|
| |
Tire Testing
NATC is a recognized leader in developmental and production
tire testing. From motorcycles to armored personnel carriers to earth movers,
NATC has developed test methods to evaluate and optimize tire and suspension
performance over a broad range of conditions. NATC engineers have assisted in
carcass design and compound development and tailor tests to provide solutions in
a timely and effective manner. Single wheel traction trucks for 12-inch through
24-inch tires, dynamic x-ray, dynamic temperature probes (thermocouples in the
rotating tire), and computer simulation are devices typically employed at NATC
for the evaluation.
Click on the following pictures to view videos (both are recorded at
2000 frames per second)
|
8 Inch half Round at 10 mph |
8 inch half round at 20 mph |
A full range of tire testing, including developmental,
mobility, reliability, and environmental tests, is available as follows:
| Developmental Tire Tests |
| Mountability |
Burst |
| Bead/Rim Slip |
Footprints |
| Dimensions |
Plunger |
| Thermal Profile |
Sequentially Advanced Accelerated Wear and
Durability (SAAWAD) |
| Deflections |
Rolling Resistance |
| Spring and Damping Measurements |
Fuel Economy |
| Computer Modeling and Simulation |
Cornering Forces |
| Multi-Mode |
Accelerated Tread wear |
| Spin-up |
Bead Roll Off/Unseat |
| Cord Resonance Frequency Dissipation |
Survivable Tire Systems (STS) |
| |
µ/Alpha |
|
Reliability Tire Tests
|
| Thermal Reliability |
Puncture Resistance |
| High Speed Operation (150 MPH) |
Ton Mile Per Hour |
| Mechanical Durability |
Rib/Lug Tear Resistance |
| Tread wear |
Cut Resistance |
| Thermal/Mechanical Durability |
GSA Qualified Product List (QPL) Certification |
| Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG) |
Crack Resistance |
| |
Cut/Crack Growth Resistance |
| Mobility Tire Tests |
Tractive Capability
- Single Wheel Traction
- Drawbar Pull
- Braking
- Closed Course
- Go, No-Go
- Hill Climb
- Fording
- µ/Alpha
|
Cornering Response
- J-Turn
- Circle
- Free Drift
- Tethered Handling
|
| |
Handling Response
- Slalom
- Lane Change
- Hydroplaning
|
|
Environmental / Operational Tire Tests |
| Noise |
Vibration |
| Battlefield Live Fire |
Traction |
| Ride Characteristics |
Terrain Tracking |
| Battlefield Debris |
Cornering |
| Handling Characteristics |
Terrain Analysis |
| Mobility |
Braking |
| |
Catastrophic Failure |
In addition, NATC develops specialized tests to simulate a
broad range of operational conditions.
|
