Improving Tyre Reinforcement with Kevlar® Engineered Elastomer

Tyres operate in challenging environments. They must provide traction, wear, and handling, while simultaneously helping to provide reduced rolling resistance for improved fuel economy. Kevlar® Engineered Elastomer for tyre reinforcement is used to help stiffen tyre components critical to cornering and handling. Its ability to reinforce rubber compounds, yet maintain low hysteretic losses, helps provide manufacturers with a route to lower rolling resistance.

What is Kevlar® Engineered Elastomer?

DuPont™ Kevlar® Engineered Elastomer is a dispersion of a highly branched para-aramid pulp available in a family of rubber matrices. It is based upon a proprietary technology that opens the structure of the highly branched pulp and allows it to be uniformly dispersed into our customers’ rubber formulations, enabling efficient reinforcement.

Kevlar® Engineered Elastomer has been helping to provide improved performance in power transmission (PT) belts for over 15 years. Benefits in PT belts include lower hysteresis, abrasion resistance, and cut and chip resistance (tooth shear), leading to longer life. The belt manufacturer also can take advantage of improved green strength and lower cost of manufacturing due to ease of dispersion. Kevlar® Engineered Elastomer can help provide improved tear resistance and reduced crack growth propagation in applications such as conveyor belts.

How is Kevlar® Engineered Elastomer used?

Besides tyre reinforcement technology, Kevlar® Engineered Elastomer is also used for:

• Seals and gaskets
• Belts
• Diaphragms
• Vibration mounts and isolators
• Roll coverings
• Rubber-coated fabrics

Learn more about Kevlar® Engineered Elastomer

DuPont commissioned the following study to determine the effect of para-aramid pulp reinforcement on the properties of typical tyre compounds:
View Technical Paper: “Kevlar® Engineered Elastomer for Tyre Reinforcement by C.W. Tsimpris, J.P. Jakob and G.P. Vercesi“.