Abstract: Mechanical elastic wheel, as a new type of non-pneumatic wheel, which have advantages such as anti-puncture, explosion-proof, cushioning and vibration reduction. Due to the unique suspended load-bearing method used in mechanical elastic wheels, the number of hinges distributed has a significant impact on the mechanical properties of the wheels. The finite element model of the mechanical elastic wheel is established based on the finite element method, and the validity of the model is verified by the load characteristic test. A variety of simulation conditions are set up to analyze the vertical stiffness, lateral stiffness and grounding characteristics of four kinds of mechanical elastic wheels with different numbers of hinge distributions, and the property tests of the mechanical elastic wheel prototype are carried out by the tire mechanical characteristics test bench. The influence of hinge distribution number on the ride comfort of the vehicle matched with mechanical elastic wheel is further analyzed by simulation. With the increase of the number of hinge distribution, the vertical stiffness, lateral stiffness, grounding imprint width and maximum grounding pressure of the mechanical elastic wheel increase to different degrees, and the length and area of the grounding imprint decrease, the ride performance of the vehicle matching the mechanical elastic wheel deteriorates. The results provide a reference for the structural optimization design of mechanical elastic wheel.

Key words: mechanical elastic wheel, tire mechanical properties, finite element analysis, bench test