There is a reason the saying "when the rubber hits the road" refers to the critical point in any dynamic situation. For autos and trucks, the reference is not an analogy. It's literal.
The smoothness of a car's ride begins with the tires, and the car's safety ends there pretty quickly if the tire has a fault. It is the contact point between tire and pavement that generates much of a vehicle's vibration and other issues such as steering pull.
Advances in testing procedures and equipment have moved to not just testing the tire, but the complete tire-wheel assembly. Vehicle vibration may be created "where the rubber meets the road," but are transferred and even aggravated through the suspension system to the car body and finally to the driver and passengers.
Wheel assemblies and vehicles react differently at different speeds. A tire can buffer road vibrations at speeds up to 30 or 40 mph. Above 40 mph, however, the tire and wheel assembly can create vibrations. The best testing equipment are testing tire wheel assemblies at higher speeds to discover high speed vibration issues before the vehicles hit the market.
Companies in the tire, automotive and wheel industries depend on precise and exhaustive testing equipment to assure the quality and safety standards of their products work against different forces at different speeds. The equipment will test for uniformity, dynamic balance and geometry.
Uniformity testing is gaining popularity among tire and wheel assembly producers. Uniformity machines measure force variation, runout and sidewall appearance of the tires. If any of these are not uniform, the forces can cause a vehicle to bounce, vibrate and steer improperly. Uniformity testing equipment also measures lateral force variation, dealing with the repeated deformation and recovery of the tire as it enters and exits contact with the road. The lateral force changes, measured in a force variation waveform, reveal inconsistencies in the tire tread and sidewall area.
Other testing for tires and tire-wheel assemblies include the more familiar dynamic balance machine which measures a tire's static, couple, and upper and lower plane imbalance. An imbalance can result in tire wobble and even cause a vehicle to bounce.
Geometry measurement systems conduct a complete analysis of the tire sidewall and tire tread width areas. The measurements ensure the tire does not have any defects not already detected by uniformity and dynamic balance machines. The defects could include bulges or depressions in the tire sidewall or the tread.
The smoothness of a car's ride begins with the tires, and the car's safety ends there pretty quickly if the tire has a fault. It is the contact point between tire and pavement that generates much of a vehicle's vibration and other issues such as steering pull.
Advances in testing procedures and equipment have moved to not just testing the tire, but the complete tire-wheel assembly. Vehicle vibration may be created "where the rubber meets the road," but are transferred and even aggravated through the suspension system to the car body and finally to the driver and passengers.
Wheel assemblies and vehicles react differently at different speeds. A tire can buffer road vibrations at speeds up to 30 or 40 mph. Above 40 mph, however, the tire and wheel assembly can create vibrations. The best testing equipment are testing tire wheel assemblies at higher speeds to discover high speed vibration issues before the vehicles hit the market.
Companies in the tire, automotive and wheel industries depend on precise and exhaustive testing equipment to assure the quality and safety standards of their products work against different forces at different speeds. The equipment will test for uniformity, dynamic balance and geometry.
Uniformity testing is gaining popularity among tire and wheel assembly producers. Uniformity machines measure force variation, runout and sidewall appearance of the tires. If any of these are not uniform, the forces can cause a vehicle to bounce, vibrate and steer improperly. Uniformity testing equipment also measures lateral force variation, dealing with the repeated deformation and recovery of the tire as it enters and exits contact with the road. The lateral force changes, measured in a force variation waveform, reveal inconsistencies in the tire tread and sidewall area.
Other testing for tires and tire-wheel assemblies include the more familiar dynamic balance machine which measures a tire's static, couple, and upper and lower plane imbalance. An imbalance can result in tire wobble and even cause a vehicle to bounce.
Geometry measurement systems conduct a complete analysis of the tire sidewall and tire tread width areas. The measurements ensure the tire does not have any defects not already detected by uniformity and dynamic balance machines. The defects could include bulges or depressions in the tire sidewall or the tread.
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