Vehicle non-exhaust emissions from the tyre–road interface – effect of stud properties, traction sanding and resuspension

In Northern cities respirable street dust emission levels (PM10) are especially high during spring. The spring time dust has been observed to cause health effects as well as discomfort among citizens. Major sources of the dust are the abrasion products from the pavement and traction sand aggregates that are formed due to the motion of the tyre. We studied the formation of respirable abrasion particles in the tyre–road interface due to tyre studs and traction sanding by a mobile laboratory vehicle Sniffer. The measurements were preformed on a test track, where the influence of varying stud weight and stud number per tyre on PM10 emissions was studied. Studded tyres resulted in higher emission levels than studless tyres especially with speeds 50 km h−1 and higher; however, by using light weight studs, which approximately halves the weight of studs, or by reducing the number of studs per tyre to half, the emission levels decreased by approximately half. Additionally measurements were done with and without traction sand coverage on the pavement of a public road. After traction sanding the emission levels were not affected by tyre type but by formation and suspension of traction sand related dust from the road surface. The emissions after traction sanding decreased as a function of time as passing vehicles’ motion shifted the sand grains away from the areas with most tyre–road contact.

► Stud properties (weight, number) affect the PM10 emissions caused by studded tyres.
► Traction sanding resulted in an episodic increase of PM10 emissions.
► Studded to studless tyre emission ratio is sensitive to the local suspension.