancosu, Pirelli Pneumatici; "Next generation runflat tires--the future of tires," Rick Scavuzzo, Goodyear Luxemburg Technical Center; "Noise reduction technology," Naoki Yukawa, Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd.; "Deformation properties of radial tires in contact with the road," Kazuyuki Kabe, Yokohama Rubber; "Marketing aspects of the tire," Dieter Siebert, Goodyear Dunlop Tires; "Is it necessary to develop new functional rubber chemicals for the tire industry?" Lothar Steger, consultant; "The status of tire aging issues and regulation in the U.S.," Sean Kane, Safety Research & Strategies; "Why reinvent the wheel? Bringing innovation to the world of tires," Paul Filmore, University of Plymouth; and "Application of TRIZ in tire design," Payman Pourgheysar, Alborz Tire Manufacturing.

Tuesday March 13--Session 2--Improving the manufacturing process: "Mixer feeding concepts with fast and high-precision dosing to reduce mixer cycle time," David Scott, Zeppelin Materials Handling; "New equipment for cooling the bands of rubber compounds," Lubomir Kurpel, Konstrukta Industry; "Improved productivity through optimized extrusion machinery," Karsten Kueddelsmann, Harburg-Freudenberger Maschinenbau; "Laser tire marking--application overview," Joerg Jetter, 4Jet Sales + Service; "Perfectly protected," Lutz Schone, Brandenburger Isoliertechnik; "Tire building--the main advantages between unistage and two-stage technology," Karsten Jung, Continental AG; "Recent advances in the direct milling of tread segments," Armin Kraus, Dahmen GmbH; "Developments and state-of-the-art solutions for large radial tire assembly of the Marangoni fast lines assisted by Alpha R strip winders," Viscardo Baldoni, Marangoni Meccanica; "Splice geometry and layer width/position measurement on tire-building machines," Frank Lohman and Stephan Froelich, LAP GmbH Laser Applikationen; "Process improvement through innovation in conveyance," Joe DePaso, Intralox; "Latest development in hydraulic roll nip adjustment for fabric and steel cord rubberizing calender," Pierre Georgio Crespi, Comerio Ercole; "New developments for hydraulic curing presses," Peter Dahmann, Aachen University of Applied Sciences, and Andreas Gutfreund, Herbert Maschinen und Anlagenbau; "Measurement of rolling circumference in the tire production process," Michael Meinen, Seichter; "An automatic tire identification for use in tire sorting and tire matching," Dennis Reynolds, Bytewise Measurement Systems; "GTU diagnostic system--a new technology for analyzing green tire uniformity on the tire building dram," Rolf K. Svensson, Bytewise Europe; and "Development of tires--a key to success," Harm J. Voortman, VMI EPE Holland BV.

Tuesday, March 13--Session 3--Optimization of the testing process: "T3M-TUV tire temperature method--applied for performance and wear optimization in testing and simulation," Bernhard Schick, TUV SLID Automotive; "Xpert --automatic x-ray inspection software for tire applications," Thierry I. Currenti and Boguslaw Lorecki, Cybernetix; "Tire geometry measurement using a fixed sheet of light measuring assembly," Peter Schmitt, Fraunhofer-Institute fur Integrierte Schaltungen; "Optical tire deformation sensor: Algorithms and measurements," Ari Tuononen, TKK; "Interferometric tire inspection for quality control," Stefan Dengler, SDS-Systemtechnik; "Overcoming data drop-outs in tire surface inspection: Techniques and technology," Walt Pastorius and Martin Sanden, LMI Technologies; "Two in one--a modern universal flexometer (according to Goodrich) and a dynamic mechanical thermal spectrometer (DMTS)," Horst Deckmann, Gabo Qualimeter Testanlagen GmbH; "An innovative new range of dynamic mechanical analyzers to test elastomers over nine decades of frequency," Laurent Perrier, OldB-Metravib; and "New method for vehicle drift test," RE Chattaraj, NATR IP.

Wednesday, March 14--Session 1--Future technologies: "Performance of a tire with a porous tread," Jerzy Ejsmont, Technical University of Gdansk, and Ulf Sandberg, VTI (Swedish National Road & Transport Research Institute); "Performance of a composite tire/wheel," Ulf Sandberg, VTI, and Jerzy Ejsmont, Technical University of Gdansk; "Development of a porous tire tread," Bjom Kalman, VTI; "Modeling sound absorption and other characteristics of a tire with a porous tread," Wolfgang Kropp, Chalmers University of Technology; "Modeling sound and vibration characteristics of a composite tire/wheel," Wolfgang Krupp, Chalmers University; and "Development of a composite tire/wheel," Hans Erik Hansson, HE Hansson AB.

