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Abstract Hydroplaning is a phenomenon that occurs when a layer of water between the tire and pavement pushes the tire upward. The tire detaches from the pavement, preventing it from providing sufficient forces and moments for the vehicle to respond to driver control inputs such as breaking, accelerating, and steering. This work is mainly focused on the tire and its interaction with the pavement to address hydroplaning. Using a tire model that is validated based on results found in the literature, fluid–structure interaction (FSI) between the tire-water-road surfaces is investigated through two approaches. In the first approach, the coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian (CEL) formulation was used. The drawback associated with the CEL method is the laminar assumption and that the behavior of the fluid at length scales smaller than the smallest element size is not captured. To improve the simulation results, in the second approach, an FSI model incorporating finite element methods (FEMs) and the Navier–Stokes equations for a two-phase flow of water and air, and the shear stress transport k–ω turbulence model, was developed and validated, improving the prediction of real hydroplaning scenarios. With large computational and processing requirements, a grid dependence study was conducted for the tire simulations to minimize the mesh size yet retain numerical accuracy. The improved FSI model was applied to hydroplaning speed and cornering force scenarios. 

The viscoelastic properties of rubbers play an important role in dynamic applications and are commonly measured and quantified by means of Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) tests. The rubber properties including the static and dynamic moduli are a function of temperature; and an increase in the temperature leads to a decrease in both moduli of the rubber. Due to the heat generation inside the rubber during the DMA test and the possible change of the rubber properties it is important to quantify the amount of temperature rise in the rubber specimen during the test. In this study, a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model is used to predict the heat generation and temperature rise during the rubber DMA tests. This model is used to identify the best shape of the specimen to achieve the minimum increase in temperature during the test. The double sandwich shear test and the cyclic compression tests are considered in this study because these two tests are mostly used in industry to predict the rubber viscoelastic properties.