Mech. Mach. TheoryVol. 22, No. 4, pp. 315-319, 1987 0094-114X/87 $3.00+0.

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Printed in Great Britain. All fights t~-.served Copyright ~) 1987 PergamonJournals Ltd

ANALYTICAL DESIGN OF SEVEN JOINT

SPATIAL STEERING MECHANISMS

DAVID D. ARDAYFIO and DANWEN QIAO

Mechanical Engineering Department, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, U.S.A.

(Received in revisedforra 22 August 1986)

Abstract--This paper deals with the development of the kinematic equations and a set of design charts
that can be used in the synthesis of the seven joint spatial steering mechanism. The comparative charts
demonstrate how the loci of the intersection of the front axes vary with the parametric changes of the
steering mechanism. A design optimization search is facilitated by selecting curves closest to the axis of
the rear axle. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis is possible with the design charts which show how
parametric errors may affect the performance of the steering mechanism.

INTRODUCTION the loci of the intersection point of the front axes as

the parameters of the steering gear are varied. The
There exists in the mechanisms literature, a number
performance of the steering mechanisms is obtained
of papers dealing with t h e steering linkage of auto-
vividly by the deviation of these curves from the line
motive vehicles. Wolfe[l] outlined a method whereby
through the rear axis. Such graphs provide a basis of
the dimensions of an Ackerman steering linkage may
an optimization search to find the optimum design
be determined analytically. The theoretical relation
parameters. Additionally they show the performance
between the angles of rotation of the front wheels of
sensitivity to parametric errors that may occur in the
a vehicle is derived and it is shown how this relation
linkage.
may be approximated by a symmetrical four-bar
This presentation is in two parts. First we develop
linkage. Dvali and Aleksishvili[2] presented a deri-
the analytical equations of the steering linkage. Then
vation of the kinematic equations of the steering
we present charts obtained from a computer program
linkage trapezium by considering it as a spatial
for solving the analytical equations by a numerical
four-bar linkage. In[3], Cropper presented a synthesis
iterative technique.
technique for establishing the kinematic parameters
of a tractor steering linkage to generate the turning
function with minimum error. The model selected for
ANALYTICAL RELATIONSHIPS
this study by Wolfe is a Watt linkage with two
mirror-image four-bar chains. Using the notation in Fig. 1, the coordinates of A,
Some other papers examine the kinematics of B and C are obtained respectively as:
the four-bar steering linkage regarding it as a
spherical[4], space[5] or planar[6] four-bar linkage. For A
The simplest kinematic chain, the steering trapezoid, XA--O, YA= a - c o s t ' s i n y, Z^=a'cosfl'cos3,.
has been used by some researchers[7-9] to establish
the relations for the determination of the geo- For B
metric parameters. The papers by Fohkel[10] and X B = a . cos/~ •sin ~t,
Hasselgrubeh[l 1] examine some steering mechanisms
based on the six-element kinematic chain used YB -- a . sin t - c o s ~t.cos y,
in independent suspension front-wheel vehicles. ZB = - a . sin/~, cos ~t. sin y.
Duditza and Alexandru[12-14] have worked out a
general analytical method for synthesizing steering For C
mechanisms on the basis of the law of transmission. Xc=0, Yc=l-0, Zc=-(d+e).
These studies use the spatial steering mechanism
with three rotation and four spherical pairs Now
(RSSR-RSSR) which is a modification of the Watt's (XB -- Xc) 2 + (YB -- Yc) 2 + (ZB -- Zc) 2 = b2.
linkage.
This paper deals with the development of a set of Substituting the coordinates of B in this equation and
design charts that can be used in the synthesis of rearranging w e get
the seven joint spatial steering mechanism. It extends
A + B'COs ct + C.sin ~t ---0 (1)
the work reported in[14] which only deals with the
law of transmission. Here, we present the curves of where
315
316 DAVID D. ARDAYFIO a n d D A N W E N QIAO

