The tyre industry has undergone a remarkable transformation, with advanced simulation technologies playing a pivotal role as tyre manufacturers look to streamline development processes, reduce waste and accelerate time-to-market.
Salman Safdar, DIL subject matter expert at Ansible Motion, and James Brown, tyre simulation subject matter expert at rFpro (both AB Dynamics Group companies) explore how their customers – including NEXEN Tire and Continental – are already unleashing the immense potential of Driver-in-the-Loop (DIL) simulation to help tyre manufacturers create better products, faster.
The global automotive simulation market was valued at $1.98 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $4.27 billion by 2032, according to Market Research Future – and virtual tyre development is a key area for this growth.
Developing tyres – key components that can dominate vehicle performance, safety and efficiency – has historically relied heavily on physical testing, but the advent of immersive DIL simulation techniques is allowing engineers to evaluate attributes and concepts in highly realistic virtual test driving scenarios, across a vast range of environmental conditions and vehicle configurations, expanding the scope and efficiency of experimentation compared to just a few years ago.
In July – seizing the opportunity to transform its development process – NEXEN Tire acquired the very first dynamic DIL simulator to be used by the South Korean domestic tyre industry from Ansible Motion. The Delta S3 DIL simulator features the most advanced physical immersion capabilities, including high-fidelity, high-dynamic motion; realistic steering; supplemental cueing and replicated cabin environments. rFpro was chosen as the simulation world-space environment because of its high-quality graphics and engineering grade track models, with physically accurate, LiDAR-scan-based road surface modeling, accurate to 1 cm in the horizontal and 1mm in the vertical.
Elsewhere, another Ansible Motion and rFpro customer, Continental, recently published a whitepaper exploring the history of and outlook of tyre R&D. Continental explains that digital testing methods play a major role in the company’s tyre development, stating:
. . . the driving simulator at the Contidrom test site near Hanover is the best example of this. The high-tech system is a Driver-in-the-Loop simulator (DIL), which calculates the exact driving dynamics parameters of the tyre and the respective test vehicle. Thanks to the high level of movement and the richness of the virtual environment – both driven by real-time physics calculations – the simulator can provide test drivers with lab-based subjective driving impressions that are comparable to tyre tests on the Contidrom test track or other modeled test tracks. Such virtual testing methods enable Continental to adapt tyre solutions even more efficiently and precisely to the requirements of its customers. And that even before the first tyre has been built. This saves time and valuable resources.
As simulation technologies continue to evolve, the tyre industry is expected to reap continued rewards. By harnessing the power of DIL simulation, tyre manufacturers can stay ahead of the competition, while keeping an eye on cost reductions and environmental impact, and deliver innovative, high-performance products to meet the demands of end consumers and their automotive OEM customers.
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