Experimental validation of tire rolling contact pressure distribution by three-dimensional elastic ring model with hysteresis characteristics

Abstract

This study proposes a new tire mechanical model that calculates contact pressure distribution during tire rolling. The proposed model is a tire model that integrates a three-dimensional elastic ring model and brush elements of tread. The stiffness of the brush element, which corresponds to the tread rubber, has a hysteresis property, which was experimentally confirmed in the vertical load-deflection characteristic of tire. The validity of the proposed model was verified using an inner-drum tire testing machine. In this model validation, the model parameters of sidewall and belt stiffness were theoretically calculated from tire design parameters. The validation showed that the proposed model qualitatively reproduced the measured rolling contact pressure distribution with circumferential asymmetry in the contact plane.