Prediction of restriction width of carcass by belts for radial tires: theory, experiment and simulation

The restriction width of carcass by the belts (RWCB) as an important parameter of radial tire design has been neglected for a long time. In order to improve the accuracy and efficiency of tire profile design, the calculating method of RWCB is proposed. The equilibrium profile is calculated by geometric model and variational approach, based on it, the predicted model of RWCB is developed for tire design. Finally, four different designs of 12R22.5 tires are investigated by experiment and finite element method, which is used to validate the accuracy of the theoretical method. Results indicate that experimental and finite element analysis results are found to be in good agreement with theoretical results; linear relationships are existed between the cord length and RWCB, and also existed between the position of belt and RWCB; tires designed by the methods have smaller and more uniform displacement, so the method can be used for tire optimized design.