Simulation of steady-state rolling non-pneumatic mechanical elastic wheel using finite element method

A three-dimensional (3D) nonlinear finite element (FE) model was established for the numerical investigation of a novel non-pneumatic mechanical elastic wheel (MEW) under the steady-state rolling conditions. The reliability and accuracy of this FE model of an MEW were validated through a comparison of the numerical simulation and experimentally measured data with regard to the radial stiffness, footprint and longitudinal slipping characteristics. The validated FE model was applied to study the dynamic characteristics of the MEW under various steady-state rolling conditions using steady-state transport technology in Abaqus/Standard. The contact pressure and friction stress distribution of an MEW were studied in detail. In addition, the stress states of the key components of an MEW, such as the elastic ring and hinge group, were also analysed based on the simulation results. The main innovation of this work is the application of steady-state transport technology to a parametric analysis of the steady-state rolling of a non-pneumatic tire, the simulation results of which can provide guidance for an optimization of an MEW and other non-pneumatic tire structures.