Testing Of Wheels Research Articles

Numerical simulation on 90° impact test of aluminium alloy wheel with the effect of tyre

Car wheels are crucial to automobile safety, requiring a rigorous test before production. A 90° impact test simulates the frontal impact and its influences on the wheel structure, replicating dynamic driving conditions. A novel modelling approach is illustrated for the 90° impact test simulation and investigates the feasibility of excluding the tyre. Firstly, the test performs and validates five impact simulations, with the maximum deformation error being 7.04%. Subsequently, with additional tests, the effectiveness of the modelling approach is evaluated. Lastly, the effect of tyres has been analysed from an energy perspective. The results indicate that the tyre significantly influences the simulation results and should be included in the finite element (FE) model, which differs from the 13° impact test.

Study on radial deviation amplitude of out-of-roundness of resilient wheel installed on a subway vehicle based on vehicle operation safety regulation

Following the extensive use of resilient wheels on trams, several subways in China have also started to pre-launch testing of resilient wheels, while it remains to be at a beginning stage, the wheel maintenance during its long-term service has become a great concern by subway operators and wheel suppliers. An effort is presented in this paper, trying to provide an invaluable reference. Firstly, a metro vehicle-track dynamic system model fitted with the resilient wheels is built. Then, based on the operation safety index and current wheel re-profiling regulations, the influence of wheel axial and radial stiffness combination on radial deviation maximum of resilient wheel polygonization wear is analyzed. The equivalent stiffnesses of the resilient wheel involve the radial stiffness within 600 kN/mm and the axial stiffness within 100 kN/mm. The amplitude of polygonization below the 10th order on the resilient wheel is within 1 mm. A contour chart is drawn to present how the wheel weight reduction rate varies with wheel polygonization order and amplitude under different combinations of resilient wheel equivalent axial and radial stiffnesses. A series of contours is abstracted to query the amplitude limits of the polygonization of different orders on resilient wheels with different equivalent stiffnesses.

Study on the allowed maximum amplitudes of low-order polygonal wear on resilient wheels based on operational safety

Following the extensive use of resilient wheels on trams, several subways in China have started pre-launch testing of resilient wheels. While it remains at an early stage, the long-term behavior of the wheel has become a great concern for subway operators and wheel suppliers. To address the concern, this study focuses on derailment risk by evaluating the allowed maximum amplitudes of low-order polygonal wear on resilient wheels. Firstly, a metro vehicle-track dynamic system model equipped with resilient wheels is built. Then, based on the operation safety index and current re-profiling regulations for conventional wheels, the influence of wheel axial and radial stiffness on the radial amplitude limits of resilient wheel polygonal wear is analyzed. To perform the analysis, firstly the commonly-used stiffness for a resilient wheel (300 kN/mm in radial direction and 50 kN/mm in axial direction) is adopted to study the effect of resilient wheel polygonization on wheel load reduction ratio. Then, wheel load reduction ratio is predicted for different radial (up to 600 kN/mm) and axial (up to 100 kN/mm) stiffnesses of the resilient wheel and different orders (up to 10) of wheel polygonization of 1 mm amplitude. A contour plot is provided to illustrate how the wheel load reduction ratio varies with the harmonic order and amplitude of wheel polygonization under different combinations of resilient wheel’s equivalent axial and radial stiffnesses. It is found that, with the increase of the amplitude of the polygonal wear of a certain harmonic order on resilient wheel, the number of the available combinations of the equivalent stiffnesses adopted by the resilient wheel becomes less by considering the operation safety indexed with wheel load reduction ratio. Besides, depending on the stiffness of the resilient wheel, the allowed amplitude corresponding to the polygonization of each order has been suggested with the contour plots.

Impact Testing of Different Materials on Wheels Used in Throwable Unmanned Ground Vehicles

Throwable Unmanned Ground Vehicles are light weight, small size, easily deployable and impact resistive vehicles mainly used in domestic as well as in military purposes where human life is compromised such as inspection of sewage pipes, and search and rescue operations etc. Main challenge while considering a Throwable UGV is its impact absorption capability which is seen through its material properties. Wheels of Throwable UGV absorb most of the impact without harming the internal structure. To solve this problem a honeycomb structured wheel is designed and simulated in ANSYS Workbench. Vulcanized rubber and Plastic composite PCTPE material wheels were impact tested using explicit dynamic analysis tool in ANSYS workbench. Total deformation, equivalent stress and strain results are tested in ANSYS under impact testing of wheel which is dropped from 10 meter height with velocity of 14m/s in a concrete surface. A plastic composite material PCTPE was 3D-printed and was used in Throwable Unmanned Ground Vehicle.

