VA Tech Researchers Develop New Tire Tests

October 30th, 2009

The Danville Register and Bee reports that,

Students and a professor at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville developed a unique way to test tires.

Associate professor Saied Taheri and Virginia Tech students in the Intelligent Transportation Lab at the Institute developed a trailer that houses equipment to test tires on actual roads and road conditions.

After a year and a half of development, the team finished validating the test trailer in August. The researchers compared the results of tests on tires to manufacturers’ own laboratory tests. The data matched.

Most manufacturers and researchers test tires on a flat-track “indoor treadmill.” The rolling test trailer is only one of three such systems that tests outside in the real environment.

The trailer helps the Intelligent Transportation Lab test for stability of vehicles or measure what conditions would cause a vehicle with specific tires to roll over. With that information, researchers could develop controls to better stabilize a vehicle.

Entry Filed under: Component Test, Powertrain Test