Finite element modeling of interaction between non-pneumatic mechanical elastic wheel and soil

摘要

The tire/soil interaction is an important and complex research topic in vehicle-terrain mechanics, which has a great influence on vehicle mobility and soil compaction. The purpose of this work was to develop a detailed nonlinear finite element model for parametric analysis of the interaction between mechanical elastic wheel and the soil. The three-dimensional finite element model of the mechanical elastic wheel, which considers material nonlinearity, geometric nonlinearity, as well as large contact deformation between the mechanical elastic wheel and soil, was developed based on the physical model. The reliability and accuracy of the finite element model were validated by comparing the predicted wheel static loading characteristics in rigid plane with those of experiments. The finite element model of the soil is modeled as a two-layer system and the Extended Drucker-Prager model was used to describe the nature soil properties. The deformation and stress of the soil and mechanical elastic wheel under the static loading condition were studied in detail. Moreover, the effects of the axial load on mechanical elastic wheel/soil interaction were also analyzed. The research results could offer reference for an optimum structural design of a mechanical elastic wheel and a prediction of soil compaction caused by non-pneumatic tires.