Forced Steering of Rail Vehicles: Stability and Curving Mechanics

A forced steering rail vehicle employs linkages between.the carbody and wheelsets to force a more radial wheelset alignment. It is shown that the curve negotiation capability of forced steering trucks is significantly improved over conventional and self steering radial trucks. Parametric curves are presented showing angle-of-attack and lateral flange force as a function of steering gain parameters and truck bending stiffness. It is also shown that the forced steering concept can produce kinematic instability and severely reduced critical speeds for low conicities and creep coefficients. Analytic expressions are derived that illustrate how these kinematic instabilities can be avoided.     

Steering and Dynamic Stability of Railway Vehicles

SUMMARY

For railway vehicles having coned wheels mounted on solid axles there is a conflict between dynamic stability and steering ability

It is shown that the stiffness and kinematic properties of all possible interwheelset connections are characterised by two properties describing the distortional characteristics of the vehicle in plan. Within this framework, the various possibilities for steered wheelsets are considered, and several past and current proposals are reviewed. Using the linear approach to dynamic stabibty and curve negotation the performance of existing and newly proposed configurations is discussed

For any symmetric, two-axle vehicle it is shown that for perfect steering on a curve there should be zero bending stiffness between the wheelsets. It is further shown that if the bending stiffness is zero, the vehicle lacks dynamic stability as the critical speed of instability, is zero. In this case, the vehicle undergoes a steering oscillation which occurs at the kinematic frequency of a single wheelset and which is a motion in which pure rolling occurs

Similar results are obtained with vehicles with three or more axles if adjacent axles are connected by shear structures. However, it is shown that it is possible to satisfy both the requirements of perfect steering and a non-zero critical speed if the vehicle has zero bending stiffness and if, in addition to adjacent wheelsets being connected in shear, at least one pair of non-adjacent axles are connected by a shear structure.     

载货汽车转向系统分析

阐述了载货汽午转向系统运动学特忭的计算方法和分析方法;研究了载货汽车原地转向阻力的主要组成及动力转向器的效率特性,给出了原地转向性能的计算分析方法。通过对4种动力转向系统匹配方案的分析表明,转向机构的传动比和动力转向器的效率对车辆原地转向性能具有重要影响。     

Analysis of Influence of Design Parameters on Steered Wheels Shimmy of Heavy Vehicles

SUMMARY

In choosing the steering system parameters the tendency is towards the minimization of kinematic errors that appear during turning. For that developed procedures exist that take into account also the influence of kinematic of the suspension system on kinematic parameters of vehicle turning. Besides that, maintenance tests have shown, that increased deflections of the suspension system lead to increased wear of tires of steered wheels. In this paper, a method is developed for minimization of steered wheel shimmy and its wear also during the straight-line drive of heavy vehicles. The procedure can also be used in the phase of designing the heavy vehicles.     

Advanced vehicle dynamics of heavy trucks with the perspective of road safety

ABSTRACT

This paper presents state-of-the art within advanced vehicle dynamics of heavy trucks with the perspective of road safety. The most common accidents with heavy trucks involved are truck against passenger cars. Safety critical situations are for example loss of control (such as rollover and lateral stability) and a majority of these occur during speed when cornering. Other critical situations are avoidance manoeuvre and road edge recovery. The dynamic behaviour of heavy trucks have significant differences compared to passenger cars and as a consequence, successful application of vehicle dynamic functions for enhanced safety of trucks might differ from the functions in passenger cars. Here, the differences between vehicle dynamics of heavy trucks and passenger cars are clarified. Advanced vehicle dynamics solutions with the perspective of road safety of trucks are presented, beginning with the topic vehicle stability, followed by the steering system, the braking system and driver assistance systems that differ in some way from that of passenger cars as well.     

