US 11,781,945 B2
Tire sidewall toughness index method
Michael Thomas Driscoll, Norton, OH (US); Steven Emery Guba, Jr., Akron, OH (US); and Nicholas Anthony Gullatta, North Canton, OH (US)
Assigned to The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, OH (US)
Filed by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, OH (US)
Filed on Aug. 25, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/411,754.
Prior Publication US 2023/0067174 A1, Mar. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. G01M 17/02 (2006.01)
CPC G01M 17/02 (2013.01) 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for determining a sidewall toughness index for a tire, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a first tire that includes a pair of bead areas, a tread, and a pair of sidewalls, each one of the sidewalls extending from a respective one of the bead areas to the tread;
conducting a first physical test on a selected one of the sidewalls of the first tire, the first physical test including a first mode of sidewall damage from a first tool;
recording a result of the first physical test;
providing a second tire, the second tire including a pair of bead areas, a tread, and a pair of sidewalls, each one of the sidewalls extending from a respective one of the bead areas to the tread;
conducting a second physical test on a selected one of the sidewalls of the second tire, the second physical test being a different test than the first physical test and including a second mode of sidewall damage from a second tool, the second mode of sidewall damage being different from the first mode of sidewall damage and the second tool being a different tool than the first tool;
recording a result of the second physical test;
normalizing the result of the first physical test;
normalizing the result of the second physical test; and
generating a single sidewall toughness index by combining the normalized result of the first physical test that includes the first mode of sidewall damage from the first tool and the normalized result of the second physical test that includes the second mode of sidewall damage from the second tool.