Experimental and numerical analysis of the influence of tyres’ properties on the straight running stability of a sport-touring motorcycle

The behaviour of a motorcycle on the road is largely governed by tyre properties. This paper presents experimental and numerical analyses dealing with the influence of tyre properties on the stability of weave and wobble in straight running. The final goal is to find optimal sets of tyre properties that improve the stability of a motorcycle. The investigation is based on road tests carried out on a sport-touring motorcycle equipped with sensors. Three sets of tyres are tested at different speeds in the presence of weave and wobble. The analysis of telemetry data highlights significant differences in the trends of frequency and damping of weave and wobble against speed. The experimental analysis is integrated by a parametric numerical analysis. Tyre properties are varied according to the design of experiments method, in order to highlight the single effects on stability of lateral and cornering coefficient of front and rear tyres.

[1]  Roberto Lot,et al.  Dynamic Properties of Motorcycle and Scooter Tires: Measurement and Comparison , 2003 .

[2]  J. S. Hunter,et al.  Statistics for Experimenters: Design, Innovation, and Discovery , 2006 .

[3]  Robin S. Sharp,et al.  The Stability and Control of Motorcycles , 1971 .

[4]  L Segel,et al.  Effect of Frame Compliance on the Lateral Dynamics of Motorcycles , 1980 .

[5]  Hans B. Pacejka,et al.  Tire and Vehicle Dynamics , 1982 .

[6]  R. Lot,et al.  A Spatial Mechanism for the Measurement of the Inertia Tensor: Theory and Experimental Results , 1999 .

[7]  Margaret J. Robertson,et al.  Design and Analysis of Experiments , 2006, Handbook of statistics.

[8]  G. E. Roe,et al.  A Solution of the Low-Speed Wheel Flutter Instability in Motorcycles , 1976 .

[9]  R. Bartlett,et al.  Extended Book Review: Introduction to Sports Biomechanics: Analysing Human Movement Patterns, 2nd Edn. , 2008 .

[10]  Roberto Lot,et al.  Steady turning of two-wheeled vehicles , 1999 .

[11]  A. A. Jamali,et al.  An experimental and theoretical study , 2013 .

[12]  K Koenen,et al.  VIBRATIONAL MODES OF MOTORCYCLES IN CURVES , 1980 .

[13]  Tsutomu Nakamura,et al.  EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF TIRES ON STRAIGHT-RUNNING MOTORCYCLE WEAVE RESPONSE , 1984 .

[14]  Roberto Lot,et al.  A Symbolic Approach for Automatic Generation of the Equations of Motion of Multibody Systems , 2004 .

[15]  Robin S. Sharp,et al.  THE INFLUENCE OF STRUCTURAL FLEXIBILITIES ON THE STRAIGHT-RUNNING STABILITY OF MOTORCYCLES , 1980 .

[16]  Robin S. Sharp.  Stability, Control and Steering Responses of Motorcycles , 2001 .

[17]  R. Lot.  A Motorcycle Tire Model for Dynamic Simulations: Theoretical and Experimental Aspects , 2004 .

[18]  H B Pacejka,et al.  THE INFLUENCE OF FRAME ELASTICITY, SIMPLE RIDER BODY DYNAMICS AND TYRE MOMENTS ON FREE VIBRATIONS OF MOTORCYCLES IN CURVES , 1982 .

[19]  T. E. Thorpe,et al.  IMPROVEMENTS TO THE STABILITY, HANDLING AND BRAKING OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE MOTORCYCLES , 1980 .

[20]  Robin S. Sharp.  The Influence of Frame Flexibility on the Lateral Stability of Motorcycles , 1974 .

[21]  Tsuyoshi Katayama,et al.  Measurements of structural properties of riders , 1987 .

[22]  Matteo Massaro,et al.  The effect of rider’s passive steering impedance on motorcycle stability: identification and analysis , 2011 .

[23]  Matteo Massaro,et al.  The influence of frame compliance and rider mobility on the scooter stability , 2007 .

[24]  Murray Griffin,et al.  Introduction to Sports Biomechanics , 2013 .

[25]  P. T. J. Splerings.  THE EFFECTS OF LATERAL FRONT FORK FLEXIBILITY ON THE VIBRATIONAL MODES OF STRAIGHT-RUNNING SINGLE-TRACK VEHICLES , 1981 .