As electric mobility spreads and evolves, non-exhaust Particulate Matter sources are gaining more attention for total vehicular emissions. A holistic approach for studying the involved phenomena is necessary to identify the parameters that have the greatest impact on this portion of emissions. To achieve this, it is needed to develop a new platform capable of both creating testing methodologies for future regulations and enabling the parallel development of advanced tires and brakes that meet these standards, by correlating vehicle dynamics, driving style, tire and brake characteristics, and the resulting emissions. Here the authors present the Sustainable Integrated System for Total non-Exhaust Reduction (S.I.S.T.E.R.) project, funded by the Italian Centro Nazionale per la Mobilità Sostenibile (MOST), that aims to develop an integrated approach to study tire/brake-related emissions from the initial stages of compound development to outdoor vehicle tests, allowing actions to be taken to reduce and mitigate them. A comprehensive methodology that enables the interconnection between indoor tests on compounds, indoor tests on tire, and outdoor vehicle tests is proposed. The primary objective of the methodology is to cover the entire production cycle, from material development to the real use of the components, providing a holistic approach to understand and mitigate PM emissions.
The designed platform will consist of: a lab machine for measuring PM generation from tire tread compound across different severities, temperatures, and surfaces; a measurement station for PM generation from various tires under different conditions on the Indoor Drum Wear machine; and an electric or hybrid vehicle equipped to measure tire wear PM both on a vehicle chassis dynamometer indoors and on a track outdoors. The vehicle will feature a separate braking system and, during outdoor tests, will include a system to distinguish the source of collected non-exhaust PM, including tire wear, road wear, brake wear, and resuspension.