Define Virtual Vehicle Components: Motorcycle

Use the Virtual Vehicle Composer to define the components in your chosen vehicle architecture. In the Data and Calibration pane, make selections for the chassis, suspension, tires, powertrain, environment, and so forth.

The Virtual Vehicle Composer model template starts with a set of default components. In the Data and Calibration pane, you can modify the parameters of a default component, or select a different component to fit your project. The component types are listed in the menu tree on the left side of the app. You can choose and parameterize specific components on the right side.

The component options depend on the products installed and your Setup selections.

For vehicles with Vehicle class set to Motorcycle:

• Vehicle Dynamics Blockset™ is required.

• Simscape™ Multibody™ is required

• Model template is set to Simscape.

Chassis

The Chassis section includes inertial and geometric properties of the fully-equipped frame, the front fork, and the rear swing arm.

These assumptions apply to the motorcycle chassis:

• The motorcycle frame is rigid. All components mounted to the frame are rigidly attached.

• The frame mass includes all components mounted to the frame.

• Masses for tire and wheel assemblies, brakes, and suspensions are accounted for separately.

Steering System

If Vehicle dynamics is set to Out-of-plane motorcycle dynamics, you can choose whether to steer the front fork. Set Steering system to Steering or No Steering.

If Steering system is set to Steering, then you can choose whether to include a steering damper by setting Steering damper to Linear damper or No Damper. The Linear damper option introduces viscous damping about the steering axis.

Front and Rear Suspensions

If Vehicle dynamics is set to Out-of-plane motorcycle dynamics, you can specify the suspension parameters. The only option for Front Suspension is Linear Spring and Damper Front. The only option for Rear Suspension is Linear Spring and Damper Rear.

Tire and Wheel Assemblies

You select front and rear tire and wheel assemblies separately. The choices for both are similar.

With Vehicle dynamics set to In-plane motorcycle dynamics, the only Front Tire option is Linear Tire Front, and the only Rear Tire option is Linear Tire Rear. Here, longitudinal force is a linear function of longitudinal slip.

With Vehicle dynamics set to Out-of-plane motorcycle dynamics, the only Front Tire option is Linear Tire Front, and the only Rear Tire option is Linear Tire Rear. Here, longitudinal force is a linear function of longitudinal slip, and lateral force is a linear function of camber.

Brake System

The brake system consists of the hardware on the front and rear brakes, with options for an anti-lock braking system (ABS). You have three choices each for Front Brake Type and Rear Brake Type:

• Disc

• Drum

• Mapped

For the Disc and Drum options, the model uses the physical parameters of the brake mechanism to calculate braking torque as a function of brake fluid pressure. For the Mapped option, the braking torque is a mapped function of wheel rotation speed and brake fluid pressure.

You have three choices for the Brake Control Unit:

• Open Loop Controller

• Bang Bang ABS

• Five-State ABS

The Open Loop Controller option applies brake fluid pressure based on driver command and bias settings, with no control unit. The Bang Bang ABS option implements an ABS feedback controller that regulates tire slip by switching fluid pressure between two states at each wheel, to hold slip at its maximum traction value. The Five-State ABS and TCS option operates similarly, but uses logic-switching based on wheel deceleration and vehicle acceleration to modulate the braking pressure at each wheel to control slip.

Powertrain: Propulsion System

If Powertrain architecture is set to Conventional Motorcycle with Chain Drive, you have two options for Propulsion System:

• Simple Engine, fueled by gasoline

• SI Mapped Engine, fueled by gasoline

The SI Simple Engine option is a simplified SI engine model using a maximum torque versus engine speed table, two scalar fuel mass properties, and one scalar engine efficiency parameter to estimate engine torque and fuel flow rate. The SI Mapped Engine is modeled using more detailed lookup tables for power, air mass flow, fuel flow, exhaust temperature, efficiency, and emission performance.

If Powertrain architecture is set to Electric Motorcycle with Chain Drive, the only option for Propulsion System is Mapped Motor. This model maps maximum torque as a function of motor speed, and efficiency as a function of torque and speed. This model assumes a synchronous permanent magnet AC motor.

Powertrain: Chain

For both powertrain architectures, Chain is set to Chain/Belt Drive. You can define either drive mechanism with the same parameters.

Rider and Rider Control

Because the mass of the rider is significant when compared to the motorcycle, the mass and CM location of the rider are important. There are two options for Rider:

• Rigid, where the rider leans with the frame, does not shift longitudinally, and does not crouch

• 6DOF and External Forces and Moments, where the rider can lean and crouch relative to the frame

If Vehicle dynamics is set to In-plane motorcycle dynamics, then Rider Control is set to Longitudinal Rider. If Vehicle dynamics set to Out-of-plane motorcycle dynamics, then Rider Control is set to Open Loop.

Environment

Use the Environment pane to set the ambient air, wind, and road conditions for your tests.

The app uses ambient air pressure and temperature in the ideal gas law to calculate air density, which the app then uses to calculate aerodynamic forces. The Engine types the app uses for the Motorcycle are not affected by ambient conditions. Their performance is calculated for temperature and pressure conditions of 293.15 kelvins and 101,325 pascals.