A Discrete Tire Model for Cornering Properties Considering Rubber Friction

Abstract

In this paper, a discrete tire model of cornering properties for road vehicles relating to tire grip performance, which is important for driving stability and safety, is presented. The proposed tire model combines realistic rubber friction related to velocity and tire grip performance with deformation of the carcass. The model can describe the stress and strain of the carcass and tread, and the rubber friction coefficient at each point of the contact patch, which is affected by the distribution of the slip velocity. Meanwhile, the model incorporates the effects of the viscoelastic rubber material and power spectrum of the road, which are explicitly reflected in the rubber friction model. First, an improved rubber friction model based on the Persson theory of rubber friction is introduced in this paper. A discrete analytical tire model, which considers carcass compliance and the discretization of the tread, is then proposed. In addition, important phenomena of tire properties arising from the carcass compliance and rubber friction are analyzed and the effectiveness of the discrete analytical tire model is validated experimentally. The proposed model provides a new way to optimize the grip performance of a tire by adjusting the tire or rubber physical parameters even before the tire is made.