Calculation of critical velocity of a rolling radial tire using the finite element method

Abstract

A tire in the automotive vehicles is an element ensuring the wheels friction with the road and transmission of the traction and braking forces. It is known that when certain velocity is reached, nature of the vehicle tire stationary rolling is changing. In particular, a wave appears in the contact zone, which propagation speed coincides with the wheel rolling velocity causing significant increase in rolling losses in the tire, its overheating and subsequent destruction. A numerical method based on the finite element method is described making it possible to obtain from solution of the generalized eigenvalue problem not only the critical velocity associated with the tread oscillations and the tire rapid destruction, but also to find velocities lower than the critical one, at which oscillations occur in the side wall. The tire is not collapsing at such velocities; however, this oscillation mode is also undesirable, since it leads to the tire heating and decrease in its durability.