Investigation on the Potential of Open Source Models for the Evaluation of Tire Contact Patch

This study aims to investigate the potential of open-source tools in evaluating the tire contact patch under various contidions of vertical force, camber angle and inflation pressure. Numerous experimental tests were conducted using a test press to examine a range of tires and all the different conditions, then focused on the study of passenger car tires to accurately model the tire contact patch and pressure distribution trough an approach based on open-source models. Specifically, the RMOD-K library was employed, known for its ability to conduct detailed and accurate analyses of tire performance. Through the use of this library, it was possible to extensively explore the characteristics of the tire contact patch and to obtain important information that may be useful for the creation of structural models of tires and on the study of the behavior of the tire under different conditions that cannot be tested on the bench but that can still be observed through the model. The results of this study underscore the value of open-source platforms in addressing complex challenges in tire engineering and suggest the importance of an integrated approach that combines practical experimentation and computational modeling to achieve a comprehensive understanding of tire performance.