Boulder, CO-based Amerityre Corp. announced that it has achieved positive results from both independent laboratory and field testing of polyurethane retreads on truck tires. Amerityre has conducted a series of "pull" tests at an independent laboratory to test the adhesion of the polyurethane elastomer tread compound to a rubber tire casing. All tests have been conducted by an independent laboratory in accordance with ASTM test standards.
"The results of these tests show that the polyurethane tread adhesion meets the adhesion requirements acceptable to the retread industry," said Richard Steinke, Amerityre's President and CEO. "We continue to be impressed with the performance of the polyurethane elastomer. The compounds outperformed comparable rubber compounds in both accelerated heat aging and ozone testing ... and now we have excellent adhesion to rubber. All of these factors indicate that our retread manufacturing process will be very competitive in the retread industry."
The tire retreading process being developed by Amerityre involves applying the polyurethane tread compound to the rubber tire casing in such a way that the tread "seamlessly locks" to the tire casing without pressure or vulcanization.
In addition to laboratory testing, Amerityre is conducting field tests of the polyurethane elastomer retreads on a number of truck tires that are being evaluated by a mining company. If approved, the polyurethane retreads will be expanded for testing and use on heavy equipment. According to Steinke, the retreads have been evaluated for about two months and the initial feedback is positive.
