B - Operations – Transporting – 60 – C
Patent
B - Operations, Transporting
60
C
B60C 19/00 (2006.01) F16F 15/32 (2006.01)
Patent
CA 2390405
The invention relates to methods for improving vehicle steering performance and robustness of that performance through control of non-uniformities in the vehicle's tires, wheels and tire/wheel assemblies as a way to overcome the tendency of the steering systems in certain vehicle types to undergo "steering performance loss." While minimizing lateral force variations (e.g., couple imbalance), a controlled amount of radial and/or tangential force variation is induced in one or more tire/wheel assemblies by means of mass non-uniformity, dimensional non-uniformity, and/or stiffness non- uniformity. For dimensional non-uniformity, the preferred method comprises imparting a controlled amount of dimensional non-uniformity (preferably radial runout) to the tire and/or the wheel in at least one of the tire/wheel assemblies, followed by statically and dynamically balancing all of the vehicle's tire/wheel assemblies. All tire non- uniformities imparted according to the invention are preferably distributed meridionally symmetrically about the equatorial plane of the tire, so as to induce tangential and/or radial force variations but not lateral force variations. Similarly, wheel non-uniformities must be symmetric about the equatorial plane of the wheel. Beneficial tangential and/or radial force variations will result from the operation of tire/wheel assemblies prepared according to the invention, even if the tire/wheel assemblies are balanced by weights added to the wheel. Synergistic beneficial effects result from combinations of the various forms of beneficial mass, stiffness, and dimensional non-uniformity.
Bormann Rene
Croissant Bernard
Koeune Thierry
Kunsch Romain
Michel Edouard
Sim & Mcburney
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
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