In order to correctly predict the impact of tire dimensions and properties on
ride comfort in the early phases of the vehicle development process, it is
necessary to fully understand their influence on the dynamic tire behavior. The
currently existing models for reproducing tire forces often need many
measurements for parametrization, simplify physical properties by empiric
functions, or have an insufficient simulation speed to analyze many variants in
the short periods of early process phases.
In the following analysis, a tire concept model is presented, which utilizes
relations between the static and dynamic behavior of tires in order to
efficiently predict the dynamic forces in the vertical and longitudinal
direction during obstacle crossing. The model allows for efficient
parametrization by minimizing the number of parameters as well as measurements
and ensures a high simulation speed.
To realize this, initially, a selection of tires is measured on a tire test rig.
Based on the finding that the qualitative trends of the static and dynamic tire
forces show a significant correlation, the static force curve is coupled to a
dynamic multi-mass oscillator which integrates fundamental tire characteristics
like belt stiffness and belt mass as well as tread properties. It is shown that
the model has a high accuracy in reproducing the dynamic forces when running
over a cleat, especially considering its low complexity.
In a future prospect, the model can be used to predict the impact on the dynamic
tire forces when the static behavior is changed due to varying tire properties.
Consequently, tire characteristics can then be defined under consideration of
ride comfort aspects, already in the early phases of the vehicle
development.