Professional Doctorate in Engineering Programme Energy & Process Technology-Smart Tyre Model Reduction at University of Twente

The PDEng programme is a 2-year post MSc technological programme with a focus on technological design. This programme at the University of Twente contains an educational part that will be followed at the University, and a design project that will be carried out at Apollo Tyres. The educational programme will have an in-depth and broadening character with ample attention for professional development and will be partly tailored to the design project. In collaboration with Apollo Tyres, high level, creative and new designs for complex issues will be aimed at.

The market demands continuous improvement of tyres and shorter development times. In order to fulfil these requirements, simulations are often used to reduce the time and costs associated with physical tyre tests. As such, a lot of time and effort has been invested in virtual testing using the Finite Element Method (FEM) and the automation of model pre- and post-processing.

Tyres consist of multiple layers with different properties. An accurate model of a physical tyre includes all those layers with the appropriate material descriptions. Moreover, the geometry with all the tread features – combination of blocks and grooves in the contact area between the tyre and road – has to be correct, as well. Using such models for predicting complex tyre performances (e.g. handling and hydroplaning) requires specific software and hardware requirements and will result in long computation times. In order to reduce the computation time, the complexity of the model has to be reduced in a smart way: without eliminating relevant features.
The goal of this PDEng assignment is to design, test and implement a procedure that reduces the complexity of detailed tyre models, but which is still capable of capturing all relevant physical effects with good accuracy. The goal is to target transient simulations where the tyre is rolling on a road with or without water (wet grip and hydroplaning). As such, the outer shape and dynamic properties of the tyre cannot be altered.
The prototype deliverable of this project is a numerical tool that efficiently can be used in the design department of the tyre manufacturer. The model will be validated with experimental results

Deadline Application: 31-03-2107

Further details:
Professional Doctorate in Engineering Programme Energy & Process Technology-Smart Tyre Model Reduction at University of Twente