A joint model of vehicle, tyres, and operation for the optimization of truck tyres

This paper introduces the truck tyres selection optimization problem, which is to be solved in a research project, the overall goal of which is to identify—for each vehicle and each operating environment specification—an optimal tyre configuration. The paper focuses on the joint vehicle, tyres, and operating environment model developed within the project. The tyres are modelled using regression models of lateral and vertical stiffness of the tyre and a computationally efficient model of the rolling resistance coefficient (RRC) based on a radial basis function interpolation of sample points, which are evaluated by a finite element model of the tyre. The interpolation is combined with existingexpert knowledge about the true RRC function. The joint model developed is validated through investigations of how certain functional properties, such as the fuel consumption, vary with the tyre design variables as well as with some operating parameters. The validation results show that the model developed approximates the tyre-related functions well enough and can be used in the truck tyres selection optimization problem