Thermo-mechanically coupled investigation of steady state rolling tires by numerical simulation and experiment

In this contribution, a numerical framework for the efficient thermo-mechanical analysis of fully 3D tire structures (axisymmetric geometry) in steady state motion is presented. The modular simulation approach consists of a sequentially coupled mechanical and thermal simulation module. In the mechanical module, the Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) framework is used together with a 3D finite element model of the tire structure to represent its temperature-dependent viscoelastic behavior at steady state rolling and finite deformations. Physically computed heat source terms (energy dissipation from the material and friction in the tire–road contact zone) are used as input quantities for the thermal module. In the thermal module, a representative cross-sectional part of the tire is employed to evaluate the temperature evolution due to internal and external heat sources in a transient thermal simulation. Special emphasis is given to an adequate material test program to identify the model parameters. The parameter identification is discussed in detail. Numerical results for three different types of special performance tires at free rolling conditions are compared to experimental measurements from the test rig, focusing especially on rolling resistance and surface temperature distribution.     

Efficient weakly coupled projection basis for the reduction of thermo-mechanical models

In the work presented in this contribution we have investigated the reduction of dynamical thermo-mechanical systems and we propose a new reduction method that can be seen as an extension of the common Craig-Bampton method Craig and Bampton (1968) [2] where multi-physics is now implicitly included in the projection basis. The efficiency of this new approach has been evaluated in multiple configuration of a representative thermo-mechanical model.     

Approaches in computational welding mechanics applied to additive manufacturing: Review and outlook

The development of computational welding mechanics (CWM) began more than four decades ago. The approach focuses on the region outside the molten pool and is used to simulate the thermo-metallurgical-mechanical behaviour of welded components. It was applied to additive manufacturing (AM) processes when they were known as weld repair and metal deposition. The interest in the CWM approach applied to AM has increased considerably, and there are new challenges in this context regarding welding. The current state and need for developments from the perspective of the authors are summarised in this study.     

On the solution of a coupled thermo-mechanical problem for non-homogeneous Timoshenko-type shells

In this work a coupled thermo-mechanical problem of non-homogeneous shells with variable thickness and variable Young modulus (a so-called Timoshenko type model) is considered. The problem is reduced to uniformly correct problem in the form of a first order difference operator equation. In addition, a similar approach can easily be applied to the Kirchhoff-Love model.