A Finite Element Analysis of Truck Wheels

The strain amplitude method (S.A.M.) is introduced for the first time in this paper.

Establishing the mathematical model to simulate the dynamic cornering fatigue test device of the wheel for the finite element analysis of the truck wheel, the paper has computed conveniently the maximum tangential strain value along the edge of the disc hand hole from the finite element results with two load planes when the wheel is under the rotating bending moment. It has been proved that the computation is accurate and reliable by checking with the experimental results from the dynamic cornering fatigue test of the wheel.

The strain amplitude method can be used to replace the dynamic cornering fatigue test of wheels of similar design to study the strain distribution in the disc. Thus it can be served as the basis for optimizing disc design.