Transient Response Simulation of an Off-Road Motorcycle with Conventional and Multicell Tire Inflation Mechanisms

Abstract

Abstract Resistance to complete loss of inflation pressure due to puncture is the primary purpose for using nonconventional multicell tire inflation mechanisms. However, recent subjective testing of one particular multicell mechanism also reveals beneficial ride performance characteristics. To gain scientific understanding of this additional benefit, an off-road motorcycle model is developed. Pneumatic stiffness behavior of a conventional inner-tube and the multicell inflation mechanism is described by a simplified tire model which has been shown to accurately predict experimentally measured static stiffness data. Numerically simulated transient response data from the vehicle model is used to evaluate ride performance characteristics when the two mechanisms are used for tire inflation. Data analysis is also performed to reveal why performance improves when the multicell mechanism is utilized. The procedure is validated using experimental data collected on a real vehicle under conditions similar to the numerical simulation.