Wednesday, March 14--Session 2--Intelligence for tires: "Intelligent tires and tire data--proposal for an industry standard," Kevin Stock, Schrader Electronics; and "Battery-free tire information systems--roadmap to the intelligent tire system (ITS)," Philippe Fournet-Fayat, Siemens VDO Automotive.

Wednesday, March 14--Session 3--Innovation in materials development: "Addressing the magic triangle: Safety, durability and fuel economy, by using Twaron and Sulfron," Rabin Datta, Teijin Twaron BV; "Enhanced dithiophosphate processing in silica-filled compounds," Dietmar Hoff, Rhein Chemie GmbH; "Silicone technology: Driving innovation in the tire industry," Michel De Poortere, Centre European des Silicones; "Effect of Sidistar, a specialty silica, on winter tire tread compound properties and tire performance," Gerd Schmaucks, Elkem AS; "Improving wet traction through the use of high-performance silica tread compounds," Laurent Guy, Rhodia Europe; "From classical to highly dispersible silica: A progression," Jose Ramos, Iqesil SA; "Heat resistance improvement and better aging and blending of SBR with silicone elastomers," Reza Limoochi, Khuzestan Tire: "A comparison of different technologies used in tire tread compounds aimed at reducing rolling resistance," Smart Cook, Tun Abdul Razak Research Center; "Investigating the crumb rubber-virgin rubber interface," Praveen Kumar, University of London; "Investigation of the effect of surface area and structure on the electrical conductivity in carbon black-filled elastomers," Vineet Jha, University of London; "Multiaxial testing for dynamic properties and anisotropy," Vince Coveney, University of the West of England; and "Study of the viscoelastic properties of difficult CB loaded tire sidewall compounds using the RPA," Mohammed Karrabi, Ivan Polymer Institute.

Thursday, March 15--Session 1--CAE and CAD enhancement: "Tire footprint prediction in different conditions by a developed 3D finite-element model (Abaqus code)," Mahdieh Zamzamzadeh, Kerman Tire & Rubber; "Hyperelastic material models fitting to experimental data for radial tire components by a developed finite element model (Abaqus code)," Mehdi Negarestani, Kerman Tire & Rubber; "Finite element modeling of tires with detailed tread pattern," Mir Hamid Reza Ghoreishy, Iran Polymer Institute; "Modeling abrasion in elastomer materials," Hancheng Liang, University of London; "Braking optimal maneuver: The role of front and rear tires on a sport motorbike," Sergio Savaresi, Politechnico Di Milano; and "Fracture characterization of tire structures using J integral," Sonica Amamath, Apollo Tires.

Thursday, March 15--Session 2--Tires for a safe environment: "Tire legislation with regard to environmental aspects," Lars Schade, Federal Environmental Agency; "Assessment of the existing and proposed tire noise limits," Greg Watts, TRL; "Technology, regulation and the consumer," J. Dorken, British Tire Manufacturers Association; "REACH legislation--a simplified overview?" David Calvert, University of Hull; "The bus tires failures analysis," Gradimir Danon, University of Belgrade; and "Tire forensics," Anil Sardesai, C1RT.

The 32nd Tire Mechanics Short Course schedule is as follows:

Monday, March 12: "Strength, wear and friction of rubber," Alan Gent, University of Akron; and "The tire as a vehicle component," Gerald Potts, Test Measurements Systems.

Tuesday, March 13: "Tire materials and manufacturing," Joseph Walter, University of Akron; and "Rules and regulations governing tires," Joseph Walter, University of Akron.

Wednesday, March 14: "Advanced tire modeling," Joseph Padovan, University of Akron; and "Tire wear, traction and force generation," Marion G. Pottinger, M'gineering LLC.

Thursday, March 15: Tire stress and deformation analysis," Michael Trinko, University of Akron.

Further information on Tire Technology Expo 2007 and the 32nd Tire Mechanics Short Course is available from UKIP Media & Events, tel.: [phone]; fax: [phone]; or at www.tiretechnology-expo.com.