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Laboratory and aircraft flight testing indicates that braking is the primary driver of tire wear on tactical aircraft, and that steps can be taken to significantly improve the tire wear performance. The effects of numerous other factors including aircraft characteristics, runway surface texture, tire tread compound, tire pressure, and environmental conditions were also evaluated under the Air Force’s Improved Tire Life and Extended Life Tire programs. Laboratory testing of tire wear performance using the new 168i internal roadwheel dynamometer was successfully demonstrated.

This paper presents the results of a study in which the free rolling behavior of a F-16 tire was numerically modeled. The tire contact patch normal and shear stresses as well as the displacement distributions were obtained from a three dimensional finite element computer program used at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. It is shown how the predicted deflections are in reasonable agreement with the rated load vs. deformation characteristics, while predicting the effective rolling radius using a theoretical solution. A significant development of this work is the formulation and execution of a finite difference algorithm to evaluate the contact patch slip velocity distribution by methodically manipulating the above computer program results. Slip velocities are then utilized in assessing the rate of slip energy generation at the contact patch, which directly contributes to tire wear. Finally, it is shown how even a low brake slip ratio can increase the contact patch slip energy.