Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin

Michelin Recherche Et Technique S.a.

7 Michelin Recherche Et Technique

William David Mawby

James Michael Traylor

Jonathan Sauls

George Phillips O'Brien

Jimmy Jeter

Eugene Marshall Persyn

Anton Felipe Thomas

Ross Kunz

Steve Simons

Casey Appleman

Systems and methods for improving the uniformity of a tire based on estimated process harmonic magnitudes for one or more process effects are provided. Magnitudes of process harmonics associated with one or more candidate process effects can be determined from the observed magnitudes of one or more harmonics of measured uniformity parameters. The estimated process harmonic magnitude(s) can be determined without requiring phase angle or azimuth information associated with the observed magnitudes. The estimated process harmonic magnitude(s) can be determined by identifying a process harmonic magnitude pattern for identified candidate process effects. A model can be constructed correlating the candidate magnitudes specified by the process harmonic magnitude pattern with observed magnitudes of corresponding harmonics of a measured uniformity waveform. Regression or programming techniques can be used to estimate coefficients associated with candidate magnitude terms in the model.

Tire uniformity through identification of process effects using regression analysis without azimuth data

Methods and systems for improving the uniformity of a tire are provided. More particularly, a magnitude of a uniformity parameter can be obtained for each tire in a set of a plurality of tires. The magnitudes associated with the set of tires can be transformed according to a probability distribution function (e.g. a Weibull distribution function) to obtain a set of transformed magnitudes. Parameters associated with a probability distribution function can be estimated based at least in part on the transformed magnitudes. Parameters associated with the probability distribution function can be used to determine data indicative of a measurement error in the uniformity measurements attributable to a measurement process harmonic. The data indicative of the measurement error can be used to correct uniformity measurements obtained for tires and to modify tire manufacture based at least in part on the corrected measurements.

Tire uniformity improvement through identification of measurement process harmonics using Weibull regression

Methods and systems for improving the uniformity of a tire are provided. More specifically, one or more characteristics of a composite uniformity parameter can be determined from uniformity summary data (e.g. uniformity vectors) associated with a plurality of harmonics of the composite uniformity parameter. For instance, a peak to peak range of a composite uniformity parameter and/or a distribution of amplitudes of a composite uniformity parameter for a set of tires can be determined from uniformity vectors associated with selected harmonics of the composite uniformity parameter. According to example aspects of the present disclosure, the one or more characteristics of the composite uniformity parameter can be determined using multivariate normal distributions (e.g. bivariate normal distributions) of the uniformity summary data. Once identified, the one or more characteristics can be used to modify tire manufacture to improve tire uniformity.

Tire uniformity improvement through identification of a composite uniformity parameter using multivariate normal distributions

Systems and methods for improving the uniformity of a tire by identifying the effects of tooling elements used during tire manufacture on tire uniformity, such as effects resulting from building drum elements, form elements, mold elements, and other tooling elements, are provided. More particularly, a tooling signature of a tooling element can be identified by analyzing a plurality of uniformity waveforms measured for a set of tires manufactured using the tooling element. The tooling signature can be analyzed and used to modify tire manufacture to improve the uniformity of a tire.

Uniformity of a tire using tooling signature analysis

Methods and systems for improving the uniformity of a tire are provided. More specifically, one or more characteristics of a composite uniformity parameter can be determined from harmonic magnitudes associated with a plurality of harmonics of the composite uniformity parameter. For instance, a range of a composite uniformity parameter and/or a distribution of amplitudes of a composite uniformity parameter for a set of tires can be determined from harmonic magnitudes associated with selected harmonics of the composite uniformity parameter. According to example aspects of the present disclosure, the one or more characteristics of the composite uniformity parameter can be determined using Weibull distributions of the harmonic magnitudes. Once identified, the one or more characteristics can be used to modify tire manufacture to improve tire uniformity.

Tire uniformity improvement through identification of a composite uniformity parameter using Weibull distributions

Methods and systems for improving the uniformity of a tire are provided. More particularly, one or more parameters of a measurement process harmonic contributing to uniformity measurements performed for a tire can be identified. The measurement process harmonic can be a process harmonic effect associated with the acquisition of uniformity measurements of a tire, such as a process harmonic effect associated out-of-roundness of a road wheel used to load a tire during uniformity measurement in a uniformity measurement machine. The measurement process harmonic can result solely from the acquisition of uniformity measurements and may not contribute to actual tire non-uniformity. Once identified, the one or more parameters associated with the measurement process harmonic can be used to correct the uniformity measurements of the tire to account for the measurement process harmonic. Tire manufacture can then be modified to improve tire uniformity based on the corrected measurements.

Tire uniformity improvement through identification of measurement process harmonics using multiple revolutions in a uniformity measurement machine

Methods and systems for improving tire uniformity through identification of characteristics of one or more candidate process effects are provided. The magnitudes of process harmonics associated with one or more candidate process effects can be identified by combining uniformity measurements for a set of tires to achieve an enhanced resolution for a sampling of the process harmonic. The enhanced resolution approach can combine uniformity measurements for a set of a plurality of tires that are slightly offset from one another to generate a composite process harmonic sampling. In particular, the composite process harmonic sampling can be generated by aligning the uniformity measurements for each tire in the set of tires based on the azimuthal location of the maximum magnitude of the process harmonic on each tire. The magnitude of the process harmonic can then be determined using the composite process harmonic sampling.

