Numerical Study on the Influence of Cooling-Fin Geometry on the Aero-Thermal Behavior of a Rotating Tire

Kyoungmi Yu and SangWook Lee ()
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Kyoungmi Yu: Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Wonkwang University, Iksan-daero 460, Iksan-si 54538, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea
SangWook Lee: Mechanical Engineering, Wonkwang University, Iksan-daero 460, Iksan-si 54538, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: An excessive temperature rise in vehicle tires during driving can degrade dynamic performance, safety, and fuel efficiency by increasing rolling resistance and softening materials. To mitigate these issues, it is essential to enhance the cooling performance of tires without inducing significant aerodynamic penalties. In this study, we propose the use of sidewall-mounted cooling fins and investigate their aero-thermal effects under both ground-contact and no-ground-contact conditions. Seven fin configurations were tested, with installation angles ranging from −67.5° to 67.5°, with positive angles indicating an orientation opposite to the direction of wheel rotation and negative angles indicating alignment with the direction of rotation. High-fidelity unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes simulations were conducted using the SST k-w turbulence model. The sliding mesh technique was employed to capture the transient flow behavior induced by tire rotation. The results showed that, under no-ground-contact conditions, the 45° configuration achieved a 16.8% increase in convective heat transfer with an increase in drag less than 3%. Under ground-contact conditions, the 22.5° configuration increased heat transfer by over 13% with a minimal aerodynamic penalty (~1.7%). These findings provide valuable guidance for designing passive cooling solutions that improve tire heat dissipation performance without compromising aerodynamic efficiency.

Keywords: computational fluid dynamics; aerodynamic drag coefficient; heat transfer coefficient; tire sidewall cooling fin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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