Introduction to Tire Modeling

Tires are critical elements to modeling a vehicle’s interaction with a road, with some tire models better suited to specific simulation domains.

The domains are typically divided into the following categories:
  • Vehicle Dynamics: simulations run over smooth long-wave roads with low frequency inputs where the vehicle response to steering, brake and throttle input is of interest.
  • Vehicle Ride Comfort: simulations run over non-smooth roads to assess the occupant comfort.
  • Vehicle Durability: simulations run over rough roads to obtain the peak loads and/or load histories for use as inputs for predicting the fatigue life of vehicle components.
MotionSolve and MotionView interface with the following tire models:
  CDTIRE FTIRE MF-Tyre MF-SWIFT PM Flex Tire
Author Fraunhofer Institute Cosin Scientific Software TASS TASS Pratt Miller
Model Type Pacejka, Rigid Ring, and Flexible Ring Flexible Ring Pacejka Rigid Ring with Pacejka FE Model
Application(s) Vehicle Dynamics

Ride

Durability

 Vehicle Dynamics

Ride

Durability

 Vehicle Dynamics Ride Comfort Vehicle Dynamics

Durability

Tire on soft soil/DEM particles
Licensing Requires purchase of a license available from Altair or Fraunhofer Institute Requires purchase of a license available from Altair or Cosin. No additional purchase required, licensed with HyperWorks. Requires purchase of a license available from Altair or TASS Altair Units licensing
Installation Must install:
  • license server
  • license
 Must install:
  • software
  • license server
  • license
 No additional installation required. Must install:
  • license server
  • license
 Must install:
Tire Data Requires testing tires and fitting model parameters to data. Requires testing tires and fitting model parameters to data. Requires testing tire(s) and fitting model parameters to test data.

Testing and fitting done by many parties including TASS.

 Requires testing tire(s) and fitting model coefficients to test data.

Testing and fitting done by many parties including TASS.

 Requires tire CAD, material properties
Contact Type Bush Contact Bush Contact Point Follower Elliptical Cams Spheres to Mesh
Road Types 2D Analytical and Stochastic Road

3D Curved Regular Grid (OpenCRG)

3D Master and Micro Patches

 2D Analytical and Stochastic Road

3D Curved Regular Grid (OpenCRG)

3D Regular Grid Road (RGR)

 2D Analytical Roads

3D Curved Regular Grid (OpenCRG)

 2D Analytical Roads

3D Curved Regular Grid (OpenCRG)

 EDEM Bulk Material

In addition, you can write your own tire and road models to extend MotionView and MotionSolve to meet your specific needs.