Stabilization of High-Speed Railway Vehicles

SUMMARY

The problems of critical speeds of railway vehicles with dry friction units determination are discussed. A new approach is used which extends the field of application of dynamic response linear analysis methods to vital nonlinear multibody systems. The special features concerning the influence of dry friction forces in the body supports on the trucks and parameters of horizontal constraints of wheelsets and truck frames on critical speed are indicated. It is shown that a significant rising of railway vehicle critical speeds can be reached by changing the structure of constraints between the body and the trucks.     

A theoretical model of speed-dependent steering torque for rolling tyres

ABSTRACT

It is well known that the tyre steering torque is highly dependent on the tyre rolling speed. In limited cases, i.e. parking manoeuvre, the steering torque approaches the maximum. With the increasing tyre speed, the steering torque decreased rapidly. Accurate modelling of the speed-dependent behaviour for the tyre steering torque is a key factor to calibrate the electric power steering (EPS) system and tune the handling performance of vehicles. However, no satisfactory theoretical model can be found in the existing literature to explain this phenomenon. This paper proposes a new theoretical framework to model this important tyre behaviour, which includes three key factors: (1) tyre three-dimensional transient rolling kinematics with turn-slip; (2) dynamical force and moment generation; and (3) the mixed Lagrange–Euler method for contact deformation solving. A nonlinear finite-element code has been developed to implement the proposed approach. It can be found that the main mechanism for the speed-dependent steering torque is due to turn-slip-related kinematics. This paper provides a theory to explain the complex mechanism of the tyre steering torque generation, which helps to understand the speed-dependent tyre steering torque, tyre road feeling and EPS calibration.     

汽车转向传动与悬挂系统运动干涉优化

以某中型载货车为例,通过建立前悬挂一转向传动系统的仿真模型,应用ADAMS分析软件,对前悬挂和转向传动系统的运动学特性进行仿真分析,提出优化汽车转向传动系统与悬挂系统之间运动干涉量的方法,解决整车加载过程中方向盘偏转的问题。     

Closed-Loop Directional Stability of Car-Trailer Combinations in Straight-Line Motion

SUMMARY

This work focuses on the interaction between a driver and a car-trailer combination. A model characterizing human operator behavior in regulation task is employed to study directional stability of the overall system. The vehicle-trailer model retains nonlinear cornering force and other kinematic nonlinearities. Linear stability of the straight line motion is analyzed by the application of Routh-Hurwitz criteria and stability boundaries in parameter space are constructed by setting appropriate Hurwitz determinant to zero. It is shown that two types of transition in stability are possible in the driver/car-trailer system. They correspond to one pair or two pairs of complex conjugate eigenvalues crossing the imaginary axis simultaneously. The implications in terms of resulting motions for the nonlinear system are also discussed. It is shown that stabilization of the combination can be achieved by adding a passive controller at the articulation point. Articulation damper turns out to be a more useful device for controlling trailer oscillations instability although a combination of damper and torsional spring would be a more ideal solution.     

Additional 4WS and Driver Interaction

SUMMARY

This investigation is based on a complex 4-wheel vehicle model of a passenger car that includes steering system and drive train. The tyre properties are described for all possible combined longitudinal and lateral slip values and for arbitrary friction conditions. The active part is an additional steering system of all 4 wheels, additionally to the driver's steering wheel angle input. Three control levels are used for the driver model that thereby can follow a given trajectory or avoid an obstacle.

The feedback control of the additional 4 wheel steering is based on an observer which can also have adaptive characteristics. Moreover a virtual vehicle model in a feedforward scheme can provide desired steering characteristics.

To get information for critical situations a cornering manoeuvre with sudden u-split conditions is simulated. Further a similar manoeuvre is used to evaluate the reentry in a high friction area from low friction conditions. And finally the performance of the controller is shown in a severe lane change manoeuvre.     

