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Pneumatic tyre models can now be included in vehicle simulations

DynaFlexPro/Tire, an optional add-on to Maple’s DynaFlexPro package for modelling and simulating the dynamics of mechanical multi-body systems, has just been released. It allows engineers in the automotive industry, as well as university teachers and researchers in vehicle dynamics and control, to incorporate the latest pneumatic tyre models into simulations of vehicle systems.

Released at the same time, an upgraded version of DynaFlexPro (version 2.3) is now compatible with Maplesoft’s BlockBuilder for Simulink product, which means that models created in DynaFlexPro can now be automatically converted to an S-Function block and simulated within Simulink.

DynaFlexPro is a very effective tool for creating efficient models and simulations of complex mechanical systems, such as mechanisms, robots, and machinery. It combines graph theory with engineering mechanics in algorithms that automatically generate the system equations from the system model. Using Maple’s powerful computer algebra technologies, it creates small and efficient sets of system equations in symbolic form, which facilitates viewing, physical insight and sharing.

With DynaFlexPro/Tire, the range of applications is further increased to include vehicles. The generation of efficient models and real-time simulations will facilitate the development of new vehicle designs, including active sub-systems and their electronic controllers.

Kinematic quantities, such as slip angle, longitudinal slip, and inclination angle, are derived as optimised computational sequences. These are used by various tyre force models, including Fiala, Calspan and Pacejka’s magic tyre formula, to determine tyre forces and moments. Optional features allow the user to control how the tyre slip and rolling radius are calculated, and to include tyre transients through differential equations involving relaxation lengths. By generating optimised simulation code from the symbolic equations, real-time simulations of complex vehicle models are obtained.

DynaFlexPro and DynaFlexPro/Tire are made available as MapleConnect applications. MapleConnect is a developer support program that enables Maple users to commercialise applications that they design and develop based on Maplesoft products. They can be purchased as downloadable products from Adept Scientific’s WebStore, www.adeptstore.com.

DynaFlexPro, DynaFlexPro/Tire, Maple, BlockBuilder for Simulink and other products in the Maplesoft range are supplied and supported in the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia and Finland by Adept Scientific (www.adeptscience.com).

Full details of the Maple range of software tools and contact information for all Adept Scientific international offices are available at www.adeptscience.com; or telephone +44 (0)1462 480055.

With offices in the UK, USA, Germany and throughout the Nordic region, Adept Scientific is one of the world’s leading suppliers of software and hardware products for research, scientific, engineering and technical applications on desktop computers.