Stability and stabilization of semilinear single-track vehicle models with distributed tire friction dynamics via singular perturbation analysis

This paper investigates the stability and stabilization of semilinear single-track vehicle models with distributed tire friction dynamics, modeled as interconnections of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and hyperbolic partial differential equations (PDEs). Motivated by the long-standing practice of neglecting transient tire dynamics in vehicle modeling and control, a rigorous justification is provided for such simplifications using singular perturbation theory. A perturbation parameter, defined as the ratio between a characteristic rolling contact length and the vehicle's longitudinal speed, is introduced to formalize the time-scale separation between rigid-body motion and tire dynamics. For sufficiently small values of this parameter, it is demonstrated that standard finite-dimensional techniques can be applied to analyze the local stability of equilibria and to design stabilizing controllers. Whilst the proposed controllers build on classical approaches, the novelty of this work lies in establishing the first singular perturbation framework for ODE-PDE vehicle models with distributed tire dynamics, providing a theoretical justification for their quasi-static reduction and for the use of finite-dimensional tools for analysis and control design.