Simulation of Tire Interaction with Curbs and Irregular Terrain

The reconstruction of vehicular loss of control often involves a path that includes irregular terrain, such as pavement edges, curbs and soft soils. Depending on the angle of impact and soil characteristics, these irregularities can significantly influence the vehicle’s trajectory. To draw proper conclusions regarding accident causation requires an understanding of how such irregularities may have affected the trajectory or contributed to the loss of control. This paper describes a new tire-terrain model that includes the capability of simulating tire interaction with irregular terrain. In addition to simulating non-homogeneous pressure distributions at the contact patch, the model also simulates the forces and moments produced by tire sidewall interaction with pavement edges, curbs and soft soils. This paper presents the details of the modeling approach. Examples are provided illustrating the use of these models, including tire interaction with a curb, pavement edge and soft soil. The new model is compared with the existing point contact tire model.