A two-dimensional analytical tire cross-sectional model

Tire/road noise contributes to vehicle interior noise levels and adversely affects the passengers' experience. Outside the vehicle, tire noise radiation also negatively impacts the environment in urban areas. In contrast with previous work that has focused on tire noise below 600 Hz, here the focus was on tire noise above 1 kHz, and hence a 2-dimensional analytical tire model to allow the study of structural vibration in tire treadbands was created. Recent investigations have revealed the potential significance of a high frequency structural wave that begins to propagate in the frequency range between 1 kHz and 1.3 kHz and is believed to be associated with a bead-to-bead shearing of the sidewalls and treadband. Although the motion associated with this mode is primarily in-plane, it is coupled to radial motion which can radiate effectively owing to its very high circumferential phase speed. In addition, the horn effect acts to amplify radiation from the treadband in this frequency range. The model considered in this study has a curved treadband structure that allows for both flexural motion and in-plane longitudinal motion, and general stiffness boundary conditions to represent the tire sidewalls, and the characteristics of the in-plane mode are demonstrated.