Mechanical characterisation for the development of advanced tyres in the motorcycle sector

The aim of this Master’s thesis is to investigate how the mechanical properties of elastomers change depending on the position of the specimen inside the die and on the position of the tube inside the oven. Indeed, to produce the elastomers, the elastomeric compound is vulcanised in the die and post-cured in the oven. As the temperature inside the oven is not homogeneous, the mechanical properties, such as hardness, tensile stress and strain at break and tear strength at break, can be affected by the position of the elastomer inside the oven. To measure the mechanical properties of the elastomers, different tests are carried out in laboratory following the corresponding norms: hardness Shore test, tensile test and tear test. After collecting the data, they are analysed using statistics tools. The results show how to produce elastomers with the desired mechanical properties The elastomers analysed in this thesis will be used by AGLA Power Transmission to produce advanced tyres for motorcycle sector, in particular for enduro races, without an inner tube, with an anti-puncture system and able to guarantee a long life with a view to the circular economy.