Research on impact resistance of steel wheel considering vehicle effect

Although there is no public standard for 90° impact test of steel wheel, some wheel manufactures have introduced the impact test to ensure the safety performance of steel wheel. It is often referred to the standard methods used for light alloy wheels. However, whether light alloy wheel 90° impact test methods are applicable to steel wheels have not been studied. In this paper, the vehicle model and road model were established in ADAMS/Car to simulate the vehicle passing through bumps and potholes. The maximum impact force on the wheel was obtained by changing vehicle speed and obstacle size. The simulation result of the wheel under the maximum impact force was compared with those of the 90° bench impact tests. The results show that test method I of 90° impact standard for light alloy wheels is applicable to steel wheels and test method II is too stringent for steel wheels.

Design and performance test of overshot water wheel with variation of inner diameter

Kajian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui bagaimana merancang kincir air tipe overshot dan pengaruh variasi diameter dalam kincir air tipe overshot terhadap kinerja, kincir air tersebut tergolong dalam kategori pembangkit listrik tenaga pikohidro yang dapat menghasilkan listrik kurang dari 5000 Watt, Kincir air tipe overshot memiliki mekanisme gerak menggunakan dorongan air yang berasal dari bagian atas kincir air, kincir air tipe overshot memiliki efisiensi yang lebih besar dibandingkan dengan kincir air jenis lainnya, oleh karena itu untuk mendapatkan tenaga yang besar digunakan kincir air tipe overshot. Pengujian kincir air yang dirancang telah disesuaikan dengan kondisi di wilayah Provinsi Riau, di mana wilayah Riau memiliki banyak sungai dan waduk, sehingga cocok digunakan untuk pembangkit listrik tenaga air, dan ketinggian jatuh air di wilayah Riau rata-rata sekitar 1 meter sampai 3 meter. Ukuran diameter dalam kincir air diuji mulai dari ukuran 0,25 m, 0,5 m, 0,75 m, variasi ukuran ini dibuat untuk menguji apakah pengaruh diameter dalam kincir terhadap besarnya torsi yang dihasilkan oleh kincir air dengan menggunakan debit yang sama, sehingga dapat menghasilkan daya yang optimal, kincir air dengan diameter dalam 0,5 m memiliki performa terbaik karena efisiensi kincir air paling tinggi, dari pengujian ini dapat diketahui bahwa dimensi kincir air harus berbanding lurus dengan debit yang diberikan pada kincir air agar daya yang dihasilkan lebih optimal.

MEANS, STANDS AND MACHINES FOR TESTING GEAR WHEELS AND GEAR TRAINS OF HELICOPTER REDUCTION TRAINS

The production and repair of such high-tech and important products as helicopters‟ reduction trains is impossible without comprehensive testing of these products, starting with the manufacture of their individual parts and assemblies and ending with the delivery of reduction trains to the customer.
 Various means for testing of gear wheels‟ rims and gear trains of helicopter‟s reduction trains, which have found application in testing equipment, are presented. Devices, testers, stands and machines for various tests are considered in order to control the characteristics of gear trains of aviation reduction trains after certain periods of their operation and repair, aimed at achieving better performance during further operation.
 The considered traditional metrological means of control of gear rims, gear measuring machines and complexes, some stands and machines for testing of reduction trains, pulse controllers and roll machines give an idea of various methods and means of control of gear wheels and gear trains of helicopters‟ reduction trains.
 The main method of experimental research of gear trains of reducers is stand tests both on movable gear wheels and on roll machines.
 Until recently, the most common method for monitoring and diagnosing gear trains has been vibrography, however, existing techniques do not give an accurate picture of the train condition, especially the contact surface of the teeth. During the operation of the gear train as a part of the helicopter‟s reduction train, signals from other sources (rotors, blades, shafts, bearings) are superimposed on the vibration signal generated by the gear train which significantly complicates the extraction and processing of the desired vibration signal.
 One of the most effective methods for monitoring and diagnosing the technical condition of kinematic chains of different complexity, which includes gear trains of helicopters„ reducers is kinematometry. The disadvantage of traditional kinematometry is the need to use high-precision sensors for the frequency and phase of the rotor rotation.
 Control of vibration from the early 1990s to the present time is the most advanced control, the means and methods of which are well developed in the aviation industry.

