A study on speed-dependent tyre–road friction and its effect on the force and the moment

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of dynamic road friction on a tyre’s mechanical properties. Despite the fact that most existing analytical tyre models tend to ignore the speed-dependent effects on the tyre’s forces, many experiments have demonstrated that the force and moment of a tyre actually vary with the travelling speed especially when the force and moment are nearly saturated. For this reason, the speed-dependent effects of tyre–road friction need to be reviewed intensively in an attempt to enhance the accuracy and reliability of the existing tyre models. In this paper, a tyre rubber friction tester and a series of testing methods are first developed. An analytical tyre model based on dynamic friction is then established by incorporating the speed effects into the model. Finally, comparison between test data and simulation results of the analytical model and the semiphysical model are conducted and analysed prior to the conclusions.