Altair Engineering announced today that it has added new functionality to its MotionSolve mechanical systems simulation solver. It now interfaces with Cosin Scientific Software's Flexible Ring Tire Model (FTire), a full 3D nonlinear tire simulation model, which enables a more realistic full vehicle model simulation to improve the durability and vehicle ride comfort.

Altair developed the interface between MotionSolve and FTire to virtually assess and tune how a vehicle handles road irregularities based on tire characteristics.

"Previously, MotionSolve allowed for full vehicle model simulation with simplified tire characteristics," said Jon Quigley, director of systems modeling for Altair. "Now, engineers can apply real tire characteristics to the full vehicle model simulation, resulting in a more detailed and accurate analysis of how a vehicle will behave on a variety of rough road surfaces."

The ability to realistically simulate full vehicle models also allows for issues to be solved faster and allows more time for the engineering, both of which translate to higher quality products. The Altair MotionSolve-FTire interface can be used for any model simulation of a vehicle equipped with passenger or light truck/SUV tires within a variety of industries, including automotive, aerospace and defense.

FTire is used for vibration analysis as a critical component in simulating vehicle comfort on rough surfaces, such as an uneven road. The MotionSolve-FTire interface simulates the vehicle traveling over the surface and how the tires interact with that surface.

"With FTire interfacing with MotionSolve, the measurable elements of the full vehicle simulation model analysis are available in a more accurate, straight forward manner," Quigley said. "It is exciting to see MotionSolve mature into an increasingly comprehensive commercial offering that can aid manufacturers in creating higher quality vehicles for consumers."

MotionSolve is a powerful mechanical-systems simulation solver based on a modern formulation tuned for computation speed and results accuracy. With robust solutions for dynamics, kinematics and statics, MotionSolve provides analysts and designers with powerful capabilities to accurately simulate and analyze complex mechanical-systems behavior and performance.