Modeling and Prediction of Truck Tire Temperature Using Advanced Computational Techniques

This paper investigates the development of a Finite Element model of a Mixed Service Drive truck tire sized 315/80R22.5 equipped with thermal simulating properties. The physical experiments were performed at a high-speed track in Hällered, Sweden for the truck combination travelling at a constant speed of 80 km/h. For this investigation, the Gross Combination Weight is approximately 42 metric tons. In the Finite Element Analysis environment, ESI Virtual Performance Solutions, the truck tire is designed with hyperelastic Ogden solid rubber definitions. The Ogden material definition is used in this application as it is more suitable to perform thermal and wear analysis within the Finite Element environment. The Finite Element truck tire model is simulated to increase in two different temperature rates. The truck tire model simulates the thermal build-up over time for select tires on a High-Capacity transport truck combination, particularly a driven tire on the tractor. Finite element tire models can be computationally expensive to simulate, especially the build-up of temperature over a long period of time. Experimentally, tires belonging to the tractor increased temperature in a shorter time frame, which is suitable and efficient for developing the FEA simulations.