Finite Element Simulation of Destructive Tire Testing

Three destructive tire tests, burst pressure, high speed free rotation, and DOT plunger energy are performed to check the ultimate strength of new tires. These tests represent some of the extreme, although unusual, overload conditions that may be applied to a tire. They are used to determine how far above normal service conditions one might take a tire before it reaches its ultimate strength. A nonlinear incompressible rubber model and a nonlinear cord-rubber composite model were used in the tire analyses. Various rubber compounds as well as the rubber in the cord-rubber composite were modeled as nonlinear incompressible Mooney-Rivlin materials. The bimodulus cord and the cord angle change effect due to deformation were also considered. In addition, gap elements were used at the tire-rim interface and between tread grooves where required to provide appropriate boundary conditions. Numerical simulations of these destructive tire tests represent three excellent benchmarks to verify and to evaluate the robustness of a finite element code due to very large strain and deformation occurring in the tire. The numerical results predicted by the finite element tire models agreed very well with the available experimental data.