The Static Stability of Articulated Commercial Vehicles

SUMMARY

This review of the state of the art emphasizes recent results that have been obtained in extending conventionalanalysis techniques to the treatment of “Highway Trains”, that is, to heavy trucks that have multiple articulation points and employ suspensions with multiple axles. Equations of motion applicable to the equilibrium turning performances of articulated vehicles are examined with respect to using analysis techniques involving steering gains, understeer gradients, effective wheel-bases, handling diagrams, and critical speeds. These examinations provide the basis for in sights into simplified approaches for understanding the steady turning mechanics of articulated, multi-axle vehicles riding on pneumatic tires.     

Railway Vehicles With Generic Bogies Capable of Perfect Steering

SUMMARY

The general form of the equations of motion of a symmetric railway vehicle with two unsymmetric two-axle bogies is derived. The equations include a generic elastic stiffness matrix that describes the nature and configuration of the structural connections between the various components of the vehicle. This matrix satisfies the condition for perfect steering (without generating creep forces) on uniform curves and the necessary condition for dynamic stability derived in previous work. The paper shows the application of these basic conditions to a class of generic unsymmetric bogies. The analysis has as its objective the derivation of the simplest rather than the most general configuration that meets the conditions imposed. The results are related to past and current practice. It is shown that perfect steering, with stability at low speeds, can be achieved by means of passive suspension elements not employing linkages, and that it is possible to simplify existing steering arrangements.     

Kinematic and dynamic analysis of a heavy truck with individual front suspension

The main focus of this work is on the characteristics of a commercial vehicle with individual front suspension (IFS). Both kinematic and dynamic properties of the vehicle are investigated through simulations and analytical expressions. Moreover, employing the model of the tractor semitrailer combination, the study presents the results of comparison between the trucks with IFS and rigid front axle with respect to comfort and handling. This is done by analysing the responses of the vehicles to different road and steering inputs. The obtained results show enhanced comfort and steering feeling for the truck with IFS.     

Crosswind Feedforward Control – A Measure to Improve Vehicle Crosswind Behaviour

SUMMARY

The theory of crosswind feedforward control was explained using the example of a vehicle with active front-wheel steering. Beforehand, the calculation formulas and frequency responses of the transient crosswind force and of the wind yaw moment acting on the vehicle were derived using the example of a simple vehicle fluid model. The influence of the transiency of crosswind disturbance on the dynamic crosswind behaviour of a vehicle was then presented. The results of simulation confirmed the analyses carried out in the frequency domain for feedforward control with front, rear and all-wheel steering. With front-wheel steering, the influence of crosswind on one of the vehicle movement variables (lateral acceleration or yaw rate) could be almost completely compensated by dynamic feedforward control. With rear-wheel steering, it is only possible to compensate directly for the influence on the yawing rate. Due to the setting of the side force in the same direction as the lateral wind force at the start, active rear-wheel steering is not so successful as active front-wheel steering. Nevertheless, the crosswind behaviour of a vehicle can be considerably enhanced by feedforward control with rear-wheel steering. The best crosswind behaviour was obtained with active all-wheel steering: the vehicle hardly responds at all to crosswinds and remains on course despite heavy gusts of wind.     

Achieving anti-roll bar effect through air management in commercial vehicle pneumatic suspensions

ABSTRACT

This paper introduces the concept of managing air in commercial vehicle suspensions for reducing body roll. A conventional pneumatic suspension is re-designed to include higher-flow air hoses and dual levelling valves for improving the dynamic response of the suspension to the body roll, which commonly happens at relatively low frequencies. The improved air management allows air to get from the air tank to the airsprings quicker, and also changes the side-to-side suspension air pressure such that the suspension forces can more readily level the vehicle body, much in the same manner as an anti-roll bar (ARB). The results of a multi-domain simulation study in AMESim and TruckSim indicate that the proposed suspension configuration is capable of providing balanced airflow to the truck’s drive-axle suspensions, resulting in balanced suspension forces in response to single lane change and steady-state cornering steering maneuvers. The simulation results further indicate that a truck equipped with the reconfigured suspension experiences a uniform dynamic load sharing, smoother body motion (less roll angle), and improved handling and stability during steering maneuvers commonly occurring in commercial trucks during their intended use.     

