| Recently, the development of non-pneumatic tires (NPT) such as the Michelin Tweel is receiving increased attention due to potential advantages over pneumatic tires such as low mass, no run flat, good contact pressure distribution, and low rolling resistance (RR). This study focuses on the design of a NPT based on properties of vertical stiffness, contact pressure, and rolling energy loss. Using a finite element (FE) model, a parametric study is conducted to study the effect on vertical stiffness, contact pressure, and rolling resistance (RR) response considering three design variables: (1) thickness of the spokes, (2) the shear band thickness, and (3) shear modulus of the shear band and spokes of the NPT. The first two design variables are geometric parameters of the NPT while the third design variable is a material parameter. Using the three design variables, a design of experiments (DOE) is performed to study the effect on RR, contact pressure, and vertical displacement. Results from the DOE are used to create response surface models (RSM) for the objective function (minimal RR) and constraints on vertical deflection and contact pressure. The analytical RSM function is optimized for minimizing the rolling loss subjected to the given constraints. In addition, a design sensitivity study is performed to evaluate the influence of the design variables on the output response. Results indicate that all the design variables have significant effect on RR, with the shear band thickness and shear modulus having the greater effect. |
