Innovative spoke design for non-pneumatic tyres with enhanced load-bearing capacity and customizability for all vehicles

Abstract

For over a century, pneumatic tyres have been a crucial part of automobiles. Recently, non-pneumatic (airless) tyres have emerged, offering innovation but facing challenges in complexity, vehicle safety, adaptability, and load-bearing capacity. This research introduces a new spoke design for non-pneumatic tyres that outperforms conventional honeycomb and diamond spokes tyres in load-bearing capacity, while being less complex and customizable for various vehicles, including public transport. The study is structured into two phases. In Phase 1, the spoke design is selected from various CAD models using SolidWorks. This involves comparing the parabola design against prior design studies and honeycomb and diamond spokes concerning total deformation, maximum shear stress, equivalent (von Mises) stress, and maximum principal elastic strain with the help of FEA software Ansys. Results show that the Parabola design surpasses the pneumatic tyres in terms of load-bearing capacity, The parabola spoke design shows a consistent vertical stiffness under varying loads, ranging from 1500 N to 4500 N, with no sudden spikes or drops indicating structural instability. The objective is to identify the spoke design that best meets the performance objectives for phase 2 analysis. In Phase 2, the material selection and analysis are conducted. The goal is to determine the optimal polyurethane durometer rating for bus tyres. In this phase, the insights from Phase 1 are applied to scale up the design and choose suitable materials, showcasing the design’s adaptability from car tyres to bus tyres. Ansys will be used for analysing the total deformation of the tyre under a force of 40,000N, simulating the extreme operating conditions for bus tyres. This paper provides valuable data on non-pneumatic tyre spoke design, material selection, deformation analysis, design optimization, and standardization, enhancing vehicle safety and performance in public transport.