Abstract

While a new tire may have excellent resistance to crack initiation and propagation between the steel belts, an aged tire of the exact same construction can exhibit dramatically reduced crack growth resistance, which in some cases may contribute to tire failure. This article will review the research that has gone into quantifying the rate of oxidation the steel belt rubber oxidizes in different climates from tire samples retrieved from consumers' vehicles. The information obtained from the field is then compared to data collected from various resources attempting to develop accelerated tire aging protocols. Finally, methods for potentially improving tire aging are reviewed.