Modal Analysis of a Discrete Tire Model with a Contact Patch and Rolling Conditions Using the Finite Difference Method

Abstract

Obtaining the modal parameters of a tire with ground contact and rolling conditions represents a challenge due to the complex vibration characteristic behaviors that cause the distortion of the tire’s symmetry and the bifurcation phenomena of the natural frequencies. An in-plane rigid–elastic-coupled tire model was used to examine the 200 DOF finite difference method (FDM) modal analysis accuracy under non-ground contact and non-rotating conditions. The discrete in-plane rigid–elastic-coupled tire model was modified to include the contact patch restriction, centrifugal force and Coriolis effect, covering a range from 0 to 300 Hz. As a result, the influence of the contact patch and the rotating tire conditions on the natural frequencies and modes were obtained through modal analysis.