Finite Element Modeling Of Tire-Terrain Dynamic Interaction For Full Vehicle Simulation Applications

Studying the kinetic and kinematics of the rim-tire combination is very important in full vehicle simulations, as well as for the tire design process. Tire maneuvers are either quasi-static, such as steady-state rolling, or dynamic, such as traction and braking. The rolling of the tire over obstacles and potholes and, more generally, over uneven roads are other examples of dynamic events which are of importance. In the latter case, tire dynamic models are used for durability assessment of the vehicle chassis, and should be studied using high fidelity simulation models. In this study, a threedimensional finite element model (FEM) of the 16 inch TMPT Tire has been developed using the commercial software package ABAQUS.

The purpose of this study is to investigate tire transient dynamic behavior for various inputs. The process of running dynamic FE tire simulations starts by statically inflating and loading the tire using an implicit method with refined mesh in the contact patch. Then, by using the "result transfer" option in ABAQUS, final state vectors are used as initial conditions for subsequent simulations. Using this sequence of loading steps helps increase the efficiency of the code. The validation of the model is performed in two stages. First, tire mode shapes and associated natural frequencies and damping values are compared with the experimental data. Second, a series of transient dynamic simulations are performed using an explicit method with a fine mesh around the circumference of the tire. Finally, the FEM model results are filtered to eliminate the numerical noise, and their correlation with the test data is investigated. Moreover, the peak values and time shifts associated with spindle forces as a function of normal load are studied. The results show that the tire dynamic response is autonomous.