Elastostatic contact model of rubber-coated truck wheels loaded to the ground

Abstract

The solid wheels often found on industrial trucks may be subject to failure of the wheels’ rubber coating under certain load conditions. To date, there has been no adequate analytical model to predict these conditions and the design of these wheels has been based on costly trial and error. In this work, an elastostatic analytical model is developed, which describes the interaction of the wheel with the rigid ground in terms of relative approach, contact width, and contact pressure for a given load applied to the wheel. This model has been validated by comparison with both experimental measurements and finite-element analyses, showing strong agreement for all three parameters. The results of the proposed model are more accurate than those of previous analytical models reported in the literature for rubber-coated rotary equipment. The new model can be used to design against creep or excessive deformation of the wheel coating.