Consideration on Stress Distribution Characteristics due to Structural Differences between Airless Tires with Linked Zig-zag Structure and Honeycomb Structure

Abstract

Airless tire (Non-pneumatic tire, NPT), which can achieve performance that cannot be achieved with pneumatic tires, are expected as tires that do not puncture. Airless tires with a Linked zigzag structure that has been proposed so far have the characteristic of being able to support the wheel load with the entire tire, and are expected to reduce rolling resistance. On the other hand, airless tires with a honeycomb structure have also been proposed. In this study, we conducted a mechanical analysis of both structures of airless tires, based on deformation modes and stress distribution, to examine the mechanism by which both structures support the wheel load and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed structures.