Analysis of contact behaviour on patterned tire-asphalt pavement with 3-D FEM contact model

In order to investigate the contact behaviours of tire-pavement under dry condition, the finite element method was applied to establish the numerical model of the tire Bridgestone 205-55-R16 and textured asphalt pavement model . Based on the contact mechanics for elastic pavement, the contact model of three-dimensional tire-asphalt pavement was established according to Lagrangian algorithm. By considering the influence of pavement texture, the friction subroutine was compiled to calculate the tire-pavement adhesion coefficient. The influence of internal inflation pressure and wheel load on contact characteristics of tire-asphalt pavement were discussed respectively under static load and antilock braking system (ABS) state. The results show that when the slip rate is around 15%, the longitudinal adhesion coefficient of the tire reaches the maximum, which is in accordance with the setting of tire adhesion coefficient in tire science. When the tire is in emergency braking, the tire shoulder position and tread centre area are more susceptible to wear, and the contact pressure in centre area is biggest. Under the same wheel load and internal inflation pressure, the mean contact pressure increases by 8.4% and the contact area reduces by 7.7% when tire is at ABS state compared with the condition of static load.