
The tyre model in virtual motorbike crash tests
In the context of virtual modelling of motorbike crash tests, it is particularly important to use a tyre model that faithfully reproduces the real behaviour. This is one of the main aspects that differentiates the frontal crash of a car from that of a motorbike: for the latter, it is the tyre that impacts first, and its response also significantly influences the behaviour of the remaining components.
It is necessary to take into account the non-linear behaviour of the tyre and its internal components (tread, carcass, etc.): otherwise an excessively "elastic" response of the tyre is obtained and, consequently, the stresses on the suspension assembly are overestimated, resulting in an untruthful behaviour of the entire front end.
I would like to republish a publication in which we addressed this issue by assessing the difference in using or not using a "validated" tyre for crash analysis.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13588265.2012.661212