Friction Mechanism of Tread Blocks on Snow Surfaces

Abstract

Evaluation of tread pattern designs with respect to performance of winter tires on snow is still predominantly based on empirical knowledge. To gain greater insight into the complex interaction between the elastic tread block and the inelastically deforming snow, numerical simulations by means of the Finite Element Method (FEM) were carried out in conjunction with experimental investigations. An elastoplastic material model for snow was developed. Calibration of the model parameters is based on shear and compression tests conducted on specimens made of natural and artificial snow. Good correlation is obtained between results from laboratory experiments and from numerical simulations with respect to the deformations and the frictional behavior of a single rubber block sliding on snow.

Antarctic Snow Failure Mechanics: Analysis, Simulations, and Applications

“…Numerical simulation is a more efficient and convenient method for snow-tire research due to the time-consuming field testing. The analytical/semi-analytical method was established by Nakajima (2003), which was used to estimate the longitudinal traction of a tire in snow [132]; Mundl et al (1997) used the Lagrange method in the finite element method (FEM) to establish an elastoplastic material model of snow, enabling a comprehensive investigation into the interaction between elastic tread blocks and inelastic snow surfaces [133]. Particle-based methods have become increasingly popular in recent years; as shown in Figure 9h, El-Sayegh et al (2019) used the smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method to model snow and calculate the motion resistance coefficient of the truck tire-snow interaction, and the effects of vertical load, tire longitudinal speed, and snow depth on the resistance coefficient were investigated [134].…”

Analysis on Adhesion Coefficient of Ice and Snow Pavement

“…The adhesion coefficient is the main embodiment on the impact to pavement of snow and ice conditions. When the ice and snow on the road are in the different state, the adhesion coefficient of pavement has great difference [3]. In recent years, the studies of tyre's adhesion characteristics on ice and snow pavement are the research focus in the field of tyre science and vehicle control science in Japan, the United States and Western Europe countries [4].…”

Analytical model of longitudinal tire traction in snow

“…Past research on tire performance on ice examined the following topics: friction coefficient of a rubber block on ice [5]; effect of sipes on friction coefficient on ice [6][7][8]; friction coefficient on ice and rubber characteristics [9]; tire friction coefficient on ice from an analytical tire model [10]; the relationship between tire stiffness and tire performance on ice [11]. On the other hand, past research on tire performance on snow examined the following topics: conceptual idea of snow traction [12]; vehicle drivability on snow [13,14]; correlation study between tire performance on snow and tire design parameters [15,16]; tire testing on snow [17][18][19]; measurement of snow characteristics and simple snow model [20][21][22][23][24][25]; FEA study on snow traction of rubber block [28][29][30][31][32]; viscoplastic model for snow at finite strains [26,27]; research on tracked oversnow vehicle [33,34]. Although it is not related to ice or snow traction, research on the interaction of a tire and soil might indicate one of the directions for future research [35,36].…”