Development and parameter identification of the flexible beam on elastic continuous tire model for a heavy-loaded radial tire

Experimental modal analysis, dynamic modeling, and parameter identification were employed to investigate the flexible beam tire model for a heavy-loaded radial tire. The in-plane bending vibration of the flexible tread is researched with the flexible beam tire model. The coupled vibration equation of the flexible tread and continuous sidewall is modeled with a flexible beam on elastic continuous beam tire model. The nonlinear sidewall dynamics sensitive to the inflation pressure is obtained. The coupled modal features of a heavy-loaded radial tire are presented experimentally for different inflation pressures. Structural parameters are identified by a backward genetic algorithm based on the error between the experimental and analytical modal resonant frequency for different inflation pressures. Experimental and theoretical results show that the flexible beam on elastic continuous beam tire model developed for the heavy-loaded radial tire with a larger flat ratio can achieve higher precision in predicting the in-plane vibration modes of the heavy-loaded radial tire. It can be extended to analyze the vibration modes of the heavy-loaded radial tire with different inflation pressures by taking the inflation pressure-sensitive radial stiffness of the sidewall into consideration.