NEW TECHNIQUES IN TYRE MEDAL ANALYSIS USING MSC NASTRAN/

For many years the dynamic response of vehicle tyres has been an impor tant topic to both vehicle and tyre manufactures. The connection betwe en dynamic response and the contribution the tyre makes to ride, handl ing, interior passenger compartment noise and external pass-by noise h as encouraged researchers to develop more and more sophisticated dynam ic analysis techniques. Currently, design stage modelling tools, such as the finite element method, are being used to advantage, and have be en demonstrated to be accurate in representing tyre behavioural charac teristics. In this paper new techniques are presented for finite eleme nt modelling of tyres in the areas of material property derivation and contact modelling of the tyre/road interface. Using the model, modal analysis of the inflated/deflected tyre was carried out and compared t o test results. These results, along with the results of parametric st udies, to assess the effect of inflation pressure, hub load and rotati onal speed on the natural frequencies of the tyre, are also presented.