Analyzing tire wear before detachment

In forensic analysis of tires having suffered a tread and outer belt detachment, several questions need to be resolved by the forensic analyst regarding the development of the crack system leading to the tire disablement and the amount of rapid wear over the delamination at some point prior to the tread detachment. Unfortunately, a complete analytical computation of values like the amount of strain energy release rate at the edge of the tread belt is currently at or beyond the limit of the capability of finite element tools used within the tire industry, and is therefore outside the capability of the forensic analyst. This paper develops a method for estimation of crack growth and rapid tread wear that is akin to the process of accident reconstruction in that known characteristics and available measurements from the disabled tire are used to produce an analysis that is useful for estimating the development of the rate of delamination and the rate of rapid tread wear with distance traveled.