UK lab invests in new tire test rigs

London – UK-based rubber research centre Rubber Consultants has expanded its tire testing facilities with a two-station passenger car tire test rig as part of its investment programme in equipment for 2015.

“The rig will be commissioned in late spring: one hub will have 320kph speed and 2 tonne capacity,” said a news release by Rubber Consultants on 23 March.

The hub will be able to carry out force and moment measurements that are used to identify tire performance characteristics and provide insight into how a tire’s design affects overall vehicle dynamics.

According to Rubber Consultants, the new test rig will make it one of the few laboratories in Europe that can offer such service.

Currently, the centre has a two-station commercial vehicle tire test rig with 60mph and 6.5 tonne load capacity.

Rubber Consultants is the consultancy unit of the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC), the UK laboratory of the Malaysian Rubber Board.