The Distributions of Stress Between the Tread and the Road for Freely Rolling Tires

This paper outlines the nature of the measuring equipment used in the investigation of tire-road interactions and presents the results of a study of the interfacial stress distributions of a radial-ply, a bias-belted, and a 4-ply bias-angle tire. There is a discussion of tractive ratios and effective coefficients of friction. Distributions of tractive ratios are displayed for all of the conditions treated and for the three types of tires.

The paper also covers the changes in stress distributions that result from steering and the relation of these alterations to the lateral thrust and self-aligning torque of the tires.