Stability Bounds of a Tractor-Semitrailer

The dynamic stability of a tractor-semitrailer is presented here on a qualitative basis. In a four-dimensional space, equilibrium states of the system are discovered which lead to suitable initial conditions for numerical integration of the system equations. The intergal solutions define the stable and the unstable regions in the state-space, and thereby reveal the system behavior. A simple example concerning the effect of a front tire blowout illustrates how the theory can expose the vehicle motion under external perturbations.