International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology (IJRET) Vol. 1, No.

3, 2012 ISSN 2277 4378

Integration of Magic Formula Tire Model with Vehicle Handling Model

Mohammad Safwan Burhaumudin, Pakharuddin Mohd Samin, Hishamuddin Jamaluddin, Roslan Abd Rahman and Syabillah Sulaiman

AbstractA tire model is required in order to study the dynamic behavior of a vehicle when designing control system such as electronic stability control. In this study, Magic Formula tire simulator model was implemented using Matlab Simulink block diagram. Tire modeling is the first step needed where vehicle handling stability needs to be investigated. The model was implemented based on a set of mathematical equations. The tire model is integrated with a 3 degree of freedom (3-DOF) vehicle handling model was also implemented. This handling model was developed based on Newtons second law equation of motion. Responses of interest for handling model are yaw motion, roll motion and pitch motion. Simulink blocks that represent tire responses are simplified into 3 subsystems that generated longitudinal force, F x , lateral force, F y , and aligning moment, M z . The responses of every tire are observed. The four tire responses are needed to compute vehicle handling response. The implemented models was validated using simulation software, Carsim. For the validation procedure, Double Lane Change (DLC) test was used. The output variables generated from the implemented model are compared with Carsim output variables. The validation results are discussed. Once the models have been validated, the Magic Formula and vehicle handling model were used as a subsystem for designing a controller for vehicle handling stability. KeywordsCarsim, Matlab Simulink, Magic Formula model, Handling model.

I. INTRODUCTION IRE forces and moments are generated when there is friction between tire and road surface. The forces and moments produced are crucial parameters that influence vehicle handling. Effective tire model for handling simulation should comprise of two basic elements; lateral tire force and longitudinal tire force which depend on slip angle and slip ratio respectively. Aligning moment is computed by multiplying lateral force with pneumatic trail produced by the deformation of rubber tire [1]. Combination slip conditions are represented in Magic Formula mathematical formulae. Thus, enable it to handle combined slip condition. This model provides an accurate behavior of tire mechanics based on real experimental test data [2]. Vertical wheel load is one of the input variables that influence the production of tire forces and moments. Vertical wheel load will contribute to different contact patch area and tire deformation [3]. In this study, vertical wheel load, slip ratio and slip angle input are obtained from vehicle response generated by Carsim. The vehicle handling model employed consists of 3-DOF for vehicle body and 4-DOF for vehicle tires [4]. In vehicle body, the vehicle experience motion along the longitudinal xaxis and the lateral y-axis, and the angular motions of yaw around the vertical z-axis. The diagram representing a 3-DOF vehicle handling model [5] is shows in Fig.1.

Mohammad Safwan Burhaumudin, is with the Department of Automotive Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81300, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia (corresponding author phone: +60137147460; e-mail: safwan_burhaumudin@yahoo.com). Pakharuddin Mohd Samin, is with the Department of Automotive Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81300, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia (e-mail: pakhar@fkm.utm.my). Hishamuddin Jamaluddin, is with the Department of System Dynamics and Control, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81300, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia (e-mail: hishamj@fkm.utm.my). Roslan Abd Rahman, is with the Department of System Dynamics and Control, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81300, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia (e-mail: roslan@fkm.utm.my). Syabillah Sulaiman, is with the Department of Automotive Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81300, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia (e-mail: syabillahsulaiman@gmail.com).

Fig. 1 Vehicle handling model [5]

The roll and pitch motions depend on lateral and longitudinal acceleration respectively. Since only the vehicle body undergoes roll and pitch, so sprung mass has to be taken into consideration instead of total vehicle mass.
139

International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology (IJRET) Vol. 1, No. 3, 2012 ISSN 2277 4378

The objective of this paper is to implement a tire model based on Magic Formula mathematical equation [6], [7] and vehicle handling model based on Newtons second law of motion [4],[8]. The Magic Formula equations consist of several coefficients to be tuned so that the output trend is similar to the experimental test data. The details of the equations for Magic Formula and vehicle handling model are shown in section II. While in the section III, the modeling blocks are introduced and validated with Carsim. For the purpose of tire forces, moments and vehicle body response analysis, section IV discusses the results obtained from the proposed models. Some researchers are working on several tire models such as UniTire Model [3], Dugoffs Tire Model [7], and others. Different tire model used different approach and equations and thus different model parameters. This tire model and vehicle handling model will be used for vehicle dynamic analysis and control. The forces and moments that are generated by the tire will affect the vehicle body stability. A control algorithm is required to control vehicle state to enhance vehicle handling stability. A particular control algorithm with appropriate actuator must be well defined. II. MATHEMATICAL MODELING A. Vertical Wheel Load Vehicle weight transfer will cause vertical load, F zij , varies, with the index i indicating front (f) or rear (r) tires and j indicating left (l) or right (r) tires. The equations represent vertical loads, F zij , at each tire are
ayh c 1 h Fzfl / r = 2 mg m t l ma x l

