Elimination of Stray Forces from Tire Dynamics Measurements or Beware the Backpath

The forces that enter the mounted tire spindle of laboratory-type tire dynamics test machines include the following items: (1) direct tire-generated forces, tire nonuniformities, and tread pattern vibrations; (2) direct tire-transmitted rough road surface or cleat impact forces; (3) direct machine resonance-amplified versions of items 1 and 2; (4) machine frame backpath-transmitted versions of items 1–3; (5) dynamic loadcell crosstalk; (6) external noise from foundation vibrations; and (7) adjacent load station vibrations traveling through the machine frame. Although items 1 and 2 are sought in spindle vibration measurements, items 3–7 are also included in the mix and confound the measurement, confusing the analyst into thinking that machine properties are tire properties. Not only do items 3–6 not exist in vehicle operation but also comparison of results from one test machine to another can be an exercise in comparing machine to machine, not tire to tire. Tire dynamics measurements should simulate tires in roadway operation, not create a whole new set of problems that do not exist in vehicles. Elimination of item 7 paved the way to developing a tire failure warning system that operates on tire endurance test machines and can be adapted for operation on passenger vehicles to warn the driver of tire trouble. This article develops the theory of stray force measurement, describes a method for eliminating stray forces from experimental tire dynamics data, and provides experimental verification of the effectiveness of these methods.