Tire Tester evaluates friction performance.
Press Release Summary:
Ice Disk tire testing retrofit kit provides evaluation of friction performance on icy surfaces and abrasion of tire tread compounds at elevated track temperatures. Kit is meant to work with company's LAT-100 to achieve full abrasion test capabilities for ice, wet, or regular road conditions. Disk is mounted on existing hub instead of normal abrasive disk and is made of stainless steel.
Original Press Release:
VMI Announces New Ice Disk for Evaluation of Friction Performance on Icy Surfaces
Stow, Ohio - VMI Americas, a global manufacturer and marketer of machinery for the tire and rubber industries, announces the introduction of the Ice Disk, a new tire testing retrofit kit which will provide evaluation of friction performance on icy surfaces and abrasion of tire tread compounds at elevated track temperatures. With the inclusion of the new Ice Disk into VMI's line of tire testing machinery, specifically meant to work with the LAT-100, it is now possible to achieve full abrasion test capabilities for ice, wet or regular road conditions.
To achieve these measurements, a new disk will be mounted on the existing hub instead of the normal abrasive disk.
The new disk is made of stainless steel and has channels inside through which a liquid from a temperature controlled bath is pumped. The range of bath temperature is from -30°C to 80°C.
After cooling at any temperature between -4°C and -25°C, the groove in the disk can be filled with water. When frozen, this allows friction measurements to be carried out in a similar way as wet or dry force measurements are carried out on aluminum or other surfaces.
At temperatures above zero, a corundum ring can be clamped into the groove and abrasion measurements can be carried out between 10°C and 75°C (the lowest temperature is determined by the dew point).
To operate this system effectively, a second closed liquid circuit is installed with a separate cooling/heating system, so that operation can be switched quickly from normal abrasion or wet traction measurements to surface temperature controlled measurements.
With more than 40 years of experience in the rubber and tire industries, VMI is a leading global supplier of rubber processing machinery, tire assembly, stock preparation, and indoor tire testing machinery. The company's Research & Development is headquartered in The Netherlands, with production, sales, and service facilities located in Epe, Holland; Stow, Ohio, USA; and Yantai, China. VMI is committed to creating state-of-the art process solutions for the needs of its customers in the rubber and tire industries, and to supplying systems that provide compelling returns-on-investment.
Website: www.vmi-usa.com