Slip angle, , defines the angle between the directions of tire to the velocity vector of the vehicle [9]. The value is typically small under steady cornering. However, the value may change suddenly in critical driving condition. Fig. 2 illustrates a tire moving [9] along the velocity vector, v, at a sideslip angle, . The tire is steered by the angle . If the angle between the velocity vector, v, and the vehicle x-axis is shown by , then slip angle, , is defined as. = (4) In Matlab Simulink simulation the slip angle generated by Carsim software was used. The slip angle produced by Carsim yielded from the movement of vehicle under Double Lane Change (DLC) maneuver.

Fig. 2 Tire slip angle [9].

(1)

and
ayh b 1 h Fzrl / r = 2 mg m t l ma x l

(2)

Where, left side tire using plus operation, +, and right side tire using minus operation, -, m denotes the overall vehicle mass, g the gravitational acceleration, h the vehicle mass center of gravity, t the vehicle track width, b and c are the distance between the center of gravity and the front and the rear axle respectively, a x and a y are the accelerations in x-axis and y-axis respectively, and l the vehicle wheelbase. B. Slip Ratio and Slip Angle Slip ratio, , defines the ratio between slip velocity and vehicle velocity. The expression represents the slip ratio is .

C. Magic Formula Magic Formula [6], [7] developed by Pacejka has been widely used to calculate steady-state tire force and moment characteristics. The semi-empirical tire model combined slip situation from a physical view point. The pneumatic trail is introduced as a basis to calculate this moment about the vertical axis [2]. The formulae consist of coefficient B, C, D, and E that determine the trend of force and moment similar to the actual test data. To avoid symmetrical asymptote about the origin, the Magic Formula incorporate coefficient S v and S h . This offset from the origin occurs due to the presence of camber angle. Table 1 shows the coefficients that govern the Magic Formula equation. The general form of graph produced by Magic Formula [2] is shown in Fig. 3.
TABLE I COEFFICIENT IN MAGIC FORMULA Symbol B C stiffness factor shape factor peak value curvature factor horizontal shift vertical shift Quantity

= v wheel

vvehicle
vehicle

(3)

D E Sh

Slip ratio exists when vehicle is under braking or accelerating conditions.

140

Sv

International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology (IJRET) Vol. 1, No. 3, 2012 ISSN 2277 4378

Where G y represent positive factor when slip ratio, , is introduced in the presence of slip angle, , and F yo is the lateral force for pure slip. Aligning moment for combined slip, M z , is given by
M z = t F y + s F x .

( )

(11)

The aligning moment, M z , is the summation of moments occurs due to lateral force and longitudinal force. The offset location where the force acting in y-axis is given by
t = Dt cos C t arctan Bt t ,eq E t Bt t ,eq arctan Bt t ,eq

))}]

(12)

Fig. 3 Original sine version of the Magic Formula graph [2].

Where t,eq is equivalent slip angle incorporating the effect of on the composite slip and
s = 0.1(R o )

The full set of equation of Magic Formula [2] that represents pure and combine slip condition are defined in equations (5) to (13). In this study, 3 outputs are considered which are longitudinal force, lateral force and aligning moment.Longitudinal force for pure slip, F xo , consists of coefficients B, C, D, E and S v . The subscript x represents condition along x-axis. Slip ratio, , is the input of F xo as given by
F xo = D x sin[C x arctan{B x x E x( B x x arctan( B x x ))}] + S Vx .

(13)

Where R o is the wheel radius. D.Vehicle Handling Model The vehicle experiences motion along the longitudinal xaxis and the lateral y-axis, and the angular motions of yaw around the vertical z-axis. Roll and pitch motions depend on lateral and longitudinal accelerations respectively. The equation of roll and pitch motions are ( ) + (ms g hs k ) + (14) = ms hs a y J sx and
= ms hs a x +

(5)

Lateral force for pure slip, F yo consists of coefficients B, C, D, E and S v . The subscript y represents condition along y-axis. Slip angle, , is the input to F yo as given by
F yo = D y sin C y arctan B y y E y B y y arctan B y y + S Vy .

))}]

(m g h k ) + ( )
s s

(15)

(6)

sy

Aligning moment for pure slip, M zo , is the product of pneumatic trail, t o , with lateral force, F yo , as given by
M zo = to Fyo .

