REVOLVING DRUM ARRANGEMENT FOR A TIRE TEST BENCH, TIRE TEST BENCH AND METHOD FOR TESTING VEHICLE TIRES

Abstract

A revolving drum arrangement (2) for a tire testing rig (1) has a drum body (5) and a friction wheel drive (6), wherein on its outer circumference (9) the drum body (5) has a running surface (9) for making contact with a vehicle tire (4) and is arranged to rotate about its running axle. The friction wheel drive (6) is designed to drive the drum body (5) when it is in contact with the drum body (5). The revolving drum arrangement (2) according to the invention is distinguished in that the friction wheel drive (6) is arranged on a friction wheel carriage (10) that is designed to move the friction wheel drive (6) along an infeed direction so that the friction wheel drive (6) can be brought into contact with the drum body (5). A corresponding tire testing rig (1) and method are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A revolving drum arrangement (2) for a tire testing rig (1), comprising: a drum body (5) having an outer circumference with a running surface (9) configured to contact a vehicle tire (4) and arranged to rotate about a running axle; a friction wheel carriage (10); and a friction wheel drive (6) arranged on the friction wheel carriage (10) and configured to drive the drum body (5) when the friction wheel drive is in contact with the drum body (5); wherein the friction wheel carriage (10) is configured to move the friction wheel drive (6) along an infeed direction so that the friction wheel drive (6) can be brought into contact with the drum body (5).

2. The revolving drum arrangement (2) according to claim 1, wherein the running surface has an inner circumference and the friction wheel drive (6) is configured to be brought into contact with the outer circumference (9) of the running surface (9) or in contact with the inner circumference of the running surface (9).

3. The revolving drum arrangement (2) according to claim 1, wherein the friction wheel drive (6) comprises a friction wheel motor configured to set and adjust a rotation speed of the friction wheel drive (6).

4. The revolving drum arrangement (2) according to claim 1, wherein the friction wheel drive (6) is configured to set and adjust a rotation speed of the drum body (5) about its running axle.

5. The revolving drum arrangement (2) according to claim 1, wherein the drum body (5) is made of metal.

6. The revolving drum arrangement (2) according to claim 1, wherein the outer circumference (9) has a diameter of t least 1.5 m and the running surface has a width of at least 0.5 m.

7. A tire, testing rig (1) for testing vehicle tires, the tire testing rig (1) comprising a revolving drum arrangement (2) according to claim 1.

8. The tire testing rig (1) according to claim 1, further comprises further comprising a wheel spindle (3) configured for holding a vehicle tire (4).

9. The tire testing rig (1) according to at claim 8, further comprising a drum carriage (5), wherein the revolving drum arrangement (2) is arranged on the drum carriage (5) and wherein the drum carriage (7) is configured to bring a running surface (9) of the revolving drum arrangement (2) into contact with the vehicle tire (4) on the wheel spindle.

10. The tire testing rig (1) according to claim 9, further comprising a spindle motor, the spindle motor configured to set and adjust a rotation speed of the wheel spindle (3).

11. The tire testing rig (1) according to claim 8, further comprising synchronization means configured to synchronize a running speed of the vehicle tire (4) and a running speed of a drum body (5) of the revolving drum arrangement (2).

12. The tire testing rig (1) according to claim 7, wherein the drum carriage (7) has an infeed axis oriented parallel to an infeed axis of a friction wheel carriage (10) of the revolving drum arrangement (2).

13. A method for testing vehicle tires in a tire testing rig (1), comprising the following steps: providing a tire testing rig (1) according to claim 9; mounting the vehicle tire on a wheel spindle; accelerating a rotation speed of the vehicle tire on the wheel spindle; accelerating a rotation speed of a drum body by means of a friction wheel drive that is in contact with the drum body, until a running speed of the drum body is synchronized with a running speed of the vehicle tire; bringing a running surface of the drum body into contact with the tire by means of a drum carriage; and carrying out a vehicle tire test, wherein the friction wheel drive is withdrawn from the drum body by means of a friction wheel carriage before the vehicle tire test is carried out.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0045] Below, an example of the invention is explained with reference to embodiments illustrated in the FIGURES, which show:

[0046] FIG. 1: As an example, and represented schematically, a possible embodiment of a tire testing stand according to the invention.

[0047] The same objects, functional units and comparable components are denoted by the same indexes in all the figures. These objects, functional units and comparable components are of identical design as regards their technical features, unless explicitly stated otherwise in the description or implied therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] FIG. 1 shows, as an example and represented schematically a possible embodiment of a tire testing stand 1 according to the invention, such that the tire testing stand 1 comprises a revolving drum arrangement 2 and a wheel spindle 3.

[0049] On the wheel spindle 3 is arranged, for example, a vehicle tire 4, in this case a utility vehicle tire 4. The vehicle tire 4 is not part of the testing stand 3 and serves in FIG. 1 only to clarify the function of the testing stand 1. The wheel spindle 3 comprises a spindle motor (not shown in FIG. 1) which can set the wheel spindle 3 and therefore the vehicle tire 4 arranged on the wheel spindle 3 into motion, rotating about its rotation axle.

[0050] The revolving drum arrangement 2 comprises a drum body 5 and a friction wheel drive 6, these being arranged on a drum carriage 7 of the revolving drum arrangement 2. On its outer circumference 9 the drum body 5 has a running surface 9 for making contact with the vehicle tire 4 and is arranged to rotate about its running axle.

[0051] The drum carriage 7 can be moved along rails 8 so that it can bring the drum body 5 into contact with the vehicle tire 4.

[0052] The friction wheel drive 6 can be driven by a friction wheel electric motor (not shown in FIG. 1), which is designed to set and adjust a rotation speed of the friction wheel drive 6. The friction wheel drive 6 is arranged on a friction wheel carriage 10, which for its part is arranged on the drum carriage 7. The friction wheel carriage 10 enables the friction wheel drive 6 to be brought into contact with the running surface 9 of the drum body 5 and thus to form a frictional connection. In that way a torque, in the sense of an increase or also a reduction of the rotation speed, can be transmitted from the friction wheel drive 6 to the drum body 5 with the running speed of the vehicle tire. During a testing process the friction wheel drive 6 can then be drawn back again by the friction wheel carriage 10 from the drum body, in order not to influence the test results of the vehicle tire 4. As can be seen, an infeed axis of the drum carriage 7 is parallel to an infeed axis of a friction wheel carriage 10 of the revolving drum arrangement 2.

[0053] As an example, the tire testing stand 1 is a testing stand 1 for utility vehicle tires with a drum body 5 made of metal. For example, the drum body 5 has a diameter of 1.6 m and the running surface 9 has a width of 0.6 m.

INDEXES

[0054] 1 Tire testing stand [0055] 2 Revolving drum arrangement [0056] 3 Wheel spindle [0057] 4 Vehicle tire, utility vehicle tire [0058] 5 Drum body [0059] 6 Friction wheel drive [0060] 7 Drum carriage [0061] 8 Rails [0062] 9 Outer circumference, running surface [0063] 10 Friction wheel carriage