Tyre centre will enable ‘a transformational leap in tyre technology’

As of January 2013, US-based vehicle manufacturer General Motors will partner with the National Tire Research Center on projects to improve fuel economy, including through optimising rolling resistance. The new facility, to which GM contributed US$5 million, uses state-of-the-art tyre performance machinery that will enable automotive and tyre manufacturers to replicate real-world emergency events and improve vehicle highway safety.

“The work we’ll undertake at the National Tire Research Center will have a big impact on how quickly next-generation tyre technologies will be developed and the accuracy of their design and engineering,” said Ken Morris, GM’s executive director of Global Vehicle Performance and Safety, and proving grounds and test labs. Morris attended the centre’s ribbon-cutting ceremony in October.

The centre’s $11.2 million tyre performance test equipment, known as Flat-Trac LTRe, is unique in its use of electric motor technology and can run a tyre up to 200 mph. It provides data on handling, ride, torque, and braking capabilities on various surfaces, including wet road conditions. GM was instrumental in developing the machine’s test specifications. The Flat-Trac LTRe is capable of replicating all driving manoeuvres of a passenger car or light commercial vehicle on the road. GM and other automotive engineers will be able to use the data collected by the equipment to predict vehicle performance and modify tyre characteristics to improve performance for low rolling resistance, better road-holding capability and other criteria.

“This facility’s test equipment is like going from a basic telescope to the Hubble – it opens up a whole new world of possibilities,” said Frank Della Pia, a former GM vehicle dynamics manager who now serves as the tyre research centre’s executive director. “It can test tyres in the full range of the performance spectrum. This facility has no peer in the world. It’s going to enable a transformational leap in tyre technology.”

The centre’s facilities also include the Southern Virginia Vehicle Motion (SoVa Motion) Laboratory. SoVa Motion offers shock and suspension testing, virtual prototyping of vehicle components, and a range of on-vehicle sensing such as wheel force transducers. SovaMotion will take advantage of the Tire Center’s test data to conduct drive and handling simulations that could help reduce time and cost of vehicle programme development.

“The work GM will do with SovaMotion and the National Tire Research Center will further improve laboratory test methods and improve our overall vehicle development process,” Morris said. “Ultimately, that means better vehicles for our customers.”

The National Tire Research Center is collaborative effort led by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University’s Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in alliance with Virginia Tech Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, General Motors, the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission and Southern Virginia Communities.