Tread Discontinuities as Source of Vibration/Noise — Transient Dynamics of Rolling Tire

Abstract

Abstract Tire vibrations supply energy for noise generation. Tread band features, such as grooves and blade cuts, affect noise signatures since they impart vibrations to a rolling tire. Finite element transient dynamics simulations have been performed with ABAQUS/Explicit on a rolling passenger tire to examine the vibrations induced by the entrance of tread pattern discontinuities into the contact patch. The loaded tire rolls on a 3.05 m (10 ft) diameter drum at terminal speeds of 4.3 km/h (2.7 mph) and 34.4 km/h (21.4 mph). Three models with augmented discontinuities in the circumferential ribs have been examined: 1) continuous (control); 2) angled lateral grooves; and 3) transverse grooves. They are ordered in increasing severity of rib discontinuity. The induced rolling vibrations are evaluated by identifying the ‘perturbed’ dynamic responses of (2) and (3) from (1). The results indicate that any discontinuity or abruptness in tread patterns can induce vibrations, which are similar in nature, for the two speeds studied. The higher rolling speed changes only the amplitudes, but not the frequencies of the induced oscillations at the free spindle. The ‘perturbed’ vibrations for both speeds manifest at the spindle as translational (vertical) and rotational (axial) oscillations of 29 and 44 Hz, respectively, for the tire studied.