MAIN GEAR TIRE DISINTEGRATED ON TKOF. RPTR WAS NOTIFIED ENRTE AND MADE AN EMER LNDG AT DEST.

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AFTER DEP FROM ATL WE WERE CONTACTED BY ZTL AND INFORMED THAT TIRE FRAGMENTS HAD BEEN FOUND ON RWY 26L AT ATL AND WERE SUSPECTED TO BE FROM AN X ACR ACFT THAT HAD DEPARTED PRIOR TO US OR FROM OUR ACFT. CONTACTED ACR DISPATCH AND ASKED FOR AN INQUIRY AS TO THE POSSIBILITY OF X ACR BEING INVOLVED IN THIS INCIDENT. MEANWHILE; THE TIRE PIECES WERE TAKEN TO OUR MAINT PERSONNEL IN ATL AND WERE CONFIRMED TO BE OUR TIRE TYPE. WE WERE INFORMED SOME TIME LATER OF THIS CONFIRMATION BY DISPATCH. WE PROCEEDED TO ORD AT LONG RANGE CRUISE. COMPLETELY BRIEFED THE FLT ATTENDANTS OF THE SIT AND REQUESTED THEY DO A LONG PREPARATION FOR EVACUATION. THE FO VISUALLY CHKED THE MAIN GAR VIEWPORTS AND COULD SEE NOTHING. CONTINUED TO KEEP DISPATCH UPDATED AS TO OUR POS AND REQUESTED TO DO A FLY-BY AT ORD RWY 27R FOR A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE L MAIN GEAR BY TWR PERSONNEL; AND REQUESTED THE EMER EQUIP BE STANDING BY. A VFR FLY-BY REVEALED THE #1 MAIN LNDG GEAR TIRE WAS DAMAGED. RETURNED FOR A VFR APCH TO RWY 27L AT ORD. REVIEWED IRREGULAR PROC FOR UNSAFE GEAR FOR ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE. MADE A FULL FLAPS LNDG WITHOUT INCIDENT. REMAINED ON THE CTRLINE OF RWY 27L AND STOPPED ACFT ON RWY. PAX WERE TOLD TO REMAIN SEATED. EMER EQUIP MET ACFT; ADVISED US NO OBVIOUS COLLATERAL DAMAGE NOTED. PORTABLE STAIRS WERE BROUGHT TO ACFT AND PAX WERE DEPLANED NORMALLY AND BUSSED TO MAIN TERMINAL. FLC PERFORMED ALL REQUIRED CHKLISTS; THEN TRANSFERRED ACFT CTL TO MAINT.