DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN OF A COST-EFFICIENT TIRE MECHANICS TESTING APPARATUS

Most tire models need experimentally obtained data as input for simulation purposes. The study of tire mechanics requires the accuracy and repeatability of a controlled environment. However, the accessibility and cost of tire testing machines make it prohibitive for exploring tire mechanical properties for academic studies. Moreover, most industrial tire testing machines are designed for general tire testing, and would require an extensive amount of time and resources to adapt for academic research. To study tire mechanical behavior for modeling purposes, a tire mechanics test apparatus has been developed at the Center for Vehicle Systems and Safety (CVeSS), Virginia Tech. The tire mechanics test apparatus has been designed as an interchangeable attachment to an existing modular quarter car test rig developed at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville, Virginia, to save on cost, as well as to maintain repeatability of testing. The physical limitations of maximum tire vertical load for various tire testing machines are also among the main motivations for developing the tire mechanics test apparatus. The current configuration of the tire mechanics test apparatus provides the capability to study the vertical load deflection characteristics of the tire, as well as the static footprint of the tire under various vertical loads. Future planned enhancements to the setup include the addition of a soil bin and an instrumented rolling drum for tire shear force studies.