Variable Modulus Approach to Optimize Tire Rolling Resistance

Abstract

ABSTRACT Tire rolling resistance plays a vital role in a vehicle's fuel consumption, which needs to be continuously optimized. Such targets can be met only through the combination of advanced processing of materials and new technologies together with innovative tire designs. Achieving the optimal rolling resistance of a tire requires effective distribution of the rolling loss contributor (i.e., the resultant of the modulus, volume, and dissipation). The contribution of the three tire deformation states (e.g., equal strain, equal stress, and equal energy) on the tire's rolling loss vary with the modulus. As proposed in the literature[1–3], the deformation index has proven to be a useful tool for identifying different states of deformation in the tire. This approach is explored in this article. Within the context of the nonlinear finite element method, a novel approach is proposed for optimization of tire rolling resistance. The proposed approach is implemented on both passenger car and commercial vehicle tires, including cross-ply tires. As a result of this concept, up to 10% improvement in rolling resistance has been achieved, depending on the chosen tire. The developed procedure has been implemented in the commercial finite element simulation tool Abaqus and hence can be directly used as a design tool for any tire the during predesign phase itself.