Influence of Road Texture on Tyre/Road Contact in Static Conditions

ABSTRACT This paper deals with the influence of road texture on normal pressure distribution for tyre/road contact in statics, within the framework of rolling noise prediction. A contact model is developed in statics where the tyre tread is modelled by an elastic half-space and the road surface by several perfectly rigid asperities. The problem is solved using a Two-scale Iterative Method (TIM) which is fast and efficient. The numerical results give high resolution contact patterns for real road surfaces. Predicted results are compared to contact pressures measured between a slick tyre and several road surfaces. The agreement is fairly acceptable by keeping in mind both the precision of the measurement device and the simplicity of the model. The best correlations are obtained for model surfaces composed of spherical punches and real road surfaces of moderated or high macro-texture. The results are less conclusive for road surfaces of fine macro-texture. The efficiency of the TIM at a tyre/road contact scale is an encouraging first step before introducing dynamical effects.