Z
Z'

y ,

\ /
\ /
o \ //
\ ~ / /
El E~ ~ /

C ¢
Fig. 1. Definition of parameters for the steering mechanism.

a L sin2fl + X~ + y2 + Z 2 _ b 2 @l = t a n - I ~/1 - cos2¢1

A=
2a" sin fl coS ~ j

B = Yc" cos 3' + (d + e)- sin 3' 601 = tan -~ x/1 -- co82(~01
C = Xc.
cos 601

E q u a t i o n (1) can be solved for ~ to yield c2 -b d2 + p2 - q 2

COS ~ =

a = tan -~ x/1 - cos a 2

COS c2 + d2 + p2 - q 2
COS ~1 =
where 2p,.v/ +d 2
A "B + C % / B 2 + C 2 - A s p2.p~-r~
COS t~ol = - -
COS 0t = B 2 "F C 2 2p "Pl
Let us n o w suppose that the left wheel has a
61 = ~ + 60, - ¢ ,
turning angle d e n o t e d by 01 . T h e n

Ym =
[i 0 01[OiOl sin0 il
cos 3' sin 3' si 0t cos 01 Ym =
0 01icos: nO il
c o s 3' siny -s 02 cos 02
ZBI -- sin 3' cos 3'j 0 Zm - sin 3' cos 3'/ 0

x cos 3' -siny YB • (2) x cos 3' - s i n 3' YB (4)

sin y cos 3' ZB
sin 7 cos 3' ZB
Now f r o m Fig. 1,

P = x / ( l -- YB) 2 + (e :I- ZB) 2

q = x/~- Z~

Pl = ~/(l - Ym) 2 + (e + Zm) 2

ql = x/b2 - X2m

r t = ~ / ( a ' sin fl)2 _ X 2 _ ~ / ( a " sin f12) (3) - X 2 , .

F r o m these expressions the angles ~, ~bl and 6ol are

obtained as
6
~b = tan -l ~/1 - cos2~b
COS Fig. 2. Locus of intersection point for models in Table 1.
 Analytical design of seven joint spatial steering mechanisms 317

1
6~ 5 2
6¢ 3
6
5~
5O ~ . Variation of b

45
I I I I

,ff 35

25

15
Fig. 5. Locus of intersection point for variation in b.
,o 1' 2~ 2'5 " 3~ ,~ ,'5
O~ t a ~ l

Fig. 3. Transmission functions for models in Table I. are obtained to study the influence of the design
parameters on the performance of the steering link-
age. In Fig. 3, the 01 vs 02 curves are portrayed for
various values of the linkage parameters. Figures
P2 = ~/(1 - Xm) 2 + (e + Zm) 2
4-10 show plots of the locus of intersection point of
q2=~--X22 the front axes during a turn. The comparative charts
demonstrate how the loci vary with controlled
r2 = x/(a" sin ~)2 - X~2 - x/(a. sin ~ )2 _ X~ parameter changes of the steering mechanism.
The locus of the intersection point which controls
c2 q_d2 q_p~ _q2 the efficient steering operation varies with the geo-
COS 4'2 =
2p2. / ~ ' ~ d 2 metrical parameters (a, b, c, d, e) and the angles (~,, p)
of the mechanism. The nature of the variation is
. P 2 q-P22 -- r2 portrayed in Figs 4-10. The lengths of the upper and
cos =
lower links of the transmission ABC (see Fig. 1) are
designated respectively by a and b. In Fig. 4, the
~2 = 4'2 + ~02 - 4'- (5) design locus changes only slightly with a 4%
The condition dt~ -- 62 provides the basic nonlinear (Aa/a =0.04) change in a. When compared with
equation for the steering linkage. This can be solved changes in b shown by Fig. 5, We observe a relatively
by numerical iteration on a computer to obtain the higher sensitivity of the design locus. For
0t vs 02 curve. Of particular interest is the comparison Ab/b ffi 0.01, a larger deviation of the locus is ob-
of this steering equation with the standard steering tained than in Fig. 4. Thus in design, it is important
law requiring the intersection point of the front axes to maintain more stringent tolerance requirements on
to lie on the rear axis during a turning maneuver. The the lower transmission link BC. This dictates closer
standard steering law is given by joint fits at the connection point B and C.
The next set of dimensions c, d and e relate to the
1 1 central steering crank. The nature of the variation of
tanO + ~---~2 =K" the locus of the intersection point is given in Figs 6,
7 and 8. An examination of these curves shows that
the parameters c and d tend to have much the same
DESIGN CHARTS influence on the design of the steering mechanism.
By the use of a computer program, several charts

