Lecture # 4

HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
There are two basic issues in vehicle handling: one is the
control of the direction of motion of the vehicle; the other is
its ability to stabilize its direction of motion against external
disturbances.

The models demonstrate the effects on handling behavior of

major vehicle design and operational parameters, such as tire
properties, location of the center of gravity, and forward
speed, and lead to conclusions of practical significance
concerning directional control and stability.
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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES

Ackerman Steering Bell-Crank

Linkage Steering Linkage

Rack-And-Pinion Steering Short rack

Linkage steering 4
 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEERING GEOMETRY

At low speeds

The steering geometry that satisfies

this equation is usually referred to as
The Ackermann steering geometry

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEERING GEOMETRY

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEERING GEOMETRY

The deviation of the curve connecting

O1, O2, and O3 from line MF is
therefore an indication of the error of
the steering geometry with respect to
the Ackermann criterion.

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE

The handling characteristics of the vehicle

depend, to a great extent, on the relationship
between the slip angles of the front and rear
tires, αf and αr.

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE

The relationship among the steer angle of the

front tire δf, the turning radius R, the wheel
base L, and the slip angles of the front and
rear tires αf and αr, is approximately given by

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE

where C αf and Cαr are the cornering stiffness of each of the

front and rear tires, respectively. 13
 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE

The cornering stiffness of a given tire varies with a number of

operational parameters, including inflation pressure, normal
load, tractive (or braking) effort, and lateral force. It may be
regarded as a constant only within a limited range of operating
conditions.

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE
where Kus is usually referred to as the
understeer coefficient and is expressed in
radians, and a, is the lateral acceleration.

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE
This equation is the fundamental equation
governing the steady-state handling behavior
of a road vehicle. It indicates that the steer
angle required to negotiate a given curve
depends on the wheelbase, turning radius,
forward speed (or lateral acceleration), and
understeer coefficient of the vehicle, which is
a function of the weight distribution and tire
cornering stiffness.
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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE
Dependent on the values of the understeer
coefficient Kus or the relationship between the
slip angles of the front and rear tires, the
steady-state handling characteristics may be
classified into three categories: neutral
steer, understeer, and oversteer

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE: Neutral Steer

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE: Neutral Steer

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE: Neutral Steer

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE: Neutral Steer

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE: Understeer

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE: Understeer

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE: Understeer

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE: Oversteer

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE: Oversteer

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE: Oversteer

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE:

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE:

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE:

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE RESPONSE TO STEERING INPUT: Yaw Velocity
Response

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE RESPONSE TO STEERING INPUT: Yaw Velocity
Response

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE RESPONSE TO STEERING INPUT: Lateral
Acceleration Response

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE RESPONSE TO STEERING INPUT: Lateral
Acceleration Response

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE RESPONSE TO STEERING INPUT: Curvature
Response

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE RESPONSE TO STEERING INPUT: Curvature
Response

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE RESPONSE TO STEERING INPUT:

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE:

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
STEADY-STATE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A TWO AXLE
VEHICLE:

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