An efficient tire model for the analysis of spindle forces produced by a tire impacting large obstacles Original Research Article

Prediction of service loads for durability studies is an important application of vehicle dynamics simulation in the automotive industry. Such studies require accurate predictions of the loads that tires transmit to the spindle rather than accurate predictions of the detailed tire deformation and stress fields. This paper describes a simple and efficient two-dimensional tire model that accurately predicts spindle loads during dynamic impact of the tire with large obstacles. An inextensible, circular membrane is used to approximate the sidewall behavior while a geometrically non-linear beam element is used to model the tread. Comparisons between numerical and experimental results demonstrate the accuracy of the finite element.