Eigensystem of Tangential Contact in Tyre Models

Summary In this paper, a simplified model of tangential contact between tyre and rigid surface is investigated. By linearization the eigensystem of the contact equations is obtained and parameter variations are carried out. It is shown, that some vehicle model parameters have great influence on the eigensystem of tangential contact and can determine the highest eigenfrequency of the system vehicle and tyre. Root loci are used to investigate the influence of parameters like vehicle velocity and gridwidth of the discretization. Based on the eigensystem, stability areas of numerical methods in solving the partial differential equations of tangential contact are calculated. Numerical solutions using stiff and nonstiff integrators are compared with respect to the stability areas, computational effort and accuracy. The results are discussed with a view to further development.