AN EFFICIENT TIRE MODEL FOR THE ANALYSIS OF SPINDLE FORCES PRODUCED BY A TIRE IMPACTING LARGE OBSTACLES

Prediction of service loads for durability studies is an important app lication of vehicle dynamics simulation in the automotive industry. Su ch studies require accurate predictions of the loads that tires transm it to the spindle rather than accurate predictions of the detailed tir e deformation and stress fields. This paper describes a simple and eff icient two-dimensional tire model that accurately predicts spindle loa ds during dynamic impact of the tire with large obstacles. An inextens ible, circular membrane is used to approximate the sidewall behavior w hile a geometrically non-linear beam element is used to model the trea d. Comparisons between numerical and experimental results demonstrate the accuracy of the finite element.