Optimal Control of Four Wheel Steering Vehicle

SUMMARY

This paper derives a method of controlling four wheel steering using optimal control theory. The purpose of control is to minimize the sideslip angle at the center of gravity. The control method feeds forward the steering wheel angle and feeds back the yaw velocity and the sideslip angle to the front and rear wheel angles. Theoretical studies show that the sideslip angle is reduced to zero even in the transient state, and that the understeer characteristic and frequency response can be changed regardless of the vehicle static margin. This Paper also examines various characteristics of the influence of the side force nonlinearities of tires and crosswinds.     

Tangential force variation due to the bogie direction reversal procedure

A range of tangential forces is generated within the contact patch when a wheelset moves on the rail. These forces are intensified when incorporating curved tracks and motored axle rail vehicles [Arrus, P., de Pater, A.D. and Meyers, P., 2002, The stationary motion of a one-axle vehicle along a circular curve with real rail and wheel profiles. Vehicle System Dynamics, 37(1), 29–58]. The wheelset is subject to flange contact if an unbalanced force remains in a curve towards the high rail gauge face. The resultant force in the transverse direction includes the lateral force, the radial force, and the creep forces in addition to the effect of the frequent wheelset displacement due to the kinematic oscillation [Iwnicki, S., 2003, Simulation of wheel–rail contact forces. Fatigue Fracture Engineering Material Structure, 26, 887–900]. This article has focused on a potential variation in some of the forces cited when the wheelset is subject to backward and forward movements. A severe wear rate observed within the wheel flange region in Iranian Railways was investigated by operating a test bogie on a curvaceous track. An obvious improvement in the wear rate and wear pattern of the wheels was attained when the second test bogie encountered a bogie direction reversal procedure. This enhancement is considered in this article from the force analysis standpoint.     

基于ADAMS重型汽车双前桥转向系统动力学仿真

随着市场的发展,双前桥转向汽车在载货车中的比重越来越大,为了保证汽车的行驶安全性能,汽车在使用时各杆件不应过早破坏,在汽车设计时要对杆件的受力进行测试,使其在许用范围内。鉴于双转向汽车更为复杂的转向结构,并且受力也不容易测得,笔者考虑到多体动力学软件的优越性,利用ADAMS／view建立双前桥转向系动力学模型,分析了各个主要链接点空载满载状况下的受力。     

Kinematics of a smart variable caster mechanism for a vehicle steerable wheel

The lateral force of a tyre is a function of the sideslip and camber angles. The camber angle can provide a significant effect on the stability of a vehicle by increasing or adjusting the required lateral force to keep the vehicle on the road. To control the camber angle and hence, the lateral force of each tyre, we can use the caster angle of the wheel. We introduce a possible variable and controllable caster angle ? in order to adjust the camber angle when the sideslip angle cannot be changed. As long as the left and right wheels are steering together according to a kinematic condition, such as Ackerman, the sideslip angle of the inner wheel cannot be increased independently to alter the reduced lateral force because of weight transfer and reduction of the normal load F _z . A variable caster mechanism can adjust the caster angle of the wheels to achieve their top capacity and maximise the lateral force, when needed. Such a system would potentially increase the safety, stability, and maneuverability of the vehicles. Using the screw theory, this paper will examine the kinematics of a variable caster and present the required mathematical equation to calculate the camber angle as a function of suspension mechanism parameters and other relevant variables. Having a steered wheel about a tilted steering axis will change the position and orientation of the wheel with respect to the body of the car. This paper provides the required kinematics of such a suspension and extracts the equations in special practical situations. The analysis is for an ideal situation in which we substitute the tyre with its equivalent disc at the tyre plane.