DETERMINATION AND ANALYSIS OF TECHNICAL PARAMETERS OF THE BENCH FOR RAILWAY WHEELS COMPLEX TESTS

Purpose. The purpose of the work is to determine and analyze the technical parameters of the bench for railway wheels complex tests, providing for the combination of fatigue and contact strength tests, their simultaneous performing on same test-bench. Methodology. Determination of the technical parameters of the test-bench was carried out based on comparing the characteristics of fatigue and contact strength tests of railway wheels. Requirements for fatigue tests and related equipment are determined based on an analysis of the current regulations and patent review. A model of the contact strength test-bench with the introduction of necessary changes in terms of ensuring the cyclicity of the working effort application was adopted as the basic model for the development of a complex test-bench. The criterion for the possibility of complex tests, involving the simultaneous testing of railway wheels for fatigue and contact strength, was the dependence of the test-bench roller diameter on the parameters of the tested wheel, the wheelset axle load, which includes the tested wheel and the wheel material endurance limit. Findings. The analysis of the obtained dependence showed that the roller diameter as a function of the load in the contact zone of the “wheel – roller” pair has second order discontinuity in the section where this load changes from the minimum to the maximum value. Analytical dependence is also presented and analyzed in graphical form. The generalization of the results obtained made it possible to conclude that it is impossible to carry out complex tests of railway wheels, which provide for the combination of fatigue strength tests with contact strength tests, subject to their simultaneous holding at the same test-bench. Originality. For the proposed scheme of the bench for complex tests of railway wheels, for the first time, we obtained the dependence linking the parameters of the test wheel, the parameters of the bench, the wheel pair axle load and the wheel material endurance limit. Practical value. The results obtained can be used as a basis for the development of new test-benches for railway wheels.

Technique for testing small wind turbines by method of acceleration in the wind tunnel and in the field

A technique is proposed for obtaining aerodynamic and mechanical characteristics of wind turbines – the wind energy conversion coefficient and the relative torque of the wind turbine as a function of their speed with respect to the intensity of the wind wheel acceleration from the moment of its start until the synchronous speed at constant wind speed. The proposed technique simplifies and significantly reduces the time for experimental testing of wind turbine wheels.

Development and testing of a spiral tube water wheel pumping system

Spiral Tube Water Wheel Pumping System is based on kinetic energy of flowing water, which is free of cost and abundantly available in several locations. The main components of the developed system includes float, inlet, blade, spiral tube, block bearing, housing, T-joint, union valve and outlet. When the force of flowing water directly acts on the blade it causes water strike on the blade and the thrust of the blade makes the wheel to rotate continuously in the direction of flowing water. Inlet allows to water to enter inside the spiral tube while rotation of wheel makes it to travel inside the tube. With every rotation, a column of water and air is created inside the tube. Air being compressible forces the water to exit through the outlet. More is the kinetic energy, better will be the pumping. Performance and testing of spiral tube water wheel pumping system was analysed. The testing of spiral tube water wheel was evaluated at different delivery head and carrying different horizontal distances, both affecting the discharge adversely. The result show that the system gave a discharge of 0.59 to 0.44 lps at delivery head of 4.14 to 4.83 m and horizontal distance of carrying water 3 to 10 m. The spiral tube water wheel pumping system can give a discharge of 55296 lpd at velocity 2 m/s, water depth of 1 m and lifting head of 4.28 m and carrying distance of 3 m. The cost of pumping 51200 litres of water at 3 m of operating head was found to be Rs 260.15, 287.83, 760.43 and 1604.74 for water wheel pumping system, electrical power pumping system, Diesel power pumping system and human power pumping system, respectively.

The effect of thickness variation and pre-strain on the cornering fatigue life prediction of a DP600 steel wheel disc

Cornering fatigue test of an automotive wheel is one of the essential tests to ensure the structural integrity of a wheel disc. Forming operation of wheel disc introduces forming history such as thickness reduction, pre-strain, and mean residual stresses. In this work, a methodology is proposed to consider the factors affecting the cornering fatigue performance of DP600 automotive wheel disc. The cyclic elastic-plastic Finite Element (FE) simulations are performed using the Chaboche kinematic hardening model. Local stress-strain states of critical element evaluated from FE simulations and fatigue parameters obtained from symmetric strain and stress controlled tests are coupled to predict the cornering fatigue life. Maximum equivalent stress and stress triaxiality at the cup radius region indicates a possible site for fatigue crack initiation. The incorporation of thickness variation and pre-strain effect is found to be the two most significant parameters for the accurate estimation of cornering fatigue life and failure location of wheel disc.

