Tire Design Methodology Based on Safety Factor to Satisfy Tire Life (Simulation Approach to Truck and Bus Tire Design)

Abstract

Abstract A tire is not only simply made of rubber, but also twisted cord, which we can call FRR (Fiber Reinforced Rubber). The rubber in FRR is made of many materials, including rubber compound, carbon black, silica, and other materials. FRR is a double composite material, which means a particle reinforced material in a microscopic view and also a fiber reinforced one in a macroscopic view. Therefore, it is very difficult to apply fracture mechanics to the evaluation of tire durability on a practical tire design level. This paper gives a proposal for a new design methodology considering the actual tire condition which gives tire profile growth and rubber aging due to heat build-up under operation. These two issues are especially important for truck and bus tire design. Tire profile growth is a very important one because the change of tire profile induces different strains in the rubber at the same location in the tire during its life. We apply the FEM (Finite Element Modeling) based Double Inflation Pressure (DIP) method to simulate the experimental fact of the change of tire profile. In order to use the relationship between the change of the tire profile and change of rubber properties, like breaking strain in the tire as service time passes, the concept of safety factor is introduced. The low modulus rubber parts in the tire dominate the strain field and allow the large deformations of the tire. Safety factors derived from the strain field are called “Margin of Safety.” On the other hand, the durability of FRR, like the belt layer and carcass layer with the cord part, is evaluated by stress because the FRR part reacts to the stress of the internal pressure and load of the tire. But, the Margin of Safety of the rubber part is more important because the cord part has enough safety factor in comparison with the rubber part. Tire life is predicted with the Margin of Safety described above.