Via Futura Concretis

Purpose and goal

The aim with the project was to investigate how horizontal griding of concrete road pavements affects the emission of wear particles from the contact between tyre and pavement under Nordic conditions. The results show that studded tyres, which are used in Sweden, quickly destroys the desired ground texture and causes increased emissions of particles. On the other hand, emissions from summer tyres are reduced and the texture preserved, showing a potential to use the method in parts of the world where studded tyres are not used.

Expected results and effects

The lower particle emissions from summer tyres after gridning adds to other positive effects of the technique, i.e. reduces rolling resistance and noise emissions. Even though the results need to be verified, they indicate that tyres are worn less on a ground surface, which can be of importance for mitigating also the emission of microplastics from the road environment. Since tyre wear is a major source for microplastics, which is hard to mitigate, the grinding technique might be interesting to evaluate.

Planned approach and implementation

The project has been severely delayed due to technical and logistical problems with the road simulator, due to a range of projects in need to use it and long leading times. When finally available, the tests have been performed according to plans.