Finite element modeling and analysis of tire creep test

Abstract The tire is one of the most complex components of the vehicle, which justifies strict standards and regulations set by governments worldwide to ensure the performance, durability, and reliability of tires approved for use in the transport sector. Among these requirements, tire durability testing involves the assessment of short-and long-term tire response to determine optimum conditions of use and service life. Therefore, this paper focuses on the creep performance of tires using the finite element method in ABAQUS. As a case study, a selected tire with visco-hyperelastic rubber compounds and linear elastic reinforcements is subjected to a constant prescribed force for a period of time, and the resulting strain evolution is recorded till the release of the applied load. Several parameters are accounted for, such as the inflation pressure, material characteristic times, and load amplitude. The post-processing of results enabled the prediction of the overall creep response of the tire over time with respect to the prescribed load. The knowledge gained in this study can be exploited to predict tire failure caused by excessive strain and pinpoint the areas of the tire that are the most exposed to creep failure.