Tyre behaviour is traditionally assessed through indoor tests performed on flat-track machines and outdoor tests conducted with skid-trailers. However, discrepancies frequently arise between indoor and outdoor results. These differences stem from several factors, including:
- environmental conditions (temperature, road surface state, etc.);
- differences in the contact surface (asphalt outdoors vs. sandpaper indoors);
- distinct testing methodologies (slip-controlled indoor tests vs. torque-controlled outdoor tests), which lead to different thermal and operating conditions during testing.
The aim of this thesis is to investigate the root causes of these discrepancies and to improve the correlation between indoor and outdoor tyre behaviour. The work will include:
- analysis of existing indoor and outdoor datasets;
- review and refinement of current testing procedures and experimental setups;
- development of numerical or scaling models capable of translating indoor results into accurate predictions of outdoor tyre performance.
Contacts: Edoardo Sabbioni, Michele Vignati, Francesco Colombo
Industrial partner(s): Pirelli Tyre