Computational modelling of a solid and deformed automotive rotating wheel in contact with the ground

An advanced computational framework is proposed for the load and force estimations of isolated rotating wheel-tyre systems. The framework is constituted by a computational structured dynamics solver and a computational fluid dynamics solver that effectively simulated the flow around the wheel including tyre deformation. Two finite element analysis models of the tyre are built, where the multilayer hyperelastic approach provides a more representative response compared with the linear elasticity model. The flow around the wheel is captured through the overset grid method where the zero-gap approach enables desirable computational performance near the contact patch area. Computational solutions are compared with experimental data and other computational works demonstrating good agreement on the non-deformed tyre model in terms of aerodynamic forces. A grid sensitivity analysis is performed to quantify the level of discretisation uncertainty as well as a comparison with unsteady and steady state solutions. The work demonstrates that current computer-aided engineering software are able to tackle more realistic and accurate simulations of wheel rim tyre systems, opening the field to future research and development in rotating mechanical systems.

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