Editorial Type:
Article Category: Research Article
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Online Publication Date: 01 Dec 2006

Truck Tire Thermal-Mechanical FEA and DMA with Application to Endurance Evaluation4

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Page Range: 220 – 236
DOI: 10.2346/1.2345651
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Abstract

This work presents a thermal-mechanical finite element analysis (FEA) of a typical heavy-duty radial truck tire on both drum and roadway. The calculated footprint pressures, strain energy density, and steady-state temperature distribution are compared between two cases. In addition to structural and thermal simulation techniques for obtaining stress, strain, and temperature distributions in the tire key areas, several material analysis techniques are also used to characterize the tire rubber materials. Temperature, frequency, and strain scan tests are conducted to obtain the dynamic mechanical properties of the tire rubbers of interest. Furthermore, the changes of the materials’ dynamic mechanical properties with fatigue have been investigated by testing tire materials before and after drum endurance tests. It has been found that different parts show different changing trends in dynamical properties after endurance tests, which might indicate different failure mechanisms. Combining the materials’ characterization techniques and thermal-mechanical FEA, this paper attempts to evaluate the tire shoulder failure mechanism and predict the relative shoulder endurance of an 11.00R20 truck tire.

Keywords: heavy-duty radial tires; thermal-mechanical analysis; FEA; endurance; DMA
Copyright: The Tire Society
FIG. 1.
FIG. 1.

Tire thermomechanical analysis algorithm.

FIG. 2.
FIG. 2.

Rubber tensile curves.

FIG. 3.
FIG. 3.

Temperature-dependent loss tangent of tread rubber: measured data (dot) vs curve fit (solid).

FIG. 4.
FIG. 4.

Temperature-dependent loss tangent of tread cushion: measured data (dot) vs curve fit (solid).

FIG. 5.
FIG. 5.

Temperature-dependent loss tangent of shoulder wedge: measured data (dot) vs curve fit (solid).

FIG. 6.
FIG. 6.

Tire FE model on drum (a) undeflected and (b) deformed.

FIG. 7.
FIG. 7.

Tire FE model on roadway (a) undeflected and (b) deformed.

FIG. 8.
FIG. 8.

Contact stress and shape on (a) roadway and (b) drum.

FIG. 9.
FIG. 9.

Local SENR distribution on (a) drum vs (b) roadway, 4.615 Tone, 65 km/h.

FIG. 10.
FIG. 10.

Temperature distribution: (a) drum vs (b) roadway loading, 4.615 Tone, 65 km/h.

FIG. 11.
FIG. 11.

Rubber samples cut from the tires after drum endurance test.

FIG. 12.
FIG. 12.

DMA of tread cushion compounds before and after drum tests: E1, storage modulus before drum tests; E1G31, E1G32, E1G33, after drum tests; TAND; loss tangents before drum tests; TANDG31, TANDG32, TANDG33, after drum tests.

FIG. 13.
FIG. 13.

DMA of shoulder wedge compounds before and after drum tests: E1, storage modulus before drum tests; E1G21, E1G22, after drum tests; TAND, loss tangents before drum tests; TANDG21, TANDG22, after drum tests.

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