4335 - EXTENDED BRUSH MODEL FOR USE WITH GRAVELLY TERRAIN

Paper presented at ISTVS 2025 | 55th Conference of the International Society for Terrain-Vehicle Systems https://doi.org/10.56884/

Authors: Devon Cox, P. Schalk Els

Keywords: Extended brush tyre model; Off road mobility; Agricultural tyres; Tyre soil interaction; Model validation

Abstract:

This paper presents the development of a physics-based brush tyre model extended for applications beyond conventional smooth surfaces. The research addresses limitations in existing tyre models when simulating vehicle dynamics on non-smooth, hard terrain. A comprehensive literature survey informed the methodological approach, which combines a physics-based brush model with empirical tread and soil models implemented in MATLAB. Initial validation results demonstrate promising performance, indicating that the combination of empirical soil characterization with the physics-based brush model effectively predicts tyre forces on non-smooth terrain. The model provides a framework for predicting traction limits in off-road conditions, expanding the simulation capabilities for vehicle dynamics on complex surfaces.