A physicist view to tire traction

Abstract

Friction of tyres is a major contributor to automotive safety. Usually friction if most demanded on wet roads. Several theories have been proposed about the physical origins of dry and wet friction. They tend to evaluate the respective contributions of adhesion forces and dissipative mechanisms at the relevant scales. We discuss their achievements and limitations. The relevance of taking into account these physical mechanisms to improve the simulation of tire friction problems is addressed. © Springer 2006.