Smithers Rapra Enhances Tread Wear Testing Capabilities for Tires

AKRON, Ohio - Jan. 10, 2017 - PRLog -- Smithers Rapra, a world leader in rubber, plastics and composites testing expertise, announced today that it has upgraded its tread wear testing capabilities for passenger, light truck and commercial vehicle tires at the Tire and Wheel Test Center in Ravenna, OH.

The upgraded equipment and software can run a wide variety of drive profiles while supporting benchmarking and development requirements. Indoor tread wear testing provides a more controlled, consistent and efficient alternative to on road testing, in terms of characterizing how a tire will wear. Indoor testing can also provide researchers with the ability to run wear studies that would be difficult or cost-prohibitive to perform on roads.

"Our goal at Smithers is to provide our clients with the most expansive set of testing capabilities, while maintaining the most accurate results available in the marketplace," said James Popio, Vice President - North America, Smithers Rapra. "As tread development continues to grow in importance, the market has been interested in finding more controlled and efficient ways of testing tread wear characteristics. We're excited to be one of the only third party labs to provide this valuable service to tire companies and material suppliers moving forward."

Smithers' tread wear machine can rapidly and consistently induce tread wear with a combination of city and highway driving conditions. Custom drive profiles can be developed to match the particular conditions of a vehicle and course. A highly accurate CTWIST laser profilometer produced by Starrett is used to measure tread loss, usually at several mileage intervals during the test. Standard reporting includes a full scan of the tread, and documentation of irregular wear (e.g. heel-toe), wear rate and average tread loss across a meridian.

Smithers Rapra operates laboratories in North America, Europe and China, covering a wide variety of testing and consulting services from material chemistry and product durability testing, to tire, wheel and winter testing. Smithers' global network of ISO 17025 accredited tire test laboratories perform a wide variety of SAE, ASTM, ISO, UNECE and EC tests supporting raw material suppliers, tire manufacturers and automotive OEMs. For more information about Smithers Rapra visit www.smithersrapra.com.

About Smithers Rapra:

Smithers Rapra has been a trusted partner of the plastics and rubber industries for over 90 years. Our business is built around delivering a complete portfolio of rubber and plastic testing services to support a wide range of industry sectors including tire, automotive, polymer products, oil and gas, medical device, pharmaceutical, transport, packaging, industrial, and consumer products. By integrating science, technology and business expertise, Smithers' goal is to add value throughout the lifecycle of our clients' products. Please visit www.smithersrapra.com.

About The Smithers Group:

Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, The Smithers Group includes Smithers Apex, Smithers Avanza, Smithers Pira, Smithers Quality Assessments, Smithers Rapra, and Smithers Viscient. Each Smithers Group company provides technology-based services focused on a defined market. As a group, the diversity of market sectors and technologies provides stability and a platform for long-term growth. By integrating science, technology and business expertise, Smithers' goal is to add value throughout the lifecycle of our clients' products, by utilizing testing, consulting, information, and compliance services. All Smithers companies are known by their clients as Trusted Providers of Innovative Solutions. For more information, visit www.smithers.com.