GPS Based Real-Time Tire-Road Friction Coefficient Identification

This project concentrates on the development of real- time tire-road friction coefficient estimation systems for snowplows that can reliably estimate different road surface friction levels and quickly detect abrupt changes in friction coefficient. Two types of systems are developed - a vehicle-based system and a wheel-based system. The vehiclebased friction measurement system utilizes vehicle motion measurements from differential GPS and other on-board vehicle sensors. The wheel-based friction measurement system utilizes a redundant wheel that is mounted at a small angle to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.