Editorial Type:
Article Category: Research Article
 | 
Online Publication Date: 01 Sept 2008

From Tread Design to Tread Stiffness Matrices4

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Page Range: 227 – 241
DOI: 10.2346/1.2965835
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Abstract

The tread design, together with the tread compound, is responsible for the grip characteristics of tires. The aim of this work is to develop an engineering tool that is able to predict the stiffness distribution, i.e., the grip characteristics, of a given tread design without the need of producing a prototype. This is done by combining a graphical preprocessor developed in Matlab that is able to convert a drawing into a mesh, and a commercial FEA code.

Keywords: tread design; nonlinear stiffness; FEA analysis
Copyright: The Tire Society
FIG. 1.
FIG. 1.

Storage modulus as a function of frequency and temperature (at constant prestrain and strain amplitude).

FIG. 2.
FIG. 2.

Loss modulus as a function of frequency and temperature (at constant prestrain and strain amplitude).

FIG. 3.
FIG. 3.

Generalized linear Maxwell viscoelastic model.

FIG. 4.
FIG. 4.

Experimental (thin line) and identified (thick line) storage (upper graph) and loss (lower graph) moduli at 50 °C (5% of strain amplitude).

FIG. 5.
FIG. 5.

Original 2D drawing provided by tire manufacturers.

FIG. 6.
FIG. 6.

Tread drawing with tread depth in gray scale.

FIG. 7.
FIG. 7.

MATLAB GUI to speed-up the meshing procedure.

FIG. 8.
FIG. 8.

Single macroelement (1: longitudinal direction; 2: transversal direction; 3: vertical direction).

FIG. 9.
FIG. 9.

Three longitudinally coupled macroelements (1: longitudinal direction; 2: transversal direction; 3: vertical direction).

FIG. 10.
FIG. 10.

Three transversally coupled macroelements (1: longitudinal direction; 2: transversal direction; 3: vertical direction).

FIG. 11.
FIG. 11.

Five cross-coupled macroelements (1: longitudinal direction; 2: transversal direction; 3: vertical direction).

FIG. 12.
FIG. 12.

Applied loads on the three longitudinally coupled elements (1: longitudinal direction; 2: transversal direction; 3: vertical direction).

FIG. 13.
FIG. 13.

Scheme of the load application of longitudinally and transversally coupled macroelements.

FIG. 14.
FIG. 14.

Longitudinal force distribution at three different displacement values and with a uniform contact pressure equal to 0.92 bar.

FIG. 15.
FIG. 15.

Transversal force distribution at three different displacement values and with a uniform contact pressure equal to 0.92 bar.

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