DEVELOPMENT OF A FLAT SURFACE TIRE ROLLING RESISTANCE FACILITY

A high-speed flat surface tire rolling resistance test facility has been developed to evaluate tire rolling resistance characteristics of a free-rolling tire and power transmission efficiency of a driven tire under controlled conditions. A continuous steel belt simulates the flat surface roadway. The tire contact patch is supported by means of a hydrostatic bearing. A new three-axis load cell has been developed to measure low fore/aft and lateral forces in the presence of a large vertical force. The load cell allows use of a live axle. In addition, discussions of the measurement instrumentation, the annunciator system, and the machine performance specifications are also presented.