Development of Measurement System for Deformation of the Tire Tread Block Using a Digital Camera

It is crucial for vehicle and tire manufactures to reduce tire noise. In particular, tire noise caused by tread pattern is one of the main issue. However, it is unclear that the mechanism of tire noise generated by tread pattern contacting the road while the tire is travelling. Therefore, it is important to capture the tire tread block deformation under the operational condition in order to understand the mechanism of the tire noise. Thus, this paper presents a measurement system for deformation of the tire tread block. The measurement system consists of a standard digital single lens reflex camera, strobes and a photoelectric sensor. Clear image of a rotating body can be measured by controlling strobe lights and the camera. The first part of this paper describes validity of the system by preliminary tests. The second part of this paper elaborates installation of the measurement system on a drum tester and measurements results of tire block deformation while tire is rotating.