Title: Application of optimisation technique to tyre design

Authors: Yukio Nakajima

Addresses: 3-1-1 Ogawahigashi-Cho, Kodaira-Shi, Tokyo 187-8531, Japan

Abstract: A new tyre design procedure, which is capable of determining the optimum tyre contour, optimum compound characteristics in each tyre material, optimum tyre construction and optimum pitch sequence, has been applied to the actual tyre design. This technology is developed by combining the finite element method or analytical method with an optimisation technique, such as mathematical programming or genetic algorithm, and is applied not only to the shape optimisation, such as tyre crown shape, but also to the topological optimisation, such as composite construction. The new design procedure is verified to improve the manoeuvrability, rolling resistance, durability, tyre noise and other tyre performances through indoor drum tests and field tests, if the appropriate design variable, the constraints and the objective function are selected. In this paper, studies on the application of the optimisation technique to design tyres are reviewed.

Keywords: composite materials; design of experiments; DOE; finite element method; FEM; genetic algorithms; neural networks; optimisation technique; tyre design; vehicle tyres; optimisation; vehicle design; optimal design.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.2007.012295

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 2007 Vol.43 No.1/2/3/4, pp.49 - 65

Published online: 04 Feb 2007 *

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