The analysis of rolling tires using numerical methods sheds light on the understanding of complex phenomena, while reducing the amount of experimental tests, which are used to calibrate and validate the models. Among different approaches, the finite element method is often used in tire industry, due to its capabilities of describing structural behavior, where material properties and an accurate geometry are required.
Isogeometric Analysis offers an efficient and exact geometrical description of bodies, in contrast e.g. to linear finite elements, which is fundamental for the circular shape of a tire.
In this contribution, a novel framework for tire analysis is presented. Closed unclamped B-splines are employed for a fully continuous description of geometry and field variables. The overall high-order continuity of the model allows the analysis to be less sensitive with respect to the applied discretization which becomes obvious in comparison to standard FEA models. The rolling phenomenon is described by an Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian approach with a direct computation of second order gradients due to the use of higher order basis functions.
This novel framework is validated by experiments using a passenger car tire, where accelerations are registered. This versatile approach can be employed for the comparison and evaluation of analytical approaches. A discussion of the results of numerical simulations, significant remarks and an outlook on further research directions close this presentation.