Experimental Verification of an Algorithm for Determination of Tire-Wheel Interface Loads

Knowledge of the tire-wheel interface pressure distribution is necessary for aircraft wheel design and analysis. A finite element code, ANTWIL, has been developed recently which makes tractable the determination of the tire-wheel interface loads from experimentally obtained strains. Motivated by computational considerations, ANTWIL employs an asymmetrically loaded axisymmetric finite element model. Previously reported results have shown numerically that the axisymmetric assumption is well-justified. Data from a strain-roll test conducted at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for an F-16 Block30 main landing gear wheel were obtained and analyzed via ANTWIL to recover the associated tire-wheel interface loads. Strain comparisons are shown to illustrate the validity of the recovered loads. Comparison of the load profiles for radial and bias ply tires is given and discussed.