Simulation of tyre rolling resistance generated on uneven road

Abstract

Owing to limitations of laboratory test rigs to reproduce some of the more extreme operating conditions (such as a tyre rolling over large obstacles), not all the tyre parameters and characteristics can be derived using tyre dynamic tests. However, most tyre dynamic responses and vibration properties can be virtually simulated using finite element (FE) analysis which has long been recognised as a significant simulation tool for tyre characteristics investigation. The objective of this study is to determine the rolling resistance of a tyre rolling on an uneven road by simulating the energy loss in the tyre and the longitudinal force. For simulating a tyre rolling on an uneven road, the road unevenness was generated using the inverse discrete Fourier transform (DFT) method, and the effects of different kinds of road unevenness and different travelling velocities on rolling resistance were investigated.