Influence of Tire Inflation Pressure and Central Load on Contact Spot Parameters

In standard methods of flexible pavement design, wheel contact spot is assumed to be circular, and the pressure transmitted to the pavement surface uniformly distributes over its area. However, actual contact parameters of a modern heavy-duty tire may differ significantly from the accepted design assumptions.

Purpose: Experimental determination of the influence of the tire inflation pressure and vertical wheel load on the area and geometric parameters of the contact spot and comparison of the obtained results with the standard model.

Methodology/ approach: Experiments are carried out for five heavy-duty tire sizes widely used on drive axles of trucks, buses, and trailers. Measurements are performed in the XSENSOR matrix-based pressure sensing system. Tests are conducted at four levels of the tire inflation pressure and wheel loads ranging from 40 to 120% of the maximum permissible wheel load.

Research findings: It is found that the contact spot area grows with increasing vertical load and reduces with increasing inflation pressure. Under all investigated conditions, the actual contact area exceeds values calculated with the standard model. Changes in the contact spot shape are identified. With increasing load, the spot becomes more elongated in the longitudinal direction. The standard loading model systematically underestimates actual contact parameters of heavy-duty tires.

Value: The obtained results confirm the need to refine calculation approaches to modeling the wheel load effect on pavement structures, taking into account actual contact characteristics.

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