(7)

Where pneumatic trail, t o , responding towards slip angle, , and consists of coefficients B, C, D and E given by
t o = Dt cos[C t arctan{Bt t E t ( Bt t arctan( Bt t ))}].

Where h s is the height of sprung mass at the center of is roll gravity, g is the gravitational acceleration, acceleration , is pitch acceleration and k , , k and are the stiffness and damping constants for roll and pitch respectively. The moment of inertia of the sprung mass about x-axis and y-axis are denoted by J sx and J sy respectively. Angular motion of yaw dependents on the tire forces F xij and F yij as well as the self-aligning moment, denoted by M zij acting on each tire. The equation represent yaw motion is
= + 1 [
f

(8)

w
2

Where subscript t represents condition occur due to existing of trail.Longitudinal force for combined slip, F x , is given by
F x = G x F xo .

w F sin 2 F sin L F + L F cos + L F cos L F +M +M +M +M ]

f

J w
z

xfl

cos

w
2

xfr

cos +

w
2

xrl

w
2

(16)
xrr

yfl

yfr

yrl

L r F yrr

yfl

yfr

xfl

sin L f

xfr

sin

zfl

zfr

zrl

zrr

(9) Where w denoted the track width, J z the moment of inertia around z-axis, the vehicle steer angle and, L f and L r are the distance between center of gravity and front axle and rear axle respectively.

Where G x represents positive factor when slip angle, , was introduced in the presence of slip ratio, , and F xo is the longitudinal force for pure slip.Lateral force for combined slip, F y , is given by (10) F y = G y F yo .

141

International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology (IJRET) Vol. 1, No. 3, 2012 ISSN 2277 4378

III. SIMULATION AND VALIDATION A. Simulation All the equations in section II are converted into Matlab Simulink block diagram. The final simplified model for Magic Formula tire model is shown in Fig. 4. The inputs to the subsystem are vertical load, F z , road friction coefficient, , slip ratio, , and slip angle, . Camber angle is set to zero degree for simplicity.

Fig. 6 Integration of tire model and handling model

Fig. 4 Modeling of Magic Formula in Matlab Simulink.

The final simplified vehicle handling model is shown in Fig. 5. The inputs to the subsystem are vehicle mass, m, height of center of gravity, h, steering angle, , and, tire forces, F x/y , and moments, M z .

Fig. 7 Slip ratio and slip angle during Double Lane Change (DLC) Maneuver.

Fig. 5 Modeling of vehicle handling model

Combination of tire model and handling model is shown in Fig. 6. Tire model was duplicated to represent each tire. However, tire responses are different at every tire due to input variations. The slip ratio and slip angle that were generated under Double Lane Change (DLC) maneuver at 120 km/h are shown in Fig. 7. The values of slip ratio and slip angle generated by Carsim were fed into Matlab Simulink as inputs variable.

B. Validation For validation purpose, Carsim software was used to simulate a vehicle during Double Lane Change (DLC) maneuver. The default build-in testing module was used for the Carsim simulation. The command window of Carsim testing simulation illustrated in Fig. 8 is divided into 3 sections. In the command window, vehicle type and testing procedure are selected from section 1. The vehicle specification chosen was E-Class, Sedan and the testing procedure was Double Lane Change (DLC) at 120 km/h maneuver. Once the vehicle type and testing procedure have been chosen, the solver is selected in section 2. The display results and animation are chosen in section 3. The animation of vehicle maneuver for Double Lane Change (DLC) is shown in Fig. 9. The left image in Fig. 9 shows the vehicle about to change lane while the right image shows the vehicle at the end of the maneuver.

142

International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology (IJRET) Vol. 1, No. 3, 2012 ISSN 2277 4378

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3
Fig. 10 Longitudinal force computed from Matlab Simulink and Carsim.

Fig. 8 Carsim command window for simulate vehicle maneuver.

Fig. 9 Double Lane Change maneuver.

IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS During vehicle travelling on the designated course, the vehicle response will generate vertical force, slip angle and slip ratio. Those variables generated by Carsim are fed into Matlab Simulink Magic Formula block diagram to produce the forces and moments. These forces and moments were used as the input for the vehicle handling model. The trend of the graphs for tire forces and moments are compared and the results are shown in Figs.10 to 12. Fig. 10 shows the longitudinal force generated at the tire. The trend of the graph produced by Matlab Simulink is quite similar to Carsim except when the gradient is increasing and decreasing. These happen due to some assumption made by Magic Formula tire model but not in Carsim. Aerodynamic effect, gear shifting effect and kinematics of vehicle suspension are some factors that are neglected by Magic Formula tire model. Additional vehicle model is required to compensate the situation will be considered in future work. The lateral force shown in Fig. 11 has 2 peaks and a trough. The range of lateral force generated is from -4000 N to 3000 N. Maximum lateral force was generated due to increasing of slip angle when a vehicle changes the maneuver.

