The SOVAT machine was developed after years of better understanding the tire testing pain points of our clients. On-vehicle tire testing for various performance criteria can introduce variability as well as significant time and cost to get meaningful results. We have developed a machine that can move some traditional on-vehicle tests to the laboratory to save time, costs, and provide repeatable data.
The machine has a rough drum surface that mimics a real road surface and can be fitted with specially designed and customized cleats to simulate road hazards. Lateral & longitudinal forces can be applied to the tires simultaneously, which is more representative of actual operating conditions. These features provide the ability to conduct laboratory analysis of irregular tire wear as well as chip and chunk problems. The machine also supports accelerated wear tests with multiple drive profiles to simulate real-world treadwear.
The SOVAT machine’s road wheel surface provides a more uniform, road-like surface developed to avoid problems such as rubber heat history that may be caused by short-term rapid grinding and high ambient temperatures, so that tires can obtain a better profile and performance.
The equipment can perform high acceleration and deceleration that are difficult to achieve in real vehicle experiments helping automakers evaluate the durability and stability of wheel covers under the required operating conditions.
To learn more about how simulated on-vehicle acceleration tire testing can provide you with consistent, repeatable testing data, reach out to Edward Zhang (ezhang@smithers.com).
Tire Treadwear Testing
On-vehicle treadwear testing must follow specific routes and involves many hours of driving to generate proper results. Indoor treadwear testing can be used to generate actionable data in a fraction of the time.The machine has a rough drum surface that mimics a real road surface and can be fitted with specially designed and customized cleats to simulate road hazards. Lateral & longitudinal forces can be applied to the tires simultaneously, which is more representative of actual operating conditions. These features provide the ability to conduct laboratory analysis of irregular tire wear as well as chip and chunk problems. The machine also supports accelerated wear tests with multiple drive profiles to simulate real-world treadwear.
Tire Break-In for UTQG Testing
Tire break-in is typically done on a test vehicle for a set number of miles/kilometers in preparation for additional testing. Again, this is time consuming and provides opportunities for variability in tire conditions.The SOVAT machine’s road wheel surface provides a more uniform, road-like surface developed to avoid problems such as rubber heat history that may be caused by short-term rapid grinding and high ambient temperatures, so that tires can obtain a better profile and performance.
Wheel Cover Durability Testing
With the growing demand for automobile personalization, the performance and safety of wheel cover is also receiving increasing attention. In addition, the increase in torque at the wheel from electric vehicles also introduces another factor in the durability for wheel covers.The equipment can perform high acceleration and deceleration that are difficult to achieve in real vehicle experiments helping automakers evaluate the durability and stability of wheel covers under the required operating conditions.
To learn more about how simulated on-vehicle acceleration tire testing can provide you with consistent, repeatable testing data, reach out to Edward Zhang (ezhang@smithers.com).
- 6PPD Alternative Development
- Accelerated Tire Aging
- Custom Product Displays
- Durability and Endurance Testing
- Electric Vehicle (EV) Tires
- Fleet Fuel Efficiency Analysis
- Force and Moment Testing
- Government Regulatory Tire Testing
- High-Speed Uniformity Testing
- Inflation Pressure Loss Rate (IPLR)
- Laboratory Tire Analysis
- Laser Tread Profilometry (CTWIST)
- OEM Design Validation
- OTR Tire Testing
- PRAT and RCF
- Rolling Resistance Testing
- Simulated On-Vehicle Accelerated Tire Testing
- Snow and Ice Traction
- Stiffness/Spring Rate Measurement
- Subjective Ride and Handling
- Tire Benchmarking
- Tire Buffing
- Tire Footprint Testing
- Tire Impact Testing
- Tire Labeling Testing
- Tire Modeling and Characterization
- Tire Proving Grounds
- Tire Quality Control Program
- Tire Shearography
- Vertical Load Testing
- Virtual Tire Lab