90-degree impact bench test and simulation analysis of automotive steel wheel

As one of the important components affecting the safety and reliability of automobile, the wheel needs to meet the test requirements for fatigue and impact performance. The 90-degree impact test of wheel is used to replicate the harsh conditions during driving, such as automobile frontally impact on road pits. In order to guarantee the performance of wheel, many automobile companies have begun to increase impact performance requirements on steel wheels, although there is no public standard for 90-degree impact test of steel wheel. In this paper, the FE model of wheel assembled composite tire are established first, and then used to evaluate the impact resistance of wheel. Furthermore, two different test benches and two different tires are modeled to investigate the effects of test methods and tire sizes on the wheel performance evaluation results. To evaluate the validity of the simulation method, the wheel 90° impact tests with different tires are also performed. The comparison between the simulation and test results show that the simulation methods presented in this paper can provide an effective way to evaluate the impact resistance of the wheel, and the influences of different tires should be fully considered in the wheel 90-degree impact test.

Numerical and experimental investigation on the effect of tire on the 13° impact test of automotive wheel

The effect of tire on the wheel should be considered in detail in the process of simulating 13° impact test of the automotive wheel. However, due to the complexity and nonlinearity of the tire, the tire is usually simplified or neglected in the current simulation of wheel impact test, and these often lead to insufficient simulation accuracy. In this paper, a numerical simulation approach is proposed to evaluate the impact performance of wheel, in which the finite element model of tire is established in terms of the real tire. The physical wheel 13° impact tests are also performed, and the comparison between the simulation and experiment indicate that the proposed simulation method provides an efficient tool for predicting the impact performance of the wheel in wheel 13° impact test. Furthermore, the effects of tire on wheel are discussed by comparing the simulation and experiment results, and the results show the tire has a dual effect on wheel performance during the wheel 13° impact test.

Testing, SEM-characterization and surface modification of gear wheels produced by additive and traditional technics

Both the comparative testing and SEM-control of crack surfaces for steel, polymer and 3D-printed polymer gears were carried out. Computer mechanical fatigue failure modelling correctness for steel wheels and in a less degree for polymer ones due to polymer inhomogeneous inner structure was shown. The SEM-characterization indicated that used type of fatigue failure modeling for 3D-printed polymer gears needs corrections due to the specific uneven gears surface shape, inner cavities presence and polymer deformation features as a result of both insufficient filament melting process, and microstructural polymer features. Surface fluorination aimed to 3D-printed gears friction ratio decreasing was tested. Gears modification was resulted to surface layer forming leading to wear halving to 0,3.

Case study: An improvement study of damping ring applied to wheel noise and vibration control

The friction damping (FD) ring is a kind of low-cost and efficient damping device that has been used for decades in noise and vibration control of railway wheels. Preload is one of the most important parameters that affect the noise reduction effect of an FD ring. An acoustic characteristic test of a railway wheel with a rectangular cross-section FD ring under different preloads was carried out in the laboratory. The noise results show that there is an optimum preload that makes the total sound pressure level (SPL) of the wheels the lowest. However, at the same time, a new phenomenon in which the noise attenuation time increased with the increase in preload was observed. The phenomenon is explained by acoustic and modal tests, as well as a single degree of freedom system. Modal results show that, with the increase of the preload on an FD ring, modal damping of several modes of the wheel was correspondingly reduced, and the duration of noise was lengthened accordingly. To solve this problem, a new type of constrained layer damping (CLD) ring was designed based on the modal strain energy (MSE) method. A comparative experiment was conducted between the CLD ring and FD ring, including an acoustic test and modal test. The modal test results show that the CLD ring can provide a greater damping ratio in most frequencies of the wheel, especially the low frequencies corresponding to the noise attenuation time. Acoustic results show that the CLD ring has superior performance both in the time domain and frequency domain to the FD ring.