Fig.11 Lateral force computed from Matlab Simulink and Carsim.

Aligning moment shown in Fig. 12 has inverse trend to lateral force. This moment exists due to the deformation of tire during Double Lane Change (DLC) maneuver. Tire deformation will create concentrated point at the tire contact patch. This point is generally not at the center of the contact patch. The distance offset from the origin of the tire creates pneumatic trail that contribute to the generation of aligning moment.

Fig. 12 Aligning moment computed from Matlab Simulink and Carsim.

143

International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology (IJRET) Vol. 1, No. 3, 2012 ISSN 2277 4378

The tire responses are different at every wheel and are shown in Figs. 13 to 15. From these graphs, the responses of the right and left tires are quite similar at front or rear wheels. This happens due to slip angle generation at the left and right tires are almost similar with the front and rear wheels.

values for these variables should be well defined for a particular type of vehicle considered.

Fig. 16 Yaw rate of vehicle body

Fig. 13 Longitudinal force at every vehicle tire

Fig. 17 Roll angle of vehicle body

Fig. 14 Lateral force at every vehicle tire

IV. CONCLUSION Matlab Simulink model of Magic Formula tire model and handling model was developed in order to initiate a future project in vehicle stability control. Tire model is a paramount subsystem affecting vehicle handling. The implemented model was validated using Carsim software. The implemented model was validated based on Double Lane Change (DLC) testing method maneuvered at 120 km/h using Carsim. During maneuver, vertical load, slip angle and slip ratio were generated. Vertical load, slip ratio and slip angle yielded from the maneuver were used as the input variables to the Magic Formula tire. The longitudinal force, lateral force and aligning moment produced during that course maneuver were compared. The tire responses produces by Simulink model were used as the inputs for vehicle handling model. Responses from handling model were compared with Carsim. From the validation results, the trends between Matlab Simulink and Carsim are similar with some difference in the magnitude. The difference arises due to aerodynamic effect,

Fig. 15 Aligning moment at every vehicle tire

For handling model, output variables of interest are yaw rate and roll angle. These output variables are shows in Figs. 16 and 17 and compared with the responses produced by Carsim. These 2 variables are crucial variables needed to be controlled for vehicle handling stability. Thus, the threshold
144

International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology (IJRET) Vol. 1, No. 3, 2012 ISSN 2277 4378

ear shifting effect and kinematics of vehicle suspension effect being ignored. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors wish to thank the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) for providing the research facilities and support, especially all staffs of Department of Automotive, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. This research is supported using a research grant, Vot No.78608. REFERENCES
[1] C. Long, and H. Chen, Comparative Study between the Magic Formula and the Neural Network Tire Model Based on Genetic Algorithm, Third International Symposium on Intelligent Information Technology and Security Informatics, pp. 280-284, Jinggangshan, China, 2 April 2010. H.B. Pacejka, Tire and Vehicle Dynamics, Pennsylvania: SAE International and Elsevier, 2005 . N. Xu, D. Lu, and S. Ran, A Predicted Tire Model for Combined Tire Cornering and Braking Shear Forces Based on the Slip Condition, International Conference on Electronic & Mechanical Engineering and Information Technology, pp. 2073-2080, Heilongjiang, China, 12 August 2011. P.M. Samin. Hybrid Stability Augmentation System-Force Control of Semi-Active Suspension System with Magnetorheological Damper. Doctor Philosophy, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai. 2010. M. Blundell, and D. Harty, Multibody Systems Approach to Vehicle Dynamics (1st ed.), Burlington: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, 2004. E. Bakker, L. Nyborg, and H.B. Pacejka, Tyre Modelling for Use in Vehicle Dynamics Studies, SAE Paper 870421, pp. 1-15, 1987. R. Rajamani, Vehicle Dynamics and Control, New York: Springer, 2006, ch. 13. T.A. Wenzel, K.J Burnham, R.A. William, and M.V. Blundell, Closedloop Driver/Vehicle Model for Automotive Control, International Conference on Systems Engineering, Las Vegas, Nevada, 16-18 August 2005. R.N. Jazar, Vehicle Dynamic Theory and Application, New York: Springer, 2008.

[2] [3]

[4]

[5] [6] [7] [8]

[9]

145