Design and simulation analysis of lateral combined variable stiffness wheel

Abstract This paper proposes a lateral combined variable stiffness wheel system, aiming to resolve three key challenges in current wheel technologies: traditional pneumatic tires are susceptible to skidding and blowouts in complex terrains; it is difficult for conventional tires to balance lightweight design and structural durability; and existing non-pneumatic tires suffer from high maintenance costs. The design of this system is based on the concepts of modularity and adjustability. The main structure includes a main tire, three auxiliary tires, and corresponding wheel hubs. Multi-level adjustment of wheel width is achieved by adding or removing auxiliary units, thereby modifying the wheel stiffness and improving the overall tire performance. In this study, finite element models of a combined non-pneumatic tire with different numbers of auxiliary units are established using Abaqus, and the load-bearing and grounding performances are analyzed. In addition, the fatigue performance of the wheel hub is investigated using FE-SAFE.The results show that when the number of auxiliary units increases to three, the tire stiffness increases significantly from 310 N mm −1 to 659 N mm −1 , representing an improvement of approximately 112.9%. Consequently, the contact area increases by 57.3%, the tire vertical deflection decreases by 52.9%, and the contact pressure distribution becomes more uniform. As a result, the overall load-bearing capacity, impact resistance, and traction performance of the tire are markedly enhanced. For wheel hubs of different sizes, the maximum stress under the specified radial load is 76.79 MPa, which is lower than the yield strength of 235 MPa, and the fatigue life reaches 1 million cycles at a stress amplitude of 0.2 MPa. While the overall wheel performance is improved, the proposed structure still satisfies the fatigue strength requirements of the wheel hub. Therefore, the lateral combined variable stiffness wheel system combines non-pneumatic tire safety and modular structural adaptability, which can effectively improve the passability and stability of the wheel in extreme terrain, reduce maintenance costs, and provide new ideas for wheel technology innovation.