ABSTRACT
Research has shown that the shoulder blowing and flange cleft of tire are concerned with its structural design and process. The end inflection and wrap of body belt of heavy radial steelcord tire is compared with the original design by means of 3D Finite Element Analysis (FEA), which is developed by Harbin Institute of Technology. There are 153 to 200 elements that are chosen on the shoulder of tire product, while 150 to 188 elements on the shoulder of the designed tire. The analysis proves that shearing stress and strain energy in shoulder and flange increase greatly due to the inflection and wrap, which will result in delamination in the two parts and decrease in lifetime. Shoulder blowing and flange cleft always happen in the use of tire, which on the one hand is concerned with the working conditions, and on the other hand with the design and manufacture process.
