Tire grip identification based on strain information: Theory and simulations

A novel technique for the identification of the tire-road grip conditions is presented. This is based on the use of strain information inside the tire, from which relevant characteristics of the tire-road contact can be extracted also through a factor named area slip ratio. This process forms the basis of a technology for grip identification that requires a new model of the tire dynamics. The model permits to determine closed form analytical relationships between the measured strain and the area slip ratio. On this basis, a procedure that can extract the contact kinematic parameter from the time history of the internal strain of the rolling tire is presented. Numerical simulations offer the chance to validate the identification algorithm.