Motorcycle Safety
Effect and Cause-Based Friction Potential Estimation
Tire-road contact is the only connection between a vehicle and the ground and consequently has a crucial influence on the vehicle’s handling behaviour. Due to this fact, the friction potential is an essential parameter for all dynamic vehicle control systems such as the anti-lock braking system (ABS) or (motorcycle) stability control system, and it is also valuable information for the less experienced rider. Thus, knowledge about the actual tyre-road friction potential could help in designing next-generation Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).
Estimation of the actual tyre-road friction potential from measured vehicle states has been extensively explored for passenger cars, but lacks attention for motorcycles. Therefore, the aim of the project is to explore the potential of “effect-based” and “cause-based” friction estimation methods both in simulation and real-world testing with an instrumented motorcycle.
Effect-based methods for estimating the friction potential are developed within the project, where the maximum adhesion potential estimation is based on the change of the motorcycle and tyre dynamic behaviour at changing road friction conditions. The instrumented motorcycle is used to derive the tyre characteristics (Magic Formula) for different surfaces and conditions (dry and wet asphalt, gravel, …) and validate the motorcycle and tyre model for simulation and friction potential estimation. For the cause-based approach, a wetness sensor is attached to the motorcycle, and the respective wetness level detection algorithm is tested.
Figure 1: Longitudinal tyre-road characteristics for different road friction conditions
References
Klinger, F., Ott, C., Poks, A., Edelmann, J., & Plöchl, M. (2024). “Towards Friction Potential Estimation for Motorcycles., opens an external URL in a new window” In G. Mastinu, F. Braghin, F. Cheli, M. Corno, & S. M. Savaresi (Eds.), 16th International Symposium on Advanced Vehicle Control : Proceedings of AVEC’24 – Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan (pp. 550–556).
Ott C., Klinger F., Edelmann J., Plöchl M. „Theoretical and experimental findings for an tyre-road friction potential estimator for motorcycles., opens an external URL in a new window“ The Evolving Scholar – BMD 2023, 5th Edition (2023)
Ott, Christoph, Florian Klinger, Johannes Edelmann, and Manfred Plöchl. "Theoretical and experimental findings for an tyre-road friction potential estimator for motorcycles., opens an external URL in a new window" (2023). Bicycle & Motorcycle Dynamics 2023 (BMD 2023), Symposium on the Dynamics and Control of Single Track Vehicles, Delft, the Netherlands.
Researchers
Project Funding
Industrial
Contact

Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn.Johannes Edelmann
Head, Research Unit of Technical Dynamics and Vehicle System Dynamics

Ao.Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn.Manfred Plöchl
University Lecturer, Research Unit of Technical Dynamics and Vehicle System Dynamics