Tire-Rim Interaction, a Semi-Analytical Tire Model

Abstract

This paper deals with the development and validation of a semi-analytical tire model able to compute the forces at the interface between tire and rim. The knowledge of the forces acting on the rim is of crucial importance for the lightweight design of wheels. The proposed model requires a limited set of data to be calibrated. The model is compared with complete finite element (FE) models of the tire and rim. Despite its simplicity, the semi-analytical model is able to predict the forces acting on the rim, in agreement with the forces computed by complete FE models. The stress state in the wheel rim, computed by the developed semi-analytical model matches fairly well the corresponding stress state coming from experimental tests.