Experimental Validation of Elliptical Contact Patch Tire Model Improved by Introducing Contact Pressure- and Slip Velocity-Dependent Friction Coefficient

Tire mechanical models, such as the Fiala model, which calculate the cornering characteristics of tires, are useful for tire design studies because they can link model parameters to tire design properties. In this study, we developed a mechanical model that takes into account the contact pressure- and lateral sliding velocity-dependency of kinetic friction in an elliptical contact patch tire model, which assumes an elliptical tire contact shape. The model calculates tread deformation including the effects of belt deformations, i.e., translation by lateral force, bending by lateral force, and torsion by aligning moment. Furthermore, tread width shrinkage caused by tread radius was considered. The validity of the developed model was verified by comparing its results with measured lateral stress distribution at the contact surface using an inside drum tester. The results showed that with appropriate model parameter settings, the model can reproduce lateral stress and friction coefficient distributions at the contact surface closer to actual distributions than conventional models.