Linear stochastic evaluation of tyre vibration due to tyre/road excitation

Tyre/road interaction is recognised as the main source of interior and exterior noise for velocities over the 40 km/h. In this paper, a three-dimensional (3D) elemental approach has been adopted to predict the stochastic tyre vibration and hence the interior and exterior noise due to this kind of excitation. The road excitation has been modelled from the spectral density of a common road profile, supposing the road to be an isotropic surface. A linear Winkler bedding connects the 3D model of the tyre with the ground. The exterior noise has been evaluated by an elemental calculation of the radiation matrix of the tyre deformed by the static load on a concrete road. The noise inside the vehicle has also been calculated, using the transfer functions from the force transmitted to the hub and the noise inside the vehicle, which have been computed by a FEM model of a common car body. The simple formulation allows much quicker calculation than traditional nonlinear approaches, and appears to give results consistent with available measurements, although the effects of tyre rotation and of the nonlinearities in the contact model are yet to be quantified, and the method requires further experimental validation before practical application. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.