An Integrated Approach for Transient Rolling of Tires

A wide range of loading conditions must be considered in the design of a tire. Computational simulations of a quasi-static, steady-state dynamic and nonlinear transient dy-namic nature must be completed. In addition, the com-plexity and size of typical tire models highlight the need for efficient solution techniques.
Abaqus/Standard, which uses an implicit solution method, can be used to simulate rim mounting, inflation, and foot-print loading. The footprint loading step is typically fol-lowed by a rolling analysis. The Abaqus/Standard steady-state transport capability provides an efficient solution method for the steady rolling case, as the cost of the analysis is independent of the rolling speed of the tire. With this feature Abaqus/Standard can model the tire roll-ing on a flat road or a drum, as is frequently performed experimentally.
Adverse road conditions may cause transient dynamic loading events. Abaqus/Explicit is ideally suited for simu-lating rapid loading situations such as collision with obsta-cles, traversal of holes or bumps, effects of vehicle accel-eration, etc. The solution from the steady-state transport analysis obtained in Abaqus/Standard can be used as the initial condition for the Abaqus/Explicit analysis. The long run times that would be required using explicit time inte-gration to apply the quasi-static preloading and to acceler-ate the tire to the desired traveling velocity are, thus, avoided.
Close integration between Abaqus/Standard and Abaqus/Explicit facilitates a streamlined total analysis approach, one in which the analysis proceeds progressively in stages. Each loading stage examines an important design load while also serving to provide the base state for the next loading stage.