Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LEON-T (Low particle Emissions and lOw Noise Tyres)
Reporting period: 2021-06-01 to 2022-11-30
Currently, non-exhaust particulate emissions from vehicles are not regulated. Tyre noise is subject to labelling for passenger vehicles, but not yet for trucks.
Legislation is in preparation but will require a solid body of evidence of the mechanisms of generation, dispersion and potential health effects of both particulate and noise emissions, in order to introduce measures that are effective and widely accepted.
LEON-T will contribute to this body of evidence by investigating both particulate and noise emissions from tyres,
and in doing so define and propose practical standardised methods for both lab and road testing—of tyre abrasion rate
(mostly larger particles) and airborne particulate emissions and tyre generated noise.
Legislation is in preparation but will require a solid body of evidence of the mechanisms of generation, dispersion and potential health effects of both particulate and noise emissions, in order to introduce measures that are effective and widely accepted.
LEON-T will contribute to this body of evidence by investigating both particulate and noise emissions from tyres,
and in doing so define and propose practical standardised methods for both lab and road testing—of tyre abrasion rate
(mostly larger particles) and airborne particulate emissions and tyre generated noise.
The work carried out in the various WP within the period M1 – M18 (1/6/2021 to 30/11/2022) is summarized below:
WP1: Deliverables D1.1 D1.2 and D1.3 have been submitted and the management activity progresses as expected.
WP2: The work carried out so far in WP2 has defined relevant requirements to start initial research tasks relevant to tyre wear particle sampling.
WP3: Suitable methods for sampling, pre-treating and analysing TWP in environmental matrices have been investigated and developed.A new accelerated UV aging test for measuring degradation and fragmentation of TWP is now prepared and an emission modelling has been developed in concept form
WP4: The evaluation of short-term annoyance (including the measurement of some physiological data) has been carried out in the listening room at INSA. A first part of this last experiment has been conducted in December 2022, a second part is planned in end January 2023.
The tests to understand and assess the impact of tyre noise on the cardiovascular system (task 4.2: ‘Results on perceptual and physiological response to subjective to selected tyre sound stimuli’) have started as planned. T
WP5: The airless tyre specifications have been established as corresponding to the capacity of truck tyres of dimension 285/70R19. Spokes in steel have been designed. Based on the proposed design, prototype spokes have been produced and bent to the intended shape.
WP6: Not started yet.
WP7:
The core of the communication activities relies on the project website to display the different updates of the project (https://www.leont-project.eu/). Social media like Twitter and LinkedIn have been used to attract external stakeholders, policy makers as well as general audience. A considerable number of technical and scientific publications have been carried out and others are in progress.
After multiple contacts with stakeholders, the creation of the Advisory Board is imminent and expected for spring 2023.
WP1: Deliverables D1.1 D1.2 and D1.3 have been submitted and the management activity progresses as expected.
WP2: The work carried out so far in WP2 has defined relevant requirements to start initial research tasks relevant to tyre wear particle sampling.
WP3: Suitable methods for sampling, pre-treating and analysing TWP in environmental matrices have been investigated and developed.A new accelerated UV aging test for measuring degradation and fragmentation of TWP is now prepared and an emission modelling has been developed in concept form
WP4: The evaluation of short-term annoyance (including the measurement of some physiological data) has been carried out in the listening room at INSA. A first part of this last experiment has been conducted in December 2022, a second part is planned in end January 2023.
The tests to understand and assess the impact of tyre noise on the cardiovascular system (task 4.2: ‘Results on perceptual and physiological response to subjective to selected tyre sound stimuli’) have started as planned. T
WP5: The airless tyre specifications have been established as corresponding to the capacity of truck tyres of dimension 285/70R19. Spokes in steel have been designed. Based on the proposed design, prototype spokes have been produced and bent to the intended shape.
WP6: Not started yet.
WP7:
The core of the communication activities relies on the project website to display the different updates of the project (https://www.leont-project.eu/). Social media like Twitter and LinkedIn have been used to attract external stakeholders, policy makers as well as general audience. A considerable number of technical and scientific publications have been carried out and others are in progress.
After multiple contacts with stakeholders, the creation of the Advisory Board is imminent and expected for spring 2023.
LEON-T seeks to contribute to a validated body of evidence on how tyre-generated emissions impact public and environmental health, in order to propose well-reasoned, justifiable mitigation measures— such as relevant and enforceable limits on those emissions. We will furthermore adapt the design of an airless, low-noise tyre/wheel prototyped for passenger cars and shown to have the potential for significant reduction of noise emissions to the requirements of HGVs—and prototype and test it.
The current state of the art and the expected results that LEON-T will achieve are:
Lack of standardised quantification and characterisation methods.
The lack of standardisation of parameters used for determination of these emissions—and of the methods used to determine these parameters—makes it difficult to compare the results of different studies to assemble a body of evidence that can serve as a basis for legislation. LEON-T proposes a common set of tightly defined parameters and methods to characterise and measure tyre generated emissions of particulates and noise.
