Industrial Mathematics Modeling Workshop for Graduate Students

A question of major importance in the auto industry concerns the modeling and improved design of vehicle tires. Tire performance affects the handling performance of the automobile. Many of the variables on which tire performance depends can be calculated from the load and deflection of the spindle in the suspension system for each wheel. The question of tire performance thus becomes a question of the load and deflection of the suspension system for each of the wheels of the vehicle. The project undertaken by this group involved the development of a model for the suspension system of an automobile with the goal of predicting the load and deflection of each wheel for a given loading of the vehicle. Two models are developed. In the first model, the suspension system is assumed to be frictionless which produces a model in which each step is independent of the previous loading situation. A more realistic second model incorporates friction for each wheel hub.