FASTEST - Friction And vehicle STate EStimation and control with distributed Tyre models

Robust estimation of friction is crucial to ensure the safety and performance requirements of road vehicles.

Indeed, control algorithms like ABS braking necessitate of accurate information about the vehicle operating states to effectively intervene.

The project will aim at developing innovative model-based observers and controllers for automotive applications, considering distributed representations of the tyre subsystems, described, i.e., in terms of partial differential equations (PDEs).

This will enable the accurate estimation of the local friction coefficient inside the tyres’ contact patch, improving in turn the efficacy of ABS and traction-control algorithms.

The proposed approach is highly interdisciplinary and will combine already acquired competencies (consisting specifically in the modelling of rolling contact phenomena by means of PDEs), with theoretical tools and methods from control theory.

Two main work packages, relating to the purely theoretical and applicative aspects of the project, respectively, have been identified that will cover a total period of three years.

During the grant period, I will be hosted at three international departments with partially complementary expertise and research focus, and supervised by top scientists in their respective fields.

The theoretical results delivered by the project will contribute to consolidating the excellence of Swedish scientific research and the competitiveness of the automotive sector.