Damage model for the impact test of an automotive aluminum wheel

The wheel is a critical component for car safety. To achieve maximum performance, product development includes a number of tests, such as rotating bending, radial fatigue, and impact. In general, the design process involving physical testing of prototypes following standards is time-consuming and cost intensive. Nowadays, several industry sectors are including virtual testing as part of the certification process, e.g., the United States Food and Drug Administration now recognizes numerical simulations as a valuable tool for the design of implants. Numerical testing reduces time to market and improves cost control during the design stage. In this work, we investigate the use of finite element models to assess damage in an aluminum wheel, in agreement with the impact test according to the ICONTEC standard NTC 4177. We compare the results with the experimental values obtained for two different wheel models.

Grinding of internal gears by setting a large crossed-axes angle using a barrel-shaped grinding wheel

Recently, there has been an increase in the demand for mass production of high-precision internal gears in order to lower vibration and noise. Therefore grinding of internal gears has become necessary. However, the conventional grinding method cannot achieve target cycle times and hence is not suitable for mass production. To address this problem, a high-precision and high-efficiency method of grinding internal gears has been developed which is described in this paper. The grinding method presented in this study, uses a barrel-shaped threaded grinding wheel to realize a large crossed-axes angle between the internal gear and the grinding wheel, which leads to a higher grinding speed. The geometrical and numerical analysis of the grinding method and the surface of the barrel-shaped threaded grinding wheel have been carried out. Production test of the barrel-shaped grinding wheel and grinding experiment of an internal gear with a large crossed-axes angle have been performed and their results show that the proposed internal gear grinding method is effective.

Systematic design and development of a flexible wheel for low mass lunar rover

Low mass compact rovers provide cost effective means to explore extra-terrestrial terrains. Use of flexible wheels in such applications where the wheel size is restricted, improves traction at reduced slip and sinkage. Design of a flexible wheel for a given mission is a challenging task requiring consideration of stiffness of rim and spokes, stress induced in the wheel, chassis movement during wheel rotation and the operating mode of the wheel. Also, accurate mathematical models are required to save design and development time and reduce the number of prototypes for selection. It is observed that most of the research papers deal with performance testing of flexible wheels and information on analytical formulation is scarce. Therefore, in the present work, a methodology has been formulated to systematically design a flexible wheel for a low mass lunar rover. The prototype performance is tested and compared with analytical estimates and reasons for difference are investigated. Paper contains details of design criteria, mathematical modelling, realisation of wheel prototype, test fixture and analysis test comparison. Authors believe that this work provides a useful aid to the designer to systematically design flexible wheels for low mass lunar rovers.

Research on simulation of the bending fatigue test of automotive wheel made of long glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic considering anisotropic property

Using the long glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite (LGFT) in wheel manufacture is an important way for the lightweight design of automotive wheel. The bending fatigue test of automotive wheel is one of the key tests to ensure a safe wheel. Aiming at minimizing the development cost, this paper investigates a simulation method of the bending fatigue test considering the anisotropic property of the LGFT. First and foremost, the anisotropic material model of the LGFT is established based on the tensile test of LGFT specimens. With the fiber orientation and distribution of the wheel from the injection molding simulation, the anisotropic material property of the LGFT wheel is obtained. Then the simulation model of the bending fatigue test platform is established, with which the strength simulation of the LGFT wheel is conducted. To validate the accuracy of the simulation method and the anisotropic material model, the simulation results from the anisotropic/isotropic material models and the experimental result from the physical bending fatigue test are compared and analyzed. It can be seen that the result from the anisotropic material model satisfies the requirements well and is more accurate than that from the isotropic material model. The research shows that it is necessary to consider the anisotropic property in the strength simulation of the bending fatigue test of the LGFT wheel, and the simulation method considering anisotropic property provides an effective way for the strength simulation of other components made of the fiber reinforced thermoplastics.

Note: Planetary gravities made simple: Sample test of a Mars rover wheel.

We introduce an instrument for a wide spectrum of experiments on gravities other than our planet's. It is based on a large Atwood machine where one of the loads is a bucket equipped with a single board computer and different sensors. The computer is able to detect the falling (or rising) and then the stabilization of the effective gravity and to trigger actuators depending on the experiment. Gravities within the range 0.4 g-1.2 g are easily achieved with acceleration noise of the order of 0.01 g. Under Martian gravity, we are able to perform experiments of approximately 1.5 s duration. The system includes features such as WiFi and a web interface with tools for the setup, monitoring, and data analysis of the experiment. We briefly show a case study in testing the performance of a model Mars rover wheel in low gravities.