Development of Tire Model on Dry Sand by Model Size Experiment (First Report)

Abstract

Longitudinal force acting on a small size tire and sinkage due to the interaction with dry sand were measured on wheel drive test under constant-sinkage and constant-slip-velocity conditions, respectively. Based on the collected data, a tire model, which calculates longitudinal force and sinkage, utilized for vehicle motion analysis on sand was approximately expressed as simple functions of slip ratio, wheel normal load, and travel distance. In order to validate the tire model, a numerical simulation of self-driving wheel at a constant rotational velocity on sand was conducted. The numerical results showed good agreement with the experimental data.