Virtual Optimization of the Interaction between Tires and the Vehicle

This article presents a new method to virtually optimize the tire-vehicle interaction in the early vehicle development phase. The basic principle of the method is the definition of characteristic values (CVs) for the tire and the specification of objective maneuver criteria (OMC) describing the driving behavior using a double-track model for the vehicle. The first ones are the design variables, the second ones are used to calculate the fitness/objective function of the optimization. The strategy for their choice is presented and illustrated with examples. After having analyzed this kind of optimization problem, a genetic algorithm proved to be the most suitable, especially if taking into account the presence of many local optima. Its parameter settings and its implementation into the structure of the algorithm are presented. Finally, the method is validated in a case study: a ―real‖ tire (parameterized on a tire test bench) could be reproduced using only its driving behavior as an input. Finally, future prospects and sample applications for this method are presented.