Tire uniformity improvement through improved process harmonic resolution

Methods and systems for improving tire uniformity through identification of uniformity attributes, such as process harmonics are provided. More particularly, uniformity measurements acquired according to a non-uniform sampling pattern can be obtained and analyzed to estimate one or more process harmonics (e.g. the magnitude of the process harmonic). The non-uniform sampling pattern can specify the acquisition of uniformity measurements in a varying or irregular manner about one or more revolutions of the tire. For instance, the non-uniform sampling pattern can specify a random spacing between data points. The uniformity attributes estimated from the uniformity measurements can be used to modify the manufacture of tires to improve tire uniformity.

Tire uniformity improvement through modified sampling of uniformity parameters

Systems and methods for improving the uniformity of a tire by separating uniformity contributions associated discrete effects, such as effects resulting from product joints, from continuous effects are provided. For instance, uniformity contributions associated with the product joints are determined by analyzing a uniformity waveform to process the uniformity waveform into one or more continuous components and at least one joint component. Knowledge of the uniformity contributions associated with product joints in the tire can be used, for instance, to make structural improvements in the manufacture of the tire, to actively manage the joint-making process, and to perform dynamic correction of joint effects.

Uniformity improvement through discrete effect identification

Systems and methods for improving tire uniformity using estimates of process harmonic magnitude(s) from static balance measurements for a set of tires are provided. In particular, a sequence of observed magnitudes of static balance can be obtained for a set of tires. The sequence of observed magnitudes can be analyzed in conjunction with a baseline magnitude pattern associated with the process harmonic to derive a magnitude of the process harmonic. The magnitude of the process harmonic can be used to improve the uniformity of tires.

Tire uniformity improvement through identification of process harmonics from static balance measurements

Systems and methods for improving tire uniformity include identifying at least one candidate process harmonic and corresponding period. A set of uniformity waveforms is then collected for each test tire in a set of one or more test tires. To provide better data for analysis, the collection of waveforms may include multiple waveforms including measurements obtained before and/or after cure, in clockwise and/or counterclockwise rotational directions, and while the tire is loaded and/or unloaded. The uniformity waveforms may be re-indexed to the physical order of the at least one candidate process harmonic, and selected data points within the waveforms may optionally be deleted around a joint effect or other non-sinusoidal effect. The re-indexed, optionally partial, waveforms may then be analyzed to determine magnitude and azimuth estimates for the candidate process harmonics. Aspects of tire manufacture may then be modified in a variety of different ways to account for the estimated process harmonics.

Tire uniformity through identification of process harmonics using re-indexed partial uniformity waveforms

A system and related method for improving tire uniformity includes providing a number (n) of test tires manufactured in a known order and identifying at least one candidate cyclic process effect with a corresponding frequency of introduction (f). A given uniformity parameter, such as radial or lateral run-out, balance, mass variation, radial lateral or tangential force variation, is measured for each tire in the test set, and measured data points are combined into a concatenated composite waveform. At least one process harmonic associated with each identified cyclic process effect is separated from the tire harmonics, for example, by Fourier transformation with identification of the process harmonics as positive integer multiples of the mth harmonic of the measured uniformity parameter where m=n/f. Once the process harmonics are extracted, filtered uniformity measurements can be provided or new tires can be built with the process effect minimized.

Tire uniformity through identification of process signatures

A system and related method for improving tire uniformity includes identifying at least one candidate process effect and a corresponding process harmonic number for each process effect. A given uniformity parameter, such as radial or lateral run-out, balance, mass variation, radial lateral or tangential force variation, is measured for each tire in a test set, such that the measurements contain tire harmonics as well as a process harmonics corresponding to each candidate process effect. Rectangular coordinate coefficients are electronically constructed for each said process harmonic, after which point the rectangular coordinates corresponding to each process harmonic are solved for (e.g., by using regression-based analysis). The magnitude of each said process harmonic is estimated, and a final magnitude estimate for each process harmonic can be determined by summarizing (e.g., by taking the average or median value) the respectively estimated magnitudes for each process harmonic across all test tires.

Tire uniformity through identification of process effects using singlet tire regression analysis

A system and related method for improving tire uniformity includes providing at least one set of test tires constructed with one or more process elements provided at known relative angular locations. At least one uniformity parameter, such as radial or lateral run-out, balance, mass variation, radial lateral or tangential force variation, is measured for at least one harmonic of interest for each test tire. Respective rectangular coordinates are determined for each measured uniformity parameter and harmonic of interest for each tire. A form of the determined rectangular coordinates (e.g., the rectangular coordinates themselves and/or the log of the residuals squared) is analyzed for each tire to identify optimized relative angular locations for each process element that reduce dispersion (or dispersion and mean) of the measured uniformity parameter. New tires are built with the one or more process elements positioned in the identified optimized relative angular locations.

Tire uniformity through dispersion optimization

A tire manufacturing method includes a method for optimizing the uniformity of a tire by reducing the after cure radial force variation. The after cure radial force variation vector is modeled as a vector sum of each of the vectors representing contributions arising from the tire building steps&#x2014;the 'tire room effect vector' and a vector representing contributions arising from the vulcanization and uniformity measurement steps&#x2014;the 'curing room effect vector.' In further detail, both the tire room and curing room effect vectors can be further decomposed into sub-vectors representing each radial force variation contribution for which a measurable indicator is available. For a series of tires, the method obtains such measurements as the before cure radial runout (RRO) at one or more stages of the building sequence, measurements of loading angles on the tire building equipment, and measurements made during vulcanization process.

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Greenville, SC, United States of America

William David Mawby