The Development of a New SAE Truck Tire-Pavement Interaction Noise Measurement Procedure

A summary of the committee engaged in the development of a revised SAE J57 Truck Tire Noise Measurement Standard is presented. This discussion reviews the evaluations of the current standard, current and proposed international standards, and the key changes in the proposed revision to SAE J57. A major expansion to the scope of the current standard tackled by the committee was the effect of environmental conditions. The effects of road surface temperature, ambient air temperature, and wind are discussed. The measurement limitations and corrections implemented to address these factors are also described. Another key issue discussed is the effect of pavement surface. Cited references indicate that the effects of road surface variation can be greater than tire design differences. The committee developed a specification for a standardized surface to address this concern. Another improvement of the current standard is in the specification of tire operating conditions. The topics of tire warm-up, break-in, inflation pressure, and loading were all reconsidered and the resulting specifications are discussed. A unique feature of the SAE J57 standard is the requirement that testing be done using a truck or van. The committee felt that this was a potential source of measurement error and proposed an alternative test method using a trailer. This proposed trailer and procedure are described in detail. Other topics discussed include methods to insure test repeatability and data reporting requirements.