NHTSA Tire Aging Test Development Project Phase 1 - Phoenix, Arizona, Tire Study; Report 1: Laboratory Roadwheel Testing of Light Vehicle Tires as Purchased New and After Retrieval From Service in Phoenix, Arizona

As a result of the TREAD Act of 2000, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) initiated an effort to develop a laboratory-based accelerated service life test for light vehicle tires (often referred to as a “tire aging test”). It is believed that if such a test method was successful, then light vehicle tires could eventually be required to meet standards that would make them more resistant to operational degradation and possibly reduce their failure rate during normal highway service. The development of a potential tire aging test relied upon first examining how tires change during service by measuring their roadwheel performance levels and material properties after varying lengths of service and accumulated mileages. Since the rate of degradation of tire rubber components increases with temperature, NHTSA expected that the “worst case” tires in service in the United States would be found in the southern States. This report describes the rationale used to select Phoenix, Arizona, as the tire collection location, the methodology of the collection, and the results of the roadwheel testing portion of this first phase of the project. The methodology and results of the tire material properties analysis will be described in a following report. In Phase 1 of the project, 101 on-road tires and 8 full-size spare tires of six different models were retrieved from Phoenix after varying amounts of service and compared to 45 new samples of themselves in one of two indoor roadwheel dynamometer tests. Since the cost and duration of the roadwheel tests were critical factors in determining their feasibility for a safety standard, two short-duration/high-intensity tests were utilized. One test, the Stepped-Up Load (SUL) test, used the FMVSS No. 139 Endurance test as a basis and continued to step-up the load during the test in regular increments until tire failure. The other test, the Stepped-Up Speed (SUS) test, used the FMVSS No. 139 High Speed test as a basis and continued to step-up the speed of the test to the speed category (speed rating) of the tire, at which the speed was maintained until tire failure. The results indicate that as on-road and full-size spare tires experience longer durations of service, their resistance to over-deflection (overloading or underinflation), or use at or near their speed category for long periods of time can diminish.

• Record URL:
  http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NRD/Multimedia/PDFs/Crash%20Avoidance/2009/811201.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  Vehicle Research and Test Center, P.O. Box 37
  East Liberty, OH  United States  43319

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • MacIsaac Jr, James D
  • Feve, Sebastien
  • Evans, Larry R
  • Harris, John R
  • Garrott, W Riley
• Publication Date: 2009-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 225p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accelerated tests; Aging (Materials); Durability; Service life; Tires
• Identifier Terms: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
• Geographic Terms: Phoenix (Arizona)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01366663
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-811 201
• Contract Numbers: DTNH22-02-D-08062, DTNH22-03-D-08660
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Mar 30 2012 4:39PM