| Abstract: | In this paper, the lateral instability of towed structures (trailers, caravans and articulated buses) is investigated with special attention to the small amplitude lateral vibration that leads to a higher energy consumption in certain parameter domains. A low degree-of-freedom mechanical model of a shimmying towed tyre is used that describes the dynamics of the tyre–ground contact patch by the time delayed differential equation. Stability charts are calculated and the theoretically predicted linear unstable islands of small amplitude shimmy motions are validated by laboratory experiments. A tyre is towed by a relatively long caster, and its temperature and the input current of the conveyor belt are measured in order to show the increased value of the rolling resistance. |
