A ride comfort tyre model for off-highway vehicles

Tyre modelling is a major challenge when using time domain multibody simulation models to evaluate ride comfort on off-highway commercial vehicles. Further, parameters for these big tyres are difficult to obtain and thus, commercial car tyre models are difficult to apply. In this research work, a simple vertical tyre model for off-highway ride comfort evaluation is suggested. A displaced volume approach has been developed and combined with the slip theory to yield a tyre model that can be characterised by only three parameters. Full scale measurements on a dump truck have been carried out. Force responses from measurements are compared to the simulation results. Acceleration responses and the level of whole-body vibrations have also been compared.