STEERING SYSTEMS

FOUR WHEEL STEERING:

There are three types of 4 wheels steering system

Mechanical 4wS
Hydraulic 4ws
Electro-hydraulic 4ws

The concept of four wheel steering is hardly and relatively new as four wheel
drives admittedly those systems were custom, typically controlled and separately
controlled from the front wheels.

The first production four wheels steering for the average,

American automobile consumer was offered 20 years ago. On the 1988, this system
was entirely self-contained, automatic and mechanical: no electronic, no speed
sensors, no computers, no hydraulic, just two racks and a rod between them.

Four wheel steering (4ws) is also called the rear wheels steering or all wheel steering.
The (4ws) four wheel steering should not be confused with four wheel drive. 4ws
system improves handling and helps the vehicle at lighter turns. The front wheels do
the actual steering work. The rear wheel turning is generally limited a 50 to 20 0
during an opposite duration turn. During the same direction turn rear wheel steering
is limited the about 10 to 1.5 0. In a (4ws) system, the front and rear wheels steer
towards same direction which is said to be in-phase at high speed, where as the front
and rear wheels turn in an opposite direction at slow speed which is called antiphase or opposite phase and it is produced at a sharper turn and tighter turn.

Steering system allows the driver to control the direction of the vehicle travel. This is
made possible by linkage that connects the steering wheel to the steerable wheels and
tires. The steering system may be either manual or power .When the energy source
for the steering system is the force, the drives applies to the steering wheel, then the
vehicle has manual steering .Power steering used a hydraulic pump or in motor to
assist the driver effects. In the modern age most of the vehicles are manufacture with
a power steering mechanism.

The operation is same for both manual and power steering .As the drive turns
the steering where the movement is carried to the steering gear. It chains the rotary
matron of the steering wheel, in to straight line or linear motion. The linear motion
acts through steering linkage /tie rod attached to the steering knuckle .arms or
steering arms. The steering knuckle then turns the wheels in to left or right side.

ADVANTAGE OF FOUR WHEEL STEERING:

The vehicle's cornering behaviour becomes more stable and controllable

at high speedways well as on wet or slippery road
surfaces.

The vehicle's response to steering input becomes quicker and more

precise throughout the vehicle's entire speed range. The vehicle's
straight-line stability at high speeds is improved.

Negative effects of road irregularities and crosswinds on the vehicle's

stability are minimized. Stability in lane changing at high speeds is
improved.

The vehicle is less likely to going a spin even in situations in which

the driver must make a sudden and relatively large change of
direction.

By steering the rear wheels in the direction opposite the front

wheels at low speeds, the vehicle's turning circle is greatly
reduced.

Therefore, vehicle manoeuvring on narrow-roads and during

parking becomes easier.

APPLICATION OF FOUR WHEEL STEERING:

It is used for easy parking of four wheelers, and can be implemented in monster
trucks, large farm vehicles and trucks.

FAIL OF SAFETY MEASURES:

All 4WS systems have fail-safe measures. For example, with the
elector-hydraulic s e t u p , t h e s y s t e m a u t o m a t i c a l l y
c o u n t e r a c t s p o s s i b l e c a u s e s o f f a i l u r e : b o t h e l e c t r o n i c and
hydraulic, and converts the entire steering system to a
conventional two-wheel steering type.

Specifically, if a hydraulic defect should reduce pressure level

(by a movement malfunction or a broken driving belt), the rearwheel-steering mechanism is automatically locked in a neutral
position, activating a low-level warning light.

In the event of an electrical failure, it would be detected by a selfdiagnostic circuit i n t e gr a t e d i n t h e f o u r w h e e l - s t e e r i n g c o n t r o l

unit.

T h e c o n t r o l u n i t s t i m u l a t e s a s o l e n o i d valve, which neutralizes

hydraulic pressure, thereby alternating the system to two-wheel
steering.

The failure would be indicated by the system's warning light in

the main instrument display

.On any 4WS system, there must be near-perfect compliance

between the position of the steering wheel, the position of the
front wheels, and the position of the rear wheels. It is usually
recommended that the car be driven about 20 feet (6 meters) in a deadstraight line.

Then, the position of the front/rear wheels is checked with

respect to steering wheel position.

The base reference point is a strip of masking tape on the steering wheel
hub and the steering column. When the wheel is positioned dead
centre, draw a line down the tape.

Run the car a short distance straight ahead to see if the reference line
holds. If not, corrections are needed, such as repositioning the steering
wheel. Even severe imbalance of a rear wheel on a speed sensitive 4WS
system can cause problems and make basic troubleshooting a bit
frustrating.

ZERO STEERING:

Zero steering are those which has a minimum steering radius that is equal to zero,
which rotates about its own some of the jeeps comes with this type of steering. You can see in
this picture that the turning radius is zero and this is known as zero steering.

A jeep named hurricane has this type of steering..

JEEP HURRICANE STEERING:

The Hurricane's steering system is a marvel of engineering all by itself. There are multiple
steering modes using four-wheel independent steering. That means that each wheel can turn
separately from the others.
In standard steering mode, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front wheels,
which tightens the turning radius and makes for more accurate steering.
In a second mode, the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the front wheels, meaning the
Hurricane can "crab-steer" -- move to the side without changing the direction that it faces.
A third mode, utilizing the "T-Box Zero Steer" mechanism, allows all four wheels to "toe-in"
and changes the drive direction to each wheel so that they alternate. The result? The Jeep
Hurricane has a turning radius of zero. The Hurricane can actually rotate in place.

The cars with four wheel steering differ from that of ordinary one as shown in
the image above.