Agricultural tire deformation in the 2D case by finite element methods

Abstract

The mechanical characteristics of the rubber tire and the interaction between a tire and a rigid surface were investigated by a two-dimensional (2D) finite element (FE) model. The FE model consists of a rigid rim and a rigid contact surface which interact with the elastic tire. Four distinct sets of elastic parameters are used to represent beads, sidewall, tread and lugs. Several sets of tire loads and inflation pressures were applied to the FE model as boundary conditions, together with various displacements and friction conditions. The deformation of the tire profile, the tire displacements in the vertical and lateral directions, the normal contact pressures, the frictional forces and the stress distribution of the tire components were investigated by the 2D FE model under the above boundary conditions. The calculated tire deflections were compared with the measured data. The results show a good fit between calculated and measured data, especially at high load and inflation pressure. The comparison shows that the FE analysis is suitable to predict aspects of the tire performance like its deflection and interactions with the contact surface. Compared with the experimental methods, the FE methods show many advantages in the prediction of tire deformation, contact pressure and stress distribution.