Based on the advantages of the rubber tire industry, Guangrao County seizes the development opportunities of the deep integration of producer service industry and manufacturing industry, accelerates the transformation of the rubber tire industry to high-end, intelligent and green, and makes the traditional industry glow with new vitality and vitality.
The rolling resistance coefficient of conventional automobile tires is generally C grade or D grade, while new energy vehicles have higher requirements for tire rolling resistance.
At the Huasheng Rubber Advanced Rubber Materials and High-end Green Tire Innovation Research Institute, designed by R&D personnel, the tire rolling resistance coefficient reaches A level, the rolling resistance coefficient is reduced by 20%, and the cruising range of new energy vehicles is increased by 5%.
After small batch trial production and performance verification, this year it has been transformed from laboratory samples into market-ready products.
“We use modified solution-polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber and highly dispersed silica formula to effectively reduce the internal hysteresis loss of the rubber, thereby reducing tire rolling resistance. In terms of pattern design, by optimizing the tire pattern saturation and ground pressure distribution, the best balance between grip and rolling resistance is achieved, so that the tire can further reduce rolling resistance while ensuring excellent grip performance.” said Liu Kaihua, an engineer at the Advanced Rubber Materials and High-End Green Tire Innovation Research Institute.
Independent research and development not only eliminated the shortcomings in tire performance, but also seized the opportunity in the market. Once the product was launched, it was highly praised by agents.
Adhering to the “company + alliance” development model, Huasheng Rubber’s Advanced Rubber Materials and High-End Green Tire Innovation Research Institute is based on the company’s own technology upgrades and product iterations, and is deeply engaged in the research and development of new rubber materials and green tire innovation. While building the company’s core competitiveness, it actively breaks out of the company’s internal R&D closed loop.
“We will shift from focusing on our own production and operations to providing multi-faceted services in terms of technical support, achievement transformation and talent cultivation for the all-rubber tire industry, helping the industry to solve key technical problems such as green and low-carbon, high-performance materials, energy saving and consumption reduction. Empowering the industry with technological innovation to improve quality and upgrade, and promote the high-quality development of the regional and even national rubber tire industry in the direction of high-end, green and intelligent.” said Wen Yongfeng, assistant to the chairman of Shandong Huasheng Rubber Group.
The Guangrao Rubber Industry Research Institute of Qingdao University of Science and Technology has also shown off its “hard power” in service and accelerated Guangrao’s move to a highland of service-oriented manufacturing innovation and development.
Here, a new type of green and environmentally friendly rubber reinforcing filler, silicon-based hollow microspheres, entered the pilot stage in February this year after two years of development and application.
The filler’s reinforcing performance is equivalent to that of semi-reinforced carbon black. It can flexibly replace traditional fillers such as cracked carbon black, N774, N550/N660 and precipitation silica. It is suitable for performance improvement and cost optimization of high-performance rubber products such as tires, seals, and shock-absorbing products.
“We have jointly developed silicon-based hollow microspheres with Tsinghua University. The raw materials come from a wide range of sources, such as fly ash, construction waste, etc., and can realize the recycling of waste resources. Applying them to the field of rubber tires can significantly improve the compression deformation resistance and performance retention rate of rubber composite materials, while helping companies effectively reduce costs, improve quality and efficiency.” said Dr. Zhang Su, director of the R&D Department of Guangrao Rubber Industry Research Institute of Qingdao University of Science and Technology.
The main raw material of traditional rubber filler silica is silica, which has high production costs and complicated processes.
Silicon-based hollow microspheres are ultra-fine inorganic silicate active powders extracted from waste and specially surface-modified. When applied to tire production, they can reduce costs by approximately 25% per ton. Under specific formulas, the rubber compression permanent deformation index can be reduced from 31.5% to 11.5%.
The Guangrao Rubber Industry Research Institute of Qingdao University of Science and Technology has implemented more than ten projects like this, serving nearly a hundred companies in Guangrao and surrounding areas.
From self-built platforms by enterprises to jointly built hubs by universities, Guangrao’s rubber tire industry is accelerating to form an innovative service system of “enterprise leadership, platform support, and collaborative linkage”.
In 2025, the county’s rubber tire enterprises will invest more than 1 billion yuan in R&D, focusing on cutting-edge fields such as green, high-end, and smart tires.
At present, the county has established 10 R&D platforms at or above the provincial level, cultivated 9 high-tech enterprises, 6 national science and technology small and medium-sized enterprises, introduced dozens of high-level innovative talents, and many core technological achievements have reached the international advanced level.
From selling tires to selling technology and services, Guangrao is embarking on a “Guangrao path” for the transformation of traditional industries through the deep integration of producer services and manufacturing.
