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One of the main concerns in road conservation and maintenance activities is the interaction between tire and road through the contact patch. The internal air pressure and the weight supported by the tire are factors that affect the force and pressure transmitted to road surface by the vehicle. An experimental study related with load distribution and pressure in the tire's contact patch is presented in this paper. For testing, a lab prototype was used to determine the static load distribution along and transversally to the tire's contact patch. Two types of tires, both for light trucks, were used: one single radial and the other bias-ply, this last type in dual configuration. Several combinations of vertically supported load and air pressure were applied to testing tires. Results showed that contact pressure is uneven in the contact patch and lower than air pressure for the radial tire, but in some cases higher for the bias-ply tires in dual configuration.

Heavy vehicles commonly use dual tires on their load and traction axles. As the only vehicle component involved in force transmission to the road, the tire is an important element in the road damage process. In this context, two factors involved are the tire's supported load and inflation pressure. Traditional practical assumptions are that each of the tires in dual arrangement supports the same load, and that the contact patch pressure is very similar to the tire's inflation pressure. To provide data about the load distribution and contact pressure in the tire's contact patch, a lab experimental study was carried out. For that, a lab device was used to determine the static load and pressure in the contact patch, using three different sets of heavy duty radial tires subjected to several combinations of supported load and inflation pressure.