Investigation To The Deformation Characteristics Of Tire Pattern By Numerical Simulation

Tire pattern is the unique part that interacts with road. It not only plays a vital role in theability of tire grip but also affects automobile pass-by noise. It is difficult to study thedeformation characteristics of tire pattern by using experiments directly because thegeometrical shape is complicated and tire/road interaction is various and it is hard to definethe characteristics of tire materials accurately. Therefore, it becomes one of the importantresearch fields.Due to the difficulties by using experiments to investigate tire performance, numericalsimulation is employed to study the deformation characteristics of tire pattern in this paper.The main propose of the present study is to provide useful information to further research onthe ability of tire grip and automobile pass-by noise. Firstly, the fundamental theory of finiteelement method which is adopted as the platform of numerical simulation is brieflyintroduced. The key aspects are the descriptions of large deformation, contact and solutionwhich are responsible for the investigation of tire pattern deformation.The required geometrical model used in numerical simulation is developed by a3Dsoftware I-DEAS. Based on an actual radial tire195/60R14, a solid tire model with accuratetire pattern is obtained. Not only the circumferential patterns but also the transversal patternsare constructed in the model. At the same time, the solid tire model comprises the overalllayers as actual tire does. This gives a valid basis for further numerical simulation. Then, thetire model is discrete with3D finite elements. The constraints and boundary conditions areapplied to the discrete solid tire model according to the requirements of relative load cases.Furthermore, the finite element model is completed based on the solid tire model and thecorresponding material characteristics of each layer and load cases. The final step is the set ofsolution algorithm. By the mentioned key procedures, the FEM model can be used innumerical simulations. The contact between tire and road is realized by the application ofPILOT nodes in present simulation.In order to illustrate tire deformation characteristics, there are three typical load cases areselected for numerical simulations. One is the case with different inflation pressure and tirevertical deformation. The case is designed to demonstrate the initial tire pattern deformationcharacteristics. The next is the rolling case with constant speed. The dynamic tire deformationcharacteristics are depicted as well as tire/road interaction. The final case is tire/roadinteraction under dynamic tire load. This is used to model actual tire motion and give theimportant information of tire deformation, the energy of tire pattern and the volume change ofair-pumping effect zone. Finally, the detailed tire pattern deformation characteristics are analyzed with the resultsfrom numerical simulation. At the same time, the energy and contact force at tire/roadinteraction are also given by these simulations. These data can be used for further study on theability of tire grip and automobile pass-by noise.