Object-Oriented Decomposition of Tire Characteristics based on semi-empirical Models

This article introduces a new and freely available Modelica library, called Wheels and Tires, for modeling wheels and tires. The contained models are intended to be used in vehicle simulations, where computational performance is a major concern. Semi-empirical single contact point models are well suited for this kind of applications and are therefore applied in the presented library. The Wheels and Tires library provides a tool to quickly build custom tire models, and allows a convenient customization of existing models. This is achieved by a modular and expandable design system utilizing well established models. In addition, a set of ready-made models is provided to allow a quick insight in the used modeling structure and to enable a direct application in vehicle models. The final version of the library will be published as a free library via the Modelica website as well as the website of F. E. Cellier.