Proper Radial Spokes of Non-Pneumatic Tire for Vertical Load Supporting by Finite Element Analysis

Abstract

© 2019, KSAE. This research aimed to develop the 3D finite element model of non-pneumatic tire (NPT) for designing the proper radial spoke. The NPT was cut using waterjet cutting technique to prepare the appropriate test specimens. The hyperelastic constitutive models were used to model the deformation behavior of these NPT components. The rebar elements were used to model steel belt layers of the non-pneumatic tire, while the tying equation was used to tie the degree of freedom between belt layers and rubber elements. The NPT model was assigned to contact the rigid surface at the load of 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22 kN. The deformation analysis result of NPT model was compared with the physical experiment which obtained the average error of 9.29 %. The vertical stiffness of the NPT model was 810.66 N/mm; therefore the error was 6.81 % when it was compared to the experimental result. The validated NPT model was then used to search for the proper spoke thickness. The spoke thickness of 5 mm was found to be the proper thickness which given the identical vertical stiffness as the pneumatic tire.