Three-dimensional finite element (FE) models of the honeycomb NPWs with three different spokes’ configurations, realized by varying the cell angle, were formulated. The validity of the proposed NPW FE models was demonstrated by comparing the predicted wheel responses with the reported data. A FE model of the pneumatic wheel of identical size was also formulated and verified on the basis of the measured vertical force-deflection and cornering properties. The verified NPW models were subsequently employed to study their feasibility through comparisons of in-plane as well as out-of-plane properties with those of the pneumatic wheel. The influences of the cell angle and normal wheel load on the static and dynamic properties of the NPWs were also investigated. The results showed load-dependent longitudinal stiffness of the wheel due to strong coupling between radial and longitudinal deformations of the honeycomb spokes. The lateral stiffness, however, was observed to be load-independent due to negligible coupling between radial and lateral deformations of the spokes. The spokes of the honeycomb NPWs could thus be easily tuned to achieve vertical and longitudinal stiffness comparable to those of the reference pneumatic wheel. The lateral and cornering stiffness of the NPWs with the planar spokes, however, were substantially higher, irrespective of the spokes’ configuration considered. The significantly higher cornering stiffness resulted in rapid saturation of the cornering force of the NPWs at side-slip angles about 1.1°, which is likely to cause lateral sliding of the wheels and potential loss of directional control under higher side slip conditions.

建立了通过改变单元角实现的具有三种不同辐条构型的蜂窝NPW的三维有限元模型。通过将预测的车轮响应与报告的数据进行比较，证明了所提出的NPW FE模型的有效性。还根据测量的垂直力偏转和转弯特性，制定并验证了相同尺寸的气动轮的有限元模型。经过验证的NPW模型随后通过与充气轮的平面内和平面外特性比较来研究其可行性。还研究了单元角和法向轮载荷对NPWs静态和动态特性的影响。结果表明，由于蜂窝状辐条的径向变形和纵向变形之间的强耦合，车轮的纵向载荷与载荷有关。但是，由于辐条的径向变形和横向变形之间的耦合可忽略不计，因此观察到横向刚度与载荷无关。蜂窝式NPW的辐条因此可以轻松进行调整，以实现与参考气压轮相当的垂直和纵向刚度。然而，与所考虑的辐条构型无关，具有平面辐条的NPW的横向和转弯刚度明显更高。明显更高的转弯刚度导致NPW在侧滑角约1.1°时的转弯力迅速饱和，