Rigid ring with Bouc–Wen tire model for vehicle dynamic analysis

Tires are one of the main automobile components that affect driving performance and ride quality. The rigid ring tire model had been widely used to characterise a vehicle rolling over uneven road surfaces. The stiffness of an rigid ring tire is calculated in the quasi-static state; however, this model is limited in its ability to represent the dynamic response of a tire. In this study, a Bouc–Wen type force element was included in the rigid ring tire model to enhance the dynamic response of a tire, and the effectiveness of the proposed rigid ring with Bouc–Wen model was demonstrated. To validate the proposed rigid ring with Bouc–Wen tire model, two experiments were performed. The first one was performed using a flat-trac test system, and the second one was a full-car test performed over a single cleat by using accelerometers and velocity sensors. For the vehicle dynamic simulation, the equations of motion of the vehicle were established using a functional suspension model defined in terms of the kinematic and compliance characteristics of the wheel and chassis. The simulation results obtained using the proposed rigid ring with Bouc–Wen tire model were compared with the experimental results, which showed both efficiency and accuracy of the propsed model.