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The paper proposes an optimization procedure to be adopted by wheels design engineers for the identification of preliminary solutions to design lightweight and safe wheels. In particular, decisions related to the sizing of the wheel rim, to the number and type of spokes and to the spokes structural layout are addressed. The process relies on the combination of a simplified finite element model of the tire/wheel assembly and artificial neural networks used for global approximation, within a multi-objective optimization framework. Mass and compliance of the wheel are minimized at the same time, with constraints on structural safety and manufacturing. The method is applied to the preliminary design of the wheel of a lightweight electric vehicle specifically designed for energy efficiency competitions and allows to derive simple and general design guidelines for developing efficient products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracting and transforming shape features has been an important research domain in wheel hub design. The study of wheel hub design based on shape semantics, brand planning, and structural optimization requires regression analysis by using shape features and the corresponding variables to guide wheel hub design through the correlation model. The practical role of feature transformation in design is determined by its effectiveness, accuracy, and convenience. This process, however, has generally been handled manually in previous studies, limiting the universality and comprehensiveness of research outcomes. With the development of artificial intelligence, the automation of this process has become possible, ushering in the era of big data research for feature extraction and transformation. Hence, this study proposes a wheel hub feature transformation method based on target detection and geometric analysis. This method implements feature transformation in the following automation steps: (1) wheel hub feature point detection based on the YOLO model; (2) wheel hub feature grouping based on morphological parameters and position parameters; (3) feature point grooming based on geometric relations; and (4) parameter construction and transformation based on morphological features. Thus, an automatic, bidirectional, and morphological mechanism for transforming the parameters of a wheel hub shape can be developed. With the proposed transformation model, parameters related to the wheel hub shape and features can be transformed quickly, and the generative design of the wheel hub can be conducted based on big data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For ensuring vehicle safety, the impact performance of wheels during wheel development must be ensured through a wheel impact test. However, manufacturing and testing a real wheel requires a significant time and money because developing an optimal wheel design requires numerous iterative processes to modify the wheel design and verify the safety performance. Accordingly, wheel impact tests have been replaced by computer simulations such as finite element analysis (FEA); however, it still incurs high computational costs for modeling and analysis, and requires FEA experts. In this study, we present an aluminum road wheel impact performance prediction model based on deep learning that replaces computationally expensive and time-consuming 3D FEA. For this purpose, 2D disk-view wheel image data, 3D wheel voxel data, and barrier mass values used for the wheel impact test were utilized as the inputs to predict the magnitude of the maximum von Mises stress, corresponding location, and the stress distribution of the 2D disk-view. The input data were first compressed into a latent space with a 3D convolutional variational autoencoder (cVAE) and 2D convolutional autoencoder (cAE). Subsequently, the fully connected layers were used to predict the impact performance, and a decoder was used to predict the stress distribution heatmap of the 2D disk-view. The proposed model can replace the impact test in the early wheel-development stage by predicting the impact performance in real-time and can be used without domain knowledge. The time required for the wheel development process can be reduced using this mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Tensegrital wheels built of space-qualified materials can diffuse loads like tires. • Maintaining a class 1 tensegrity design is critical to reap benefits of tensegrity. • Discrete wheel designs offer high redundancy and opportunities for internal sensing. • Tensegrity systems should be designed holistically for best outcomes. This paper follows ProtoInnovations' development of a line of novel wheel concepts built with tensegrity principles for planetary mobility. The goal of these tensegrital wheels for enhanced planetary surface mobility is to exploit the geometric and mechanical attributes of tensegrity to mimic the compliant and load-distributing properties of a pneumatic tire using space-qualified methods and materials. In this paper we present our tensegrity design process and the evolution of our tensegrital wheel concepts. We conclude with an exploration of the tensegrital wheel's potential with regards to planetary exploration applications and summarize considerations and improvements for future tensegrital wheel research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Continuous tractive surfaces on discrete wheel designs improve performance. • Maintaining a class 1 tensegrity design is critical to reap benefits of tensegrity. • Discrete wheel designs offer high redundancy and opportunities for internal sensing. • Field tests in a Martian analog demonstrate the robustness of the tensegrital wheel. This paper details ProtoInnovations' work on a novel wheel design concept for planetary mobility. The tensegrital wheel for enhanced surface mobility exploits the geometric and mechanical attributes of tensegrity to mimic the compliant and load-distributing properties of a pneumatic tire using space-qualified materials. The third iteration of these wheel concepts, dubbed the TW3, was subject to particular scrutiny. In this paper, we explore the development of the TW3 and evaluate its performance in lab tests, performed at ProtoInnovation's in-house testing facility, and field experiments, performed in conjunction with NASA Ames Research Center at the Atacama Rover Astrobiology Drilling Studies (ARADS). We compare the TW3 performance to baseline wheels and conclude with suggestions for further tensegrital wheel development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effects of grousers at various points on a wheel are studied experimentally. • Grousers at the front of, not below, a wheel produce thrust and reduce resistance. • A novel wheel is developed with a modifiable grouser tip profile. • The wheel extends/retracts grousers at points along the wheel, even as it rotates. Grousers are commonly used to increase wheel traction, though how grousers exactly influence wheel thrust and resistance, and thus drawbar pull, has continued to remain an open topic of research. This work explores rigid wheels with grousers traveling on homogeneous granular soil. Unique experiments that provide insights into what grousers are doing at various points on a wheel are presented. To perform these experiments, a novel wheel that enables grousers to extend and retract in various regions around the wheel is developed; specifically grousers can always be extended at the front of the wheel but retracted below the wheel, even as the wheel rotates. These experiments show that grousers are much more effective at increasing drawbar pull when they are interacting with soil ahead of the wheel, rather than below it. A wheel with grousers engaging soil only ahead of the wheel, and not below it, nonetheless achieves over 80% of the relative improvement in drawbar pull that a "full grouser" wheel achieves over a grouserless wheel. This reveals how thrust is generated primarily by the front-most grouser, and further suggests that the reduction of resistive forward soil flow also plays a key role in increasing drawbar pull. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A one‐dimensional mathematical model has been developed to do the comparative analysis of four design of the desiccant wheel. The mathematical model has been validated with experimental results and shows good agreements with experimental results. In this study, a two‐sector desiccant wheel is modified into a three‐sector wheel by introducing a purge section in the desiccant wheel. Similarly, a four‐sector desiccant wheel is reformed into a six‐sector wheel by installing two purge section in the desiccant wheel and comparative study of these designs have been carried for given ranges of operating conditions. The effect of purge conditions has been also investigated and found that in all operating conditions six‐sector design is a better choice for optimum MRC and ∆T. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Theoretical investigation of design features vehicle wheels and review of the impact of structures on the wheel axial, radial components of the load wheels of the vehicle moving in the rotation and torque traction during braking, reliability, durability, manufacturability assembly, smooth running, decrease the complexity of manufacturing the individual elements wheel, reducing maintenance costs and repairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An extensive finite element analysis of a vehicle wheel subject to the conjoint influence of inflation pressure and radial load (vehicle load) is reported in this paper. The commonly used design considerations in an automotive wheel are presented and discussed. A method for determining the load(s) transmitted from the vehicle to the wheel is detailed and the intrinsic influence of inflation pressure on wheel performance is discussed. The finite element results are compared with experimental measurements of strain obtained using strain gauges. The salient advantage of the finite element analysis as an attractive and cost-effective approach to the design and analysis of vehicle wheels is elaborated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]