Influence of the Tire Inflation Pressure Variation on Braking Efficiency and Driving Comfort of Full Electric Vehicle with Continuous Anti-Lock Braking System

The presented study demonstrates results of experimental investigations of the anti-lock braking system (ABS) performance under variation of tire inflation pressure. This research is motivated by the fact that the changes in tire inflation pressure during the vehicle operation can distinctly affect peak value of friction coefficient, stiffness and other tire characteristics, which are influencing on the ABS performance. In particular, alteration of tire parameters can cause distortion of the ABS functions resulting in increase of the braking distance. The study is based on experimental tests performed for continuous ABS control algorithm, which was implemented to the full electric vehicle with four individual on-board electric motors. All straight-line braking tests are performed on the low-friction surface where wheels are more tended to lock. The experimental results of ABS braking clearly demonstrated impact of different tire inflation pressure levels (1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 bar) on (i) braking performance, (ii) control performance of ABS, and (iii) driving comfort during the panic braking. Conclusions are made on possible ABS adaptability and robustness improvement and its use in combination with active or passive tire pressure systems.