Lecture # 4

HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
TESTING OF HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS
To measure the handling behavior of a road vehicle under steady-state
conditions, various types of test can be conducted on a skid pad, which in
essence is a large, flat, paved area. Three types of test can be distinguished:
the constant radius test, the constant forward speed test, and the constant steer
angle test. During the tests, the steer angle, forward speed, and yaw velocity
(or lateral acceleration) of the vehicle are usually measured. Yaw velocity can
be measured by a rate-gyro or determined by the lateral acceleration divided
by vehicle forward speed. Lateral acceleration can be measured by an
accelerometer or determined by the yaw velocity multiplied by vehicle
forward speed. Based on the relationship between the steer angle and the
lateral acceleration or yaw velocity obtained from tests, the handling
characteristics of the vehicle can be evaluated.
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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
TESTING OF HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS: Constant Radius Test

In this test, the vehicle is driven along a curve with a constant radius at
various speeds. The steer angle δf or the angle of the steering wheel required
to maintain the vehicle on course at various forward speeds together with the
corresponding lateral acceleration are measured. The steady-state lateral
acceleration can also be deduced from the vehicle forward speed and the
known turning radius. The results can be plotted as shown in the following
figure. The handling behavior of the vehicle can then be determined from the
slope of the steer angle-lateral acceleration curve. From Eq. 5.10, for a
constant turning radius, the slope of the curve is given by

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
TESTING OF HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS: Constant Radius Test

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
TESTING OF HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS: Constant Radius Test

This indicates that the slope of the curve represents the value of the understeer
coefficient.
If the steer angle required to maintain the vehicle on a constant radius turn is
the same for all forward speeds (i.e., the slope of the steer angle-lateral
acceleration curve is zero), as shown in the figure, the vehicle is neutral steer.
The vehicle is considered to be understeer when the slope of the steer angle-
lateral acceleration curve is positive, which indicates the value of the
understeer coefficient Kus being greater than zero, as shown in the figure. The
vehicle is considered to be oversteer when the slope of the curve is negative,
which indicates the value of the understeer coefficient Kus being less than
zero, as illustrated in the figure.
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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
TESTING OF HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS: Constant Radius Test

For a practical vehicle, owing to the nonlinear behavior of tires and

suspensions, load transfer, and the effects of tractive (or braking) effort, the
value of the understeer coefficient Kus varies with operating conditions. A
curve rather than a straight line to represent the steer angle-lateral acceleration
relationship is usually obtained. It is possible for a vehicle to have understeer
characteristics at low lateral accelerations and oversteer characteristics at high
lateral accelerations, as shown in the figure.

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
TESTING OF HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS: Constant Speed Test

In this test, the vehicle is driven at a constant forward speed at various turning
radii. The steer angle and the lateral acceleration are measured. The results
can be plotted as shown in the following figure. The handling behavior of the
vehicle can then be determined from the slope of the steer angle-lateral
acceleration curve. From Eq. 5.10, for a constant speed turn, the slope of the
curve is given by

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
TESTING OF HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS: Constant Speed Test

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
TESTING OF HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS: Constant Speed Test

If the vehicle is neutral steer, the value of the understeer coefficient Kus will be
zero and the slope of the steer angle-lateral acceleration line will be
a constant of gL/V2, as shown in the figure.
The vehicle is considered to be understeer when the slope of the steer angle-
lateral acceleration curve is greater than that for the neutral steer re- sponse at
a given forward speed (i.e., gL/V2), which indicates that the value of the
understeer coefficient Kus is positive, as shown in the figure. The vehicle is
considered to be oversteer when the slope of the curve is less than that for the
neutral steer response at a given forward speed (i.e., gL/V2), which indicates
that the value of the understeer coefficient Kus is negative, as shown in the
figure.
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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
TESTING OF HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS: Constant Speed Test

When the slope of the curve is zero

and

This indicates that the oversteer vehicle is operating at the critical speed, and
that the vehicle is at the onset of directional instability

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
TESTING OF HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS: Constant Speed Test

If, during the tests, the steer angle and yaw velocity are measured, then the
slope of the steer angle-yaw velocity curve can also be used to evaluate the
steady-state handling behavior of the vehicle in a similar way.

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
TESTING OF HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS: Constant Steer Angle
Test

In this test, the vehicle is driven with a fixed steering wheel angle at various
forward speeds. The lateral accelerations at various speeds are measured.
From the test results, the curvature 1/R, which can be calculated from the
measured lateral acceleration and forward speed by 1/R = ay/V2, is plotted
against lateral acceleration, as shown in the following figure. The handling
behavior can then be determined by the slope of the curvature-lateral
acceleration curve. From Eq. 5.10, for a constant steering wheel angle, the
slope of the curve is given by

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
TESTING OF HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS: Constant Steer Angle
Test

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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
TESTING OF HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS: Constant Steer Angle
Test
If the vehicle is neutral steer, the value of the understeer coefficient Kus will be
zero, and the slope of the curvature-lateral acceleration curve is zero. The
characteristics of a neutral steer vehicle are therefore represented by a
horizontal line, as shown in the figure.
The vehicle is considered to be understeer when the slope of the curvature-
lateral acceleration curve is negative, which indicates that the value of the
understeer coefficient Kus is positive, as shown in the figure. The vehicle is
considered to be oversteer when the slope of the curvature-lateral acceleration
curve is positive, which indicates that the value of the understeer coefficient
Kus is negative.
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 HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES
TESTING OF HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS: Constant Steer Angle
Test

In general, the constant radius test is the simplest and requires little
instrumentation. The steer angle of the front tire (or the steering wheel angle)
and forward speed are the only essential parameters to be measured during the
test, as the steady-state lateral acceleration can be deduced from vehicle
forward speed and the given turning radius. The constant speed test is more
representative of the actual road behavior of a vehicle than the constant radius
test, as the driver usually maintains a more or less constant speed in a turn and
turns the steering wheel by the required amount to negotiate the curve. The
constant steer angle test, on the other hand, is easy to execute. Both the
constant speed and constant steer angle tests would require, however, the
measurement of the lateral acceleration or yaw velocity. 15
HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF
ROAD VEHICLES

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