Tire Friction on Wet Roads

Abstract

Abstract Evidence accumulates that tire forces on wet roads, particularly when the wheel is locked, are determined by the dry frictional properties of the rubber on the one hand and by hydrodynamic lubrication in the contact area on the other. The probable reason why they are so clearly separable is that water is a poor lubricant, tending to separate into globules and dry areas under relatively small pressures. Road surfaces and tire profiles are, therefore, designed to create easy drainage and high local contact pressures. The influence of road friction on vehicle control well below the critical conditions is becoming more clearly understood; but more Investigations are required here, in particular under dynamic conditions.