Endurica/Coreform win US Department of Energy tyre tread simulation development grant

Coreform’s tyre tread computer simulation processes bid aimed at accelerating the use of simulation in the tyre industry has won a United States Department of Energy (DOE) exploratory grant.

The firm will apply Coreform’s isogeometric analysis (IGA) technology – which replaces difficult and time-consuming portions of computer simulation work – to the simulation of tyre tread patterns required by emerging vehicles. At the same time, Endurica has been selected as a technology partner to provide key tyre industry endurance evaluations including rolling resistance, heat build-up and wear behaviour.

“Coreform’s technology promise to revolutionize simulations involving complex geometry,” explained William V. Mars, Ph.D., P.E. founder and president of Endurica, adding: “…tyre tread patterns are an extremely important example of complex geometry. We are honoured to be included in this important research for both the DOE and the tyre industry.”

Traditional finite element analysis (FEA) first requires geometry to be defeatured and meshed which – according to the company – can be both time-consuming and relationally inaccurate. IGA was introduced in 2005 to run simulation directly on the design model, leveraging the power of splines. Thousands of scientific papers have been written on this approach and Coreform’s novel “Flex IGA” technology unlocks these benefits in a commercial setting. Company representatives report that Coreform IGA provides a full spectrum of input options and flexible modelling, allowing engineers to minimize manual effort for a desired solution-solve time.

“Greater use of predictive simulation analysis for advanced tyre tread designs will reduce the cost of product development and accelerate the adoption of both electric and self-driving cars,” explained Coreform Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Sederberg. “We anticipate this project will help the tyre industry develop innovative tread patterns to reduce noise and improve energy efficiency.”

Greg Vernon, Director of Engineering at Coreform, added that Coreform’s approach will use isogeometric analysis to allow tyre manufacturers to test new designs much more quickly: “Down the road, that will mean fewer particulate emissions, longer life, and better energy efficiency for all of us.”