Waveguide-Finite-Element based parameter study of car tyre rolling losses

Paper in proceeding, 2011

Low rolling resistance and a low noise level are two characteristics of a car tyre which are often seen as conflicting with each other. Simultaneously, there is an increased demand for improvement in both fields due to legislative changes. Due to the fact that there is little to no detailed information available on the relation between rolling resistance and acoustical behaviour of car tyres, an in-depth investigation of this subject seems to be desirable. In a first step, a Waveguide-Finite-Element-Model (WFEM) of a car tyre is combined with a non-linear 3D contact model to calculate the resulting contact forces between tyre and road surface. This can be used to make a detailed prediction of the tyre vibrations. For steady state rolling the input power into the tyre at the tyre-road interface gives the rolling resistance in terms of dissipated power. This includes detailed information on frequency and wave order distribution of dissipation. Using a parameter study, it is evaluated how the rolling resistance is affected by material properties or the tyre design.