Preliminary Measurements of the Longitudinal Traction Properties of Truck Tires

A mobile dynamometer has been constructed for measurement of the longitudinal force/slip characteristics of truck tires. The application of this apparatus in testing of a preliminary sample of tires has indicated that the shear force production properties of truck tires differ in many respects from the corresponding behavior of passenger car tires. These differences are discussed in terms of shear force sensitivity to a number of operating variables. The inadequacy of current semi-empirical tire models in representing truck tire traction is noted.