Variation of c
\ Variat,ono, o I
I [ I I I

I ,

1.04 ~ ,

Fig. 4. Locus of intersection point for variation in a. Fig. 6. Locus of intersection point for variation in c.
318 DAVID D. ARDAYFIO and DANWEN QIAO

,• VariatJon of d Variation of ~"

1.02
Fig. 9. Locus of intersection point for variation in ~.
Fig. 7. Locus of intersection point for variation in d.

Proportional changes Ac/c =Ad/d =0.02 produce

the same effective shifts of the locus. However, the
dimension e, which denotes the offset of the center of
rotation of the steering crank from the coordinate
reference line OO', is much less pronounced in com-
parison to c and d.
Figures 9 and 10 show the sensitivity of the locus
to changes in the angles a and /~. Changes in the
inclination of the joint axis AO to the Z axis,
represented by A~t have a slightly lower effect on the
steering effectiveness than corresponding changes,
Fig. 10. Locus of intersection point for variation in ft. ,
Aft, in the orientation of the upper transmission link.
This means that in design, dimension tolerances will
have to be tighter on the a n g l e / / t h a n on the angle
~c This can be achieved by a more precise assembly a sensitivity analysis may be performed. By permit-
of the joints A and B. In operation of the steering ting small differential changes in the parameters, the
mechanism, these sensitive parameters will have to be deviation of the locus from the starting design may
monitored more closely. be obtained. Indeed it may be found that certain
As an example, in the use of these design results, parametric changes may shift the locus closer to the
consider the synthesis of an optimal steering mech- rear axis. By repeating these steps, preferably in a
anism. From Fig. 2, it is best to use design data computer-aided design (CAD) environment, an opti-
similar to the model 5 in Table 1. This set of design mum steering mechanism may be selected. Such a
parameters yields the most efficient locus of the CAD system is easily implemented by the analytical
intersection point which is closest to the rear axis. formulation and the computer program on which this
The actual values used will reflect the magnitude of paper is based.
the characteristic length I of the required design.
Having obtained the values of the design parameters, CONCLUSION
We have presented in this paper the analytical
derivation of the equations of a three-dimensional
steering mechanism. These equations form the basis
for the development of parametric design charts.
Variation of e

Table 1. Steering gear parameter table for Figs 2 and 3

Link parameters (l = 1)

Model a b c d e ), fl
It 0.47 0.75 0.42 0.35 0.17 0.30 0.35
2 0.50 0.72 0.42 0.33 0.17 0.35 0.44
3 0.50 0.74 0.42 0.33 0.17 0.35 0.44
4 0.59 0.80 0.42 0.42 0.17 0.17 0.52
5 0.50 0.70 0.42 0.33 0.17 0.52 0.44
6 0.50 0.77 0.33 0.33 0.08 0.35 0.44
Fig. 8. Locus of intersection point for variation in e. t Model used as standard for comparison in Figs 4-10.
 Analytical design of seven joint spatial steering mechanisms 319

