German race team and manufacturer BWR Motorsports has developed a portable system which enables tire dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) testing to take place at racetracks.
The company states that its portable tire testing unit, Motite, provides a solution for race teams across series such as Formula 1 and WEC to measure tire grip levels and rank their tires at the track.
The unit’s software allows an immediate grip level output and enables measurement and analysis to be carried out directly on the tire. Combined with its small size and light weight, this makes the unit ideally suited for the demands of a global race series, the company states.
Erich Baumgärtner, CEO of BWR Motorsports, explained, “With tires playing such an essential role in motorsport, efficient and quick analysis is very important as production and storage cause substantial tolerances within a batch of tires.
“However, previous technology available was difficult to use on the racetrack as it requires stationary conditions and a material sample, which needs to be cut out of the tire. The portability and ease of use of the Motite technology enables racing teams to measure all sets of tires after allocation in under an hour, allowing them to easily rank the tires available.”
The measurements undertaken by the system include sinusoidal strain applied on the tread and computation of shear modulus and loss coefficient. It also measures tread temperature, wheel weight and tire diameter to give teams a full analysis of the tire.
The unit features a rotary motor and measuring head torque sensor, a linear drive to apply preload and load cells to measure wheel weight. It also has a touchscreen display to increase ease of use. The first delivery of a unit to a Formula 1 team took place in 2021.
