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Simulations of tire cornering properties with small-amplitude lateral inputs are carried out in non-steady state conditions. The simulation algorithm is derived and the discrete expressions are presented in detail. Based on the simulations, lateral force and aligning moment can be calculated numerically with time-varying yaw angle and lateral displacement as inputs in spatial domain. The flexibility of both tread and carcass along with tire width is taken into account effectively in the simulations, in which the flexibility of carcass includes translating, bending and twisting flexibility. The simulations in non-dimensional form are associated with four tire structure parameters only, which are non-dimensional parameters reflecting the characteristics of tire stiffness, tire width and contact length. Simulation results are validated by test data from step lateral inputs tests. Several typical simulation results are provided.

High-fidelity finite element (FE) tire-snow interaction models have the advantage of better understanding the physics of the tire-snow system. They can be used to develop semi-analytical models for vehicle design as well as to design and interpret field test results. For off-terrain conditions, there is a high level of uncertainties inherent in the system. The FE models are computationally intensive even when uncertainties of the system are not taken into account. On the other hand, field tests of tire-snow interaction are very costly. In this paper, dynamic metamodels are established to interpret interaction forces from FE simulation and to predict those forces by using part of the FE data as training data and part as validation data. Two metamodels are built based upon the Krieging principle: one has principal component analysis (PCA) taken into account and the other does not.

In this research, off-road vehicle simulation is performed with tire-soil interaction model. The predictive semi-analytical model, which is originally developed for tire-snow interaction model by Lee [4], is applied as a tire-soil interaction model and is implemented to MSC/ADAMS, commercial multi-body dynamic software. It is applied to simulate the handling maneuver of military vehicle HMMWV. Two cases are simulated with Michigan sandy loam soil property. Each case has two maneuvers, straight-line brake and step steer (J-turn). First, tire-soil interaction model and conventional on-road tire model are simulated on the flat road of the same frictional coefficient. The proposed tire-soil interaction model provided larger force under the same slip. Second, the same maneuvers are performed with real off-road frictional coefficient. The proposed tire-soil model can be validated and the behavior of the off-road vehicle can be identified through two simulation cases.

In this paper, on the basis of the extant semi-empirical tire models of non-steady state with pure yaw angle input and pure side slip angle input, two empirical tire models of non-steady state side slip properties are established, one is pure yaw angle input, the other is pure side slip angle input, and both of them have been verified by test data. These two models can be used to approximately express tire force within low frequency. They have their own advantages, and make up for the disadvantages of existing tire models. They provide more choice for the simulation of vehicle dynamics.

The STI (System Technology Inc.) tire model is one of the most important semi-empirical (steady-state) tire models currently applied in the vehicle dynamics simulation software package of the National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS). The STI tire model is presented originally based on tire contact length directly and the contact length is required to provide. Based on the concepts of nominal slip in both longitudinal and lateral directions, the STI tire model is analyzed and rewritten. It shows that the STI tire model does not actually depend on the contact length. Meanwhile, the model parameters are partially assigned new physical definitions, for example, static/dynamic stiffness and shape factors. Some simplified expressions are given based on further assumption conditions. The simplified expressions are also obtained regarding longitudinal slip at arbitrary speeds (including low speed, zero speed and stand still), which is originally presented by Bernard.

Snow-covered ground severely affects vehicle mobility in cold regions due to low friction coefficients and snow sinkage. Simulation and evaluation of vehicle mobility in cold regions require real-time friendly tire-snow interaction models that are applicable for quasi-real driving conditions. Recently, we have developed tire-snow dynamics models that are snow depth dependent, sinkage dependent and normal load dependent. The number of model parameters is reduced through theoretical analysis of normal indentation, contact pressure and shear stress within the tire-snow interface. In-plane and out-of-plan motion resistances and traction forces (gross traction and net traction) are analytically calculated for combined slip conditions.

To improve the quantitative accuracy of vehicle vibration studies, a roller contact tire model with the geometric filtering concept and a method to determine the effective road input are proposed. Computer simulation with the 13 DOF vehicle model for a light truck, based on two different tire models, and relevant outdoor tests for measuring the vehicle accelerations of both sprung and unsprung masses are presented. Comparisons of test data and simulation results show that the roller contact tire model renders much better simulation accuracy than the single point contact tire model. It is concluded that the roller contact tire model is a powerful concept which acts as a geometric filter, giving a simple method to calculate the enveloping effects of tires and the effective road elevation input.

There is a scarcity of comprehensive tire-snow interaction models for combined (longitudinal and lateral) slips. Current tire-snow interaction empirical and finite element models mostly focus on force-slip relationships in the longitudinal direction only, following the approach used for tire-soil interaction models. One of the major differences between tire-snow and tire-soil interactions is that the former is typically depth-dependent, especially for shallow snow. Our approach in the modeling of tire-snow interaction is to rely on the underlying physics of the phenomena, wherever we could, and use test data (or finite element simulation results in the absence of test data) to calibrate the required model parameters. We also make contact with on-road models and extend them for off-road applications.

The objective of this study is to develop a non-steady & non-linear tire model for vehicle dynamic simulation and control for extreme lateral slip condition. This model is provided in a semi-analytical form based on the theoretical non-steady state model, presented at 2nd IAVSD Tyre Conference, Feb. 1997[6]. The tire model is based on a quasi-steady state concept, which generates the dynamic forces and moment according to the dynamic effective slip ratio cooperating with the Unified Semi-Empirical Tire Model for Steady State. Satisfying the theoretical boundary conditions at two sides (lowest & highest) in frequency domain, the tire model is capable of describing the transient force & moment characteristics of tires in higher frequency range, Comparing with the “Linear Approximation” model, presented at 4th AVEC Conference, Sept. 1998[4].

A closed-loop comprehensive evaluation and a test method for vehicle handling and stability have been studied by using development driving simulator. Simulator test scheme has been designed and carried out with 14 vehicle configurations, and subjective evaluation has been made for easy handling of vehicle by drivers. A closed-loop comprehensive evaluation index has been put forward considering the factors affecting vehicle handling and stability. The reliability of the index has been validated by driver's subjective evaluation. A driver/vehicle/ road closed-loop system model has been established, and the theoretical predictive evaluation has been carried out with 14 vehicle configurations. Simulation showed that similar result for both theoretical predictive evaluation and subjective evaluation.

The tire mechanics characteristics are essential for analysis, simulation and control of vehicle dynamics. This paper develops the UniTire model for tire forces and moments under combined slip conditions with anisotropic tire slip stiffness. The anisotropy of tire slip stiffness, which means the difference of tire longitudinal slip stiffness and cornering stiffness, will cause that the direction of tire resultant shear stress in adhesion region is different from that in sliding region. Eventually the tire forces and moments under combined slip conditions will be influenced obviously. The author has proposed a “direction factor” before to modify the direction of resultant force in the tire-road contact patch, which can describe tire forces at cornering/braking combination accurately. However, the aligning moments which are very complicated under combined slip conditions are not considered in previous analysis.