Collection shroud for indoor tire test apparatus

摘要

An indoor tire testing apparatus has a rotatable road wheel with an abrasive surface and a tire support mechanism for rotatably supporting and moving a tread of a tire into contact with the abrasive surface. A vacuum chamber having a pair of nozzles is located adjacent the area of contact between the abrasive surface and tire tread. A movably mounted shroud is formed by a plurality of metal panels and forms a chamber for receiving a tire therein during testing. Temperature and moisture is controlled within the shroud interior and vacuum chamber through a duct connected to the shroud. A plurality of brushes partially close open sides in the vacuum chamber and shroud to prevent the escape of powder and particles from within the chambers. The vacuum nozzles remove the powder and particles to a remote location to prevent their dispersion into the surrounding atmosphere.