Abstract
Pneumatic tires on motor vehicles have viscoelastic properties, and its friction on the ground is more complicated than metal to metal contact. Research into the friction coefficient of pneumatic tires and road surfaces remains contradictory and elusive as both road surfaces and vehicle design continue to develop. Vehicle safety, road design and collision investigation rely greatly on accurate determination of tire and road surface friction. This study is designed to determine the effect of vehicle velocity, ambient temperature and rainfall on the friction coefficient of pneumatic tires sliding on bitumen road surfaces. To determine these effects, three series of tests were undertaken. Skid resistance tests were performed in a passenger vehicle on bitumen roads at a range of speeds between 30 and 80 km/h, with and without antilock braking, at a range of temperatures between 3 and 43 °C and pre-, during and post-rainfall. The friction coefficient of the pneumatic tires and road surfaces for each variable was determined using an accelerometer.
Results identified that when a vehicle skids with antilock braking, the friction coefficient of the tires sliding on the road surface will increase as velocity increases. When a vehicle skids without antilock braking, the friction coefficient will decrease with increasing velocity. As temperature increases from 3 to 43 °C, the friction coefficient increases linearly. The friction coefficient of tires sliding on a road surface at 60 km/h will increase in periods of heavy rain and decrease on a wet road after a period of rainfall, in comparison to dry road friction. A solution was developed to facilitate friction coefficient prediction. Where any analysis of the friction coefficient of pneumatic tires sliding on road surfaces is necessary, the developed models can be used to account for any variation due to velocity and temperature. If the friction coefficient of a vehicle sliding on a bitumen road at 3 °C is identified, then it is possible to predict what the friction for the same vehicle sliding on the same road at any other temperature using the prediction models. A similar model was developed to account for changing vehicle velocity. Prediction models were not developed for rainfall. The testing procedure did not facilitate the ability to quantify the effect of rainfall, and therefore, a method of prediction was not possible. A need for innovative ideas would be necessary to quantify the effect of rainfall on friction of pneumatic tires and road surfaces. This research will provide valuable information for road design engineers and collision investigators worldwide regarding the effects of vehicle velocity, ambient temperature and rainfall on the friction coefficient of motor vehicle tires and road surfaces.
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Dedication
This chapter is dedicated to all who have lost their lives or been seriously injured in motor vehicle collisions and their families and friends who live with the physical and emotional pain of their loss, every day……. Jenelle C. Hartman.
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Hartman, J.C., Marzbani, H., Alam, F., Fard, M., Jazar, R.N. (2018). Friction Coefficient of Pneumatic Tires and Bitumen Roads. In: Dai, L., Jazar, R. (eds) Nonlinear Approaches in Engineering Applications. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69480-1_8
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