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The paper focuses on the possibility of enhancing the performances of the ABS (Antilock Braking System)/EBD (electronic braking distribution) control system by using the additional information provided by 'smart tyres'(i.e. tyres with embedded sensors and digital-computing capability). In particular, on the basis of previous works [Braghin et al., Future car active controls through the measurement of contact forces and patch features, Veh. Syst. Dyn. 44 (2006), pp. 3-13], the authors assumed that these components should be able to provide estimates for the normal loads acting on the four wheels and for the tyre-road friction coefficient. The benefits produced by the introduction of these additional channels into the existing ABS/EBD control logic were evaluated through simulations carried out with a validated 14 degrees of freedom (dofs) vehicle + ABS/EBD control logic numerical model. The performance of the ABS control system was evaluated through a series of braking manoeuvres on straight track focusing the attention on μ-jump conditions, while the performance of the EBD control system was assessed by means of braking manoeuvres carried out considering several weight distributions.

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Except for MEMS working in a ultra high vacuum, the main cause of damping is the air surrounding the system. When the working pressure is equal to the atmospheric one (from now on called "high pressure," i.e., 10 5 Pa), the mean free path of an air molecule is much smaller than typical MEMS dimensions. Thus, air can be considered as a viscous fluid and two phenomena occur: flow damping and squeeze film damping. These two phenomena can be evaluated through a simplified Navier-Stokes equation. In a medium vacuum (from now on called "low pressure"), i.e., the "packaging" pressure, the air cannot be considered as a viscous fluid any more since the mean free path of an air molecule is of the same order of magnitude of typical MEMS dimensions. Thus, the molecular fluid theory must be used to estimate the damping. To predict the damping of a MEMS device both at high and low pressure levels, a multiphysics code was used. The proposed approach was validated through comparison with experimental data.