Investigation of tire friction characteristics on sand-covered runways using the DEM-MBD coupling model

Pollutants often stick to runway surfaces, which seriously impact the operational safety of airplane takeoff and landing. Nevertheless, research on the friction properties of sand-polluted runways is lacking compared to the runway pollution primarily caused by water, snow, and ice. This research develops a kinetic model for the interaction between tires and the sand-covered runway to investigate the impact of sand on the friction characteristics of tires. The contact parameters were firstly obtained by parameter calibration using the repose angle as the evaluation index, and then compared with the indoor test results to confirm the accuracy of the calibrated parameters. Following establishing a joint DEM-MBD simulation model of the tire-sand-covered runway interaction, physical experiments using the rolling resistance of tires traveling on the sand-covered runway as the assessment index confirmed the simulation model's correctness and dependability. Finally, the effects of different sand coverage levels and loads on the friction characteristics of tires, the effects of different sand coverage levels on the wear of aircraft tires, and the effects of different simulation radii on the coupling model are analyzed, which provides a theoretical basis for the friction characteristics of tires under the sand-covered runway and the tire-sand-covered runway coupling model.