Dispersion of tyre particles into the environment
The dispersion of tyre particulate emissions—generated at the road-tyre interface—into the wider environment has been investigated and modelled. LEON-T will calibrate and validate the SimpleBox4Nano (SB4N) multimedia fate model with field measurements in combination with novel characterization techniques and degradation testing for a refined understanding of the processes involved in determining environmental fate such as settling, chemical transformation and fragmentation properties of tyre wear
particles.
Bystander health hazards of traffic noise exposure
The relationship between exposure to traffic noise along intra-urban thoroughfares (where tyre generated noise eclipses engine noise) and the incidence of adverse health effects—in particular cardiovascular long-term effects—for bystanders has not been adequately investigated. LEON-T will conduct sleep studies with healthy volunteers to better understand these effects.
Effects on human health of the tyre generated microplastics in toxicological studies
In its contact with the pavement surface, the airless tyre will have a rubber tread that is similar to rubber treads of conventional tyres, and as such should not create more rubber particles than a regular air -inflated tyre having the same tread. On the contrary, we believe that the airless tyre will potentially create a “flatter” tyre/road contact patch, which should mean that there will be less micro-movements within the contact patch, which should result in less rubber (or microplastics) being worn away. But we cannot be sure of this, why this is something that we will attempt to study experimentally in the project.
Low-noise truck tyre/wheel
LEON-T will adapt the design of a low-noise and low rolling resistance airless wheel/tyre design—the Composite Wheel (CW) as developed and prototyped in Sweden in 2005—to the requirements for HGV. Prototypes of the CW for passenger cars have shown a very marked reduction in emitted tyre noise (-6 dB(A) compared to a major brand of pneumatic tyre), which in combination with further optimisation of the tread pattern has promise to lead to the noise reduction for HGV tyres sought in this call.
Evidence-based legislation
The lack of solid quantitative evidence linking tyre-generated emissions to health and environmental hazards means that it has not been possible to estimate the cost/benefit relationship between proposed mitigating measures (i.e. legislation limiting non-exhaust emissions), their cost to wider society (such as increased cost of motoring or reduced mobility), and the public acceptance of the trade-off. LEON-T will make such cost/benefit estimations, enabling legislation that is effective, efficient and widely perceived as fair.
The current state of the art and the expected results that LEON-T will achieve are:
Lack of standardised quantification and characterisation methods.
The lack of standardisation of parameters used for determination of these emissions—and of the methods used to determine these parameters—makes it difficult to compare the results of different studies to assemble a body of evidence that can serve as a basis for legislation. LEON-T proposes a common set of tightly defined parameters and methods to characterise and measure tyre generated emissions of particulates and noise.
Dispersion of tyre particles into the environment
The dispersion of tyre particulate emissions—generated at the road-tyre interface—into the wider environment has been investigated and modelled. LEON-T will calibrate and validate the SimpleBox4Nano (SB4N) multimedia fate model with field measurements in combination with novel characterization techniques and degradation testing for a refined understanding of the processes involved in determining environmental fate such as settling, chemical transformation and fragmentation properties of tyre wear
particles.
Bystander health hazards of traffic noise exposure
The relationship between exposure to traffic noise along intra-urban thoroughfares (where tyre generated noise eclipses engine noise) and the incidence of adverse health effects—in particular cardiovascular long-term effects—for bystanders has not been adequately investigated. LEON-T will conduct sleep studies with healthy volunteers to better understand these effects.
Effects on human health of the tyre generated microplastics in toxicological studies
In its contact with the pavement surface, the airless tyre will have a rubber tread that is similar to rubber treads of conventional tyres, and as such should not create more rubber particles than a regular air -inflated tyre having the same tread. On the contrary, we believe that the airless tyre will potentially create a “flatter” tyre/road contact patch, which should mean that there will be less micro-movements within the contact patch, which should result in less rubber (or microplastics) being worn away. But we cannot be sure of this, why this is something that we will attempt to study experimentally in the project.
Low-noise truck tyre/wheel
LEON-T will adapt the design of a low-noise and low rolling resistance airless wheel/tyre design—the Composite Wheel (CW) as developed and prototyped in Sweden in 2005—to the requirements for HGV. Prototypes of the CW for passenger cars have shown a very marked reduction in emitted tyre noise (-6 dB(A) compared to a major brand of pneumatic tyre), which in combination with further optimisation of the tread pattern has promise to lead to the noise reduction for HGV tyres sought in this call.
Evidence-based legislation
The lack of solid quantitative evidence linking tyre-generated emissions to health and environmental hazards means that it has not been possible to estimate the cost/benefit relationship between proposed mitigating measures (i.e. legislation limiting non-exhaust emissions), their cost to wider society (such as increased cost of motoring or reduced mobility), and the public acceptance of the trade-off. LEON-T will make such cost/benefit estimations, enabling legislation that is effective, efficient and widely perceived as fair.