New Approach to Tire Durability Testing

Abstract

Abstract A new fundamental approach to tire durability testing is described based on dynamic temperature build-up. This has been made possible by development of a practical technique for continuously measuring the internal shoulder temperature of tires during actual road operation at speeds up to 80 mph. Utility of this technique has been demonstrated in a systematic characterization of effects of load, inflation, speed, and ambient temperature on tire running temperature for tires made from two widely different elastomers, SBR and butyl. Within the scope of the experimental study, correlation of tire durability to running temperature has been developed. The dynamic temperature measuring technique and the apparent relations between running temperature and durability should have broad application in the tire industry.