At the tire-road interface, wear and particle emission are influenced by the intricate interactions and various relative motion types of two contacting bodies and the so-called ‘third body’ at the interface. A comprehensive understanding of these complex interactions is critical for ensuring tire and road durability, enhancing road safety and mitigating health risks associated with emissions. Although prior studies have examined particle quantity, size distribution, and morphology from tire-road contact, the comprehensive understanding of wear mechanisms in tandem with particle dynamics and surface evolution remains at an early stage.

In this study, our primary focus is on accurately simulating tire-road contact within a laboratory setting and comprehensively interpreting the collected data. A laboratory tribometer with a pin-on-disc configuration was utilized to replicate tire-road interaction using Dynamic Friction Tester (DFT) rubber and granite aggregate mosaic. Surface texture data was recorded before and after the wear tests. Concurrently, wear particles were collected at the end of each wear test and analysed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Surface texture changes were associated with the deposition of the rubber layer and tire-road wear particles. Observed wear particles exhibited a morphology consistent with those found on roads and generated in various laboratory settings reported in previous studies. Mechanism of tire-road wear particle evolution was suggested based on particle morphology observation.

Our findings highlight the intricate relationship between friction coefficient evolution and surface texture changes during wear tests. This research deepens our understanding of the tire-road interface, shedding light on how wear mechanisms impact particle emissions and surface evolution. These insights have the potential to enhance tire and road safety and sustainability in transportation engineering.