F r o m this set of curves an optimum design of the
steering mechanism can be selected. The optimization
process is by searching for the locus which lies closest
to the axis of the rear axle of the vehicle. The
charts also provide a basis for sensitivity analysis to
determine how parametric errors effect the overall
performance of the steering mechanism.
It is hoped that the work presented here will
contribute toward progress in the design and
development of steering mechanisms.
REFERENCES
1. W. A. Wolfe, Analytical design of an Ackermann
steering linkage Trans. A S M E J. Engng Ind. Feb., 10-14
(1959).
2. R. R. Dvali and N. Aleksishvili, Design for an auto-
mobile steering gear is a spherical four-bar linkage.
Mech. Mach. Theory 6, 167-175 (1971).
3. A.J. Cropper, Synthesizing a tractor steering linkage to
generate a desired turning function. ASME Paper No.
71-Vibr.-124 (1971).
4. N. Aleksisvili, Kinematikeskie pari rulevoi trapetii avto-
mobilea. Analiz Isintez Mehanizmov. Izd., Nauka (1970)
(in Russian).
5. R. Dvali and N. Aleksisvili, Kinematika rulevoi trapetii
avtomobilea. Soobsk. Akad. Nauk Gruzinskoi SSR No.
3 (1966) (in Russian).
6. R. Ramachandra, Steering linkage design. A method of
determining the configuration of the steering linkage so
that the geometry conforms to the Ackermann prin-
ciple. Automobile £ngnr No. 1 (1968).
7. R. Buchrnann, Zur Kinematischen Auslegnng yon
Lenktrapenzen zur Tractoren, Landmaschinen und
,~niliche Fahrzeuge. Inf. Land~nasch. Tratorenbaues
DDR 11 (1969) (in German).
8. N. Manolescu and P. Alexandru, Contributions a la
synthc','secin6matiqua du trapex de direction des vehicu-
lese automobiles routiers. Construct. magsini, Bucuresti
No. 8 (1973) (in French).
9. P. Ocher, Der Einfluss Nachlauf, Spreizung, Sturz and
Vorspur auf die Kinematik yon Achsschenkellen-
kungen. Dr. Kraft Forsch. Strass Verk Tech. 123 (1959)
(in German).
10. D. Forkel, Esin lkitrag zur Auslegung von Fahrzeu-
glenkugen. Dr. Kraft Forsch. Strass Verk Tech. 145,
(1961) (in German).
11. H. Hasselgruber, Zur Lenkgeometrie yon Vieradrigen
Strassenkraft Fahrzeuge. V.D.I., Bet. 77 (1964) (in
German).
12. FI. Duditza and P. Alexandru, Die Systematisierung der
Lenkmechanismen der Kraftfahrzeuge. Konstruktion 10
(1971) (in German).
13. P. Alexanru, La synth~se cinematique des mecanismes
de direction a trois barres d'accouplement et des
m~anismes ~ cr~malli~re. Bul. Univ. Brasov No. XV
(1973) (in French).
14. F. Duditza and P. Alexandru, Synthesis of the seven
joint space mechanism used in the steering system of
road vehicles. Proceedings of the 4th World Congress on
Theory of Machines and Mechanisms, pp. 697-702. I.
Mech. E. (1975).

ANALYTISCHER ENTWURF EINES AUS SIEBEN GELENKEN

BESTEHENDEN RXUMLICHEN LENKMECHANISMUS

ZmmmenfMsung--Diese Arbeit behandelt die Entwicklung der ldnematischen Gleichungen und eines
Satzes yon Entwurfs-Tafeln, die flit die Synthese des aus sieben C-elenken bestehenden r~umlichen
Lenkmechanismus verwendet werden kSnnen. Eine Entwurfsoptimierung wird dutch die Auswahl tier
Kurven erm6glicht, die der realen Achse am meisten angenihert sind. Darfiber hinaus ist es mittels der
Entwuffstafeln m6glich zu ermitteln, welche Parameter-Fehler die Leistung des Lenkmechanismus
beeinflussen k6nnen.