EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF INCLINED WHEEL RADIAL STIFFNESS
PURPOSE. The article presents the procedure, experimental study results, and calculated experimental universal dependence obtained for calculating the radial stiffness of an inclined wheel. METHODS. An experimental technique has been developed to determine the radial stiffness of an inclined wheel tire. The authors carried out the experiments using a device specially designed at the Department of Vehicle Technical Operation and Repair of the Volgograd State Technical University. RESULTS AND THEIR DISCUSSION. A correction factor has been obtained to recalculate the radial stiffness of a vertical wheel to the radial stiffness of the inclined wheel at any value of the inclination angle α. These researches provide the data on the variation of the factor of tire radial stiffness depending on its inclination angle and can be used for the selection of vehicle chassis parameters in order to improve its controllability and stability. CONCLUSIONS. It has been determined that when the wheel is inclined regardless of the direction of inclination within the permissible values for tire operating conditions and preserving its wear resistance (up to 5<sup>0</sup>), the factor of radial stiffness of the tire decreases up to 20%. The study has resulted in obtaining a correction factor for recalculating the radial stiffness of the vertical wheel into the radial stiffness of the inclined wheel at any value of its inclination angle α. The obtained new knowledge about the value of the tire radial stiffness allows more accurate modeling of vehicle stability and controllability.