Rolling resistance contributes to 6-10% of the overall fuel consumption of vehicles. Little is understood on the relationship between rolling resistance and surface characteristics such as adhesion, surface asperities and topology. In this study, we evaluate the rolling resistance using a free oscillation of a pendulum. Different substrate materials such as asphalt, rubber, wood, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), nylon, polycaprolactone (PCL) and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) were tested by a laboratory fabricated pendulum steel roller. The damping factor is examined using an envelope analysis technique based on Hilbert transform methodology. The rolling resistance is found to depend on viscoelastic properties, adhesion and surface characteristics. The damping factor is the highest for asphalt and the second highest for rubber. The damping factor of electrospun polymer fabrics lies somewhere in between those pertaining to asphalt and more rigid substrates such as steel and copper.
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