A tribological study of tire-road contact: roles of rubber deposition and tire-road wear particle generation

Abstract In road engineering, the evolution of the tire-pavement interface is of critical importance. However, the role of tire wear and related particle generation at the interface is often overlooked. This study introduces a novel laboratory approach to study the early-stage evolution of the tire-road interface. A series of short-term wear experiments were conducted on granite and limestone mosaic discs using a pin-on-disc device and intermediate surface texture stages were recorded. Throughout the experiment, data were collected on surface topography, friction coefficients, and mass loss of various system components. The study identified two primary phases in the friction coefficient curve: an initial increase followed by a continuous decrease. This behavior was attributed to the coating of mosaic disks with rubber and the subsequent formation of wear particles: i.e., indicative of third body type interfacial mechanisms. In fact, while the rubber coating masks the microtexture and mediates sliding between the interacting surfaces, the generation of TRWP introduces a rolling element into the interaction. These findings highlight the non-linear behavior of the coefficient of friction as a function of road construction materials, surface deposits, and TRWP generation mechanisms. As such, this study marks an important first step toward a deeper understanding of tire-pavement contact dynamics and their implications for driver safety. Moreover, it contributes to the characterization of TRWP based on the tribological processes occurring at the interface, offering a foundation for future work on both environmental and performance-related aspects of tire-road interactions.