Tire Simulation Software Now Includes Effect of Heat

Carmakers can now include the effect of heat buildup in a tire when simulating tire performance, thanks to a new simulation module developed by Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM in Kaiserslautern.

The researchers will present the update to its CDTire/3D simulation tool at the Hanover Trade Show April 13-17.

Several carmakers, including Daimler and Toyota, already use the earlier version of CDTire/3D. Adding the ability to factor in the effect of heat in the tread and sidewall makes the simulation more realistic.

Fraunhofer notes that modeling tires is difficult because they behave in a complex and nonlinear manner. Prior models either required lengthy computing time or were inexact. CDTire/3D separately models the sidewall, each ply in the tire and each belt, then combines them into a single shell. The result is a good balance between computation time and accuracy, according to the institute.

Fraunhofer's simulation tool also completely separates the tire's geometry and material properties. This makes it possible to, for example, alter the tire's aspect ratio without rematching the computer model to it.

The institute says its new temperature module can be coupled with other simulation tools, including Fraunhofer's own CDTire/Realtime software. In an estimated two years, researchers say, the two capabilities could be combined within the vehicle itself and used to enhance the accuracy and performance of the electronic stability program.