Tire rolling-resistance computation based on material viscoelasticity representation

Rolling-resistance is growingly driving the focus of many tire research due to its significant impact on the vehicle fuel consumption. The finite element (FE) solution is commonly used as a cost-effective and satisfactory prediction tool compared to the experimental approach. Regardless, the FE choice is still an incomplete work especially in predicting the tire rolling-resistance. This paper investigates the implications of decision between linear (prony) and non-linear (parallel rheological framework (PRF)) viscoelastic models on predicting the tire’s rolling- resistance, in particular, and mechanical comfort in FE under different vertical loadings and inflation pressures. The investigation involved following a different way, based on the hysteresis energy ratio, to obtain the rolling-resistance. The PRF model illustrated a good agreement with the experiments and the literature in the estimation of rolling- resistance, dissipative energy distribution and mechanical comfort in tire’s structure while prony model had inconsistent and unreasonably small outcomes indicating its insensitivity to rolling.