Research on Vibration Reduction Method of Nonpneumatic Tire Spoke Based on the Mechanical Properties of Domestic cat’s Paw Pads

Abstract

Although there is no risk of puncture, the vibration problem caused by discontinuous structures limits nonpneumatic tire development (NPT). The vibration reduction of nonpneumatic tires is a solvable urgent problem. This current study analyzed the dynamic grounding characteristics and the vibration reduction mechanism of the cat’s paw pads and then applied the mechanical properties to the bionic design of nonpneumatic tire spokes to solve the vibration problem. Domestic cats’ paw pads’ dynamic grounding characteristics were determined using the pressure-sensitive walkway, high-speed camera, and VIC-2D. The results indicated that the mechanical characteristics of swing deformation of paw pads during the grounding process attenuated the grounding stress and buffered the energy storage to achieve the vibration reduction effect. According to the similarity transformation, a finite element model of NPT that could accurately reconstruct the structure and realistically reflect the load deformation was employed. The structure design of asymmetric arcs on the spokes’ side edges was proposed, and it can effectively reduce the radial excitation force of NPT. The three parameters, the asymmetric arc, the thickness, and the curvature of spokes, were used as design variables to maximize the vibration reduction. The orthogonal experimental, the Kriging approximate model, and the genetic algorithm were carefully selected for optimal solutions. Compared with the original tire, the results showed that peak amplitude 1, peak amplitude 2, and the root square of the optimized tire’s amplitudes were reduced by 76.07%, 52.88%, and 51.65%, respectively. These research results offer great potential guidance in the design of low-vibration NPT.

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Design, properties, and applications of non-pneumatic tires: A review

“…This research uses tread designs bio-inspired in a camel hoof and a fennec fox paw and concludes both concepts improved tire traction. Zhou et al 97 used the pads of a cat's paw as inspiration to develop treads that attenuate the vibration of NPTs. Ju et al 26 found that multicellular geometries and TPU materials can reduce the elastic hysteresis loss of NPTs, effectively reducing tire rolling resistance.…”

Non-pneumatic tire with curved isolated spokes for agricultural machinery in agricultural fields: Empirical and numerical study

“…For light vehicles, such as light military vehicles and small tractors, it was found that NPT, known as TWEEL, was more suitable with greater stability and mobility than solid tires [ 29 ]. TWEEL can be developed to achieve better characteristics than pneumatic tires using appropriate materials and structures without inflation pressure maintenance [ [30] , [31] , [32] , [33] , [34] ]. Furthermore, the vehicles can be driven even if the NPT is slightly damaged.…”

“…Moreover, finite element analysis (FEA) was performed to investigate the position, angle, number, and thickness of various spokes that affect the NPT performance [ 40 , 45 , 48 , 49 ]. NPT velocity was an important variable for evaluating riding comfort [ 32 , 49 , 50 ]. FEA was further performed to investigate the NPT interaction with soft ground such as soil and snow [ 51 , 52 ].…”