APPARATUS AND RELATED METHODS FOR DETERMINING TIRE TREAD STIFFNESS

摘要

An apparatus for determining tire tread stiffness includes a holding fixture that is coupled to a loading fixture. The holding fixture includes a frame on w hich is mounted a rotary table that carries the tire tread specimen to be tested. Th e loading fixture includes a loading plate that can apply a normal loading force a nd a lateral loading force to the tire tread specimen. A processor receives data fro m a monitoring device which provides an indication of the deformation of the tire tr ead specimen as a lateral load is applied thereto. The processor also receives data from a load cell which monitors the amount of force applied to the tread specimen and correlates this data with the displacement data to determine stiffness propertie s of the tread specimen. The processor also controls the angular position of the rotary table to further analyze the tread stiffness of particular tire tread geometry.