Another field of vibration research is vehicle dynamics. Based on characteristic road excitations, the vehicle multi-body dynamic model is excited, simulated, evaluated, and designed per criteria such as tire wear, driving comfort and safety. These models get verified and validated by experimental measures. The models’ level of detail is defined in consideration of simulation focus and is ranges from simple rigid body models with ideal joints to complex models with reduces FE-models and for example complex bushing models.

In our research on friction and wear, we deal with complex dynamic problems with friction. The friction between two objects enables the transmission of forces between them. This is the main work principle of the tire-road system (automobile) or the wheel-rail system (train), for instance. These systems can be handled using model reduction methods and multi-scale simulations. A scale-independent modeling allows for the spatially resolved and detailed modeling of the friction behavior, which can also be efficiently represented numerically.

The contact between objects can under certain conditions lead to wear of the objects due to friction and relative displacement. The wear and tear caused hereby may be unwanted in most technical systems. The prediction of wear based on a detailed friction model considering the geometry changes of the objects in contact then allows the prediction of the service life of these objects.