Tire Wear Reduction Based on an Extended Multibody Rear Axle Model

Abstract

To analyze the influence of suspension kinematics on tire wear, detailed simulation models are required. In this study, a non-linear, flexible multibody model of a rear axle system is built up in the simulation software MSC Adams/View. The physical model comprises the suspension kinematics, compliance, and dynamics as well as the non-linear behavior of the tire using the FTire model. FTire is chosen because it has a separate tire tread model to compute the contact pressure and friction force distribution in the tire contact patch. To build up the simulation model, a large amount of data is needed. Bushings, spring, and damper characteristics are modeled based on measurements. For the structural components (e.g., control arms), reverse engineering techniques are used. The components are 3D-scanned, reworked, and included as a modal reduced finite element (FE)-model using component mode synthesis by Craig–Bampton. Finally, the suspension model is validated by comparing the simulated kinematic and compliance characteristics to experimental results. To investigate the interaction of suspension kinematics and tire wear, straight line driving events, such as acceleration, driving with constant velocity, and deceleration, are simulated with different setups of wheel suspension kinematics. The influence of the setups on the resulting friction work between tire and road is examined, and an exemplarily calculation of tire wear based on a validated FTire tire model is carried out. The results demonstrate, on the one hand, that the chosen concept of elasto-kinematic axle leads to a relatively good match with experimental results and, on the other hand, that there are significant possibilities to reduce tire wear by adjusting the suspension kinematics.