Overview Resources

PM-FlexTire® by Pratt Miller

Breakthrough Virtual Development Capability for Soft-soil Mobility Platforms and Vehicles

PM-FlexTire is an finite element-based tire model that is integrated with the Altair® EDEM™ soft-soil simulation platform and significantly expands what is possible in virtual development of soft-soil mobility.

The model provides realistic deformation and high fidelity forces and moments through co-simulation between EDEM and multi-body dynamics (MBD) codes. Included time-varying air pressure model and detailed tread pattern interaction with particles are features unique to PM-FlexTire.

Users can create models from tire CAD using various meshing solutions including Altair® HyperMesh® and Gmsh integrations, or use meshes generated from other third party meshing tools.

Comprehensive integration with discrete element method (DEM) simulation provides a high level of utility relative to alternatives to support increased scope of virtual development. Simulation complexity and licensing cost of PM-FlexTire and the corresponding integrations are "best fit" for virtual mobility development in soft-soil DEM simulation environments.

PM-FlexTire™ Overview Video

Why PM-FlexTire™?

Improved Tire Simulation Fidelity

PM-FlexTire provides significant improvement in modeling tire/ground interaction for simulation of vehicles and mobility platforms in DEM soft-soil environment.

Maximize DEM Simulation Potential

PM-FlexTire features overcome limitations of traditional tire models and unlock the potential of DEM particulate soil modeling for off-road mobility.

Universal Mesh Import

Tire and tread geometry meshes can be generated and imported from various meshing solutions including HyperMesh and GMesh.

Key Features

Deformable Tire Tread and Carcass

Accurate loaded radius and contact patch size and shape are co-simulated with MBD modeling solutions and the EDEM soft-soil modeling environment.

Pneumatic Tire Pressure Model

Contact pressure distribution and loaded radius accurately vary with tire pressure, including very low pressures used in off-road soft-soil operating conditions.