The Silvio Tronchetti Provera Foundation and the University of Shandong in Jinan, China, recently signed a one-year research agreement for the study of a new generation of ecologically-friendly tires.
The university researchers will work in cooperation with the research and development department of the Pirelli Group in China to produce low rolling resistance tires. The agreement includes two joint research initiatives with the respective goals of:
* realizing more consistent compound mixtures, and
* studying low-temperature tire vulcanization.
Young school faculty scholars as well as students, graduates and post-graduate students of the Chinese university will take part in the initiative. They will be supervised by Professor Zhao Guoqun, dean of the College of Material Science and Technology at the University of Shandong; Maurizio Boiocchi, head of R&D at Pirelli Tire; and Alexander Bregantim, head of R&D at Pirelli Tire in China.
Pirelli has invested more than 200 million dollars in the Shandong province since the opening of its Shandong tire plant three years ago.
The Silvio Tronchetti Provera Foundation was created in 2001 for the promotion of research in the sectors of economics, science and technology, and other areas of interest for industrial development, focusing mainly on promoting training of young talent in these fields.
These efforts are a continuation of the Pirelli Group's goal of creating more "eco-compatible" tires, such as the Pirelli Cinturato, introduced in Europe earlier this year.
