Handling performance of a vehicle is a key characteristic determining the response of vehicle under different operating scenarios. An insight into these vehicle-handling characteristics at early stage can be extremely useful in the design and development process. Tire characterization and tuning is important and mandatory to scrutinize each functional and individual parameter of tire. Tire force and moment data is having a significant effect in vehicle handling. Segregation of tire parameter, which is contributing vehicle-handling performance, helps to identify and perform optimization for improvisation.
The main objective of this study is development and integration optimized 1D tire model into multibody dynamics model of the vehicle to observe various vehicle compliances towards its handling performance target. First part of the work deals with 1D tire model parameter synthesis tool development utilized for calculation of tire parameters such as lateral force and aligning torque for different loading condition and varying slip angle. These parameters are the function of slip angle and inclination (camber) angle and slip ratio. Second part of the work focuses on vehicle handling assessment using tire model characterization results obtained during first part of the study. Tire model characterization is dependent on tire force and moment, which are directly related to frictional coefficient and tire lateral load transfer function between tire and road.
Outcome of current work results in optimal 1D slope function of tire force and moment data, which is essential for vehicle handling metric estimation such as understeer, steering sensitivity and roll gradient etc. Furthermore the developed tire synthesis and optimization process helps to evaluate vehicle ride and handling performance targets upfront, i.e. before availability of physical tire.