Comparative study of static and dynamic characteristics of non-pneumatic tires with gradient honeycomb structure

The static and dynamic properties of the honeycomb non-pneumatic tires (NPTs) are significantly influenced by the spoke structure. Inspired by the concept of functionally graded structure, this paper aims to design a novel NPT with honeycomb spoke graded thickness. Firstly, the in-plane mechanical characteristics of the thickness-graded honeycomb structures were investigated theoretically. On this basis, six thickness gradient honeycomb NPTs and one traditional uniform thickness honeycomb NPT were designed, and the static and dynamic mechanical properties of NPTs were investigated using simulation and experimental methods. The deformation features of the spoke were analyzed under the static state, and the contribution of different honeycomb structure edges deformation on the spokes was also discussed. The stresses of the spoke and road forces on NPTs under rolling conditions were studied and comparison with the NPT-4 with a uniform thickness honeycomb structure. The results indicated that the thickness gradient variation of honeycomb spokes has a significant impact on the load-bearing capacity of the NPT. The thickness of the spoke l2 greatly influences the radial stiffness of the NPT. Compared with the traditional uniform structure NPT-4, NPT-3 with gradient honeycomb structure has a 5