2016 12th World Congress on Intelligent Control and Automation (WCICA)
June 12-15, 2016, Guilin, China
Optimization Algorithm for Vehicle Braking Force Distribution of
Front and Rear Axles Based on Brake Strength
Jinlong Xu and Xiangwen Zhang
Abstract—The vehicle braking force distribution of front and
rear axles affects its safety directly. In order to enhance the
braking safety, the changes of brake strength are considered in
this paper, and an optimization algorithm for braking force
distribution is designed. The method is the variable ratio
method, and it can change the braking force distribution rate of
front and rear axles according to the brake strength variation,
so its braking effect can be optimal. To verify the validity of the
algorithm, two braking force distribution algorithm models
with the fixed ratio and variable ratio were built in
Matlab/Simulink respectively, and the simulation test was done
based on the ASM model of dSPACE. The result show that the
optimization distribution algorithm with variable ratio has
better stability of braking direction, and higher adhesion
coefficient utilization and shorter braking distance. Therefore,
the optimization braking force distribution algorithm with the
variable ratio is a promising method, and it can be used to
improve the braking performance effectively, thereby to
improve the vehicle safety ultimately.
I. INTRODUCTION
B raking safety is the important performance of the
vehicle, as reported in National Transportation Safety
Board-Special Investigation Report, 90% vehicle rear-end
accidents and 60% frontal collision can be avoided
effectively if the vehicle is braking ahead of time 1s [1]. The
braking force distribution on front and rear axles affects the
braking performance directly [2]. The better distribution
method can improve the braking directional stability [3]-[4],
and reduce the braking distance and time, thus enhance the
safety of the vehicle [5]. Therefore, the braking force
distribution algorithm has aroused the interest and attention
of the vehicle researchers and designers.
The current braking force distribution algorithm is
mainly divided into the distribution algorithm with fixed ratio,
the optimization distribution algorithm with fixed ratio
[6]-[10] and the distribution algorithm with variable ratio
[11]-[17]. For the distribution algorithm with fixed ratio, the
This work was supported in part by the Natural Science Foundation of
China(51465011) and Natural Science Foundation of
GuangXi(2014GXNSFAA118377).
Jinlong Xu is the graduate student at School of Electrical Engineering and
Automation, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin 541000,
China (e-mail: xujinlong_1128@163.com).
Xiangwen Zhang is with the School of Electronic Engineering and
Automation, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin 541000,
China(corresponding author, e-mail: zhangxiangwen128@163.com).
978-1-4673-8414-8/16/$31.00 ©2016 IEEE
distribution ratio of braking forces between the front and rear
axles is fixed, regardless of the brake strength, the load and
the changes of road conditions. When the vehicle brakes with
fixed ratio distribution, the rear wheel is easily to lock earlier
than the front wheel, so the vehicle may enter sideslip
condition [18]. This is a very dangerous condition and should
be avoided. For the optimization distribution algorithm with
fixed ratio, the braking force distribution ratio is optimized in
all brake strengths according to the requirements of ECE
regulations. During the optimization process, the no load and
full load cases are both considered [19]. The braking
directional stability of the vehicle can be ensured by this
distribution control algorithm. However, only when the
vehicle brakes with the synchronous adhesion coefficient on
the road surface, the front and rear wheels can be locked at the
same time. At this time, the ground adhesion utilization of the
front and rear wheels is the highest, and the braking
performance is the best. In any other braking conditions, the
adhesion utilization is not high enough, so the braking effect
is not optimal in all time. The distribution algorithm with
variable ratio was reported in reference [20]. The actual
braking force distribution curve was made up of two fold
lines with different slopes. Considering the no load and full
load conditions, the optimal folding point is designed to make
the actual braking force distribution fold line close to the ideal
curve as much as possible. The vehicle braking performance
can be improved in some extent by this distribution algorithm
with variable ratio, but the adhesion utilization of the front
and rear wheels is not high when the vehicle is in full load, so
the braking effect is not very optimal in this condition.
In order to obtain a good braking directional stability and
have a higher ground adhesion utilization of the front and rear
wheels, an optimization braking force distribution algorithm
with variable ratio is proposed in the paper. The braking force
distribution ratio is optimized with the detailed brake strength,
so the distribution ratio varies with the different brake
strength. The structure of the paper is as follows: 1) The
vehicle braking process is analyzed and the utilization
adhesion coefficients of the front and rear wheels are solved;
2) Considering the ECE regulations, the mathematical
inequalities for the utilization adhesion coefficients of the
front and rear wheels are given; 3) The braking performance
of the distribution algorithm with fixed ratio is analyzed, and
the optimization braking force distribution algorithm with
fixed ratio and the optimization braking force distribution
algorithm with the variable ratio are designed and their
braking performance are analyzed in theory; 4) The vehicle
braking force distribution control model is built based on
ASM model of dSPACE, and the simulation experiments was
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done with different brake strength for the three distribution time, the vehicle deceleration is du / dt = zg , and the
algorithms, and the simulation results are analyzed; 5) braking force of the ground to the front wheel is equal to the
Research conclusions are given and the existing problems and brake braking force of front wheel, that is
future research directions are discussed. G du
F Xb 1 = Fu 1 = β = β Gz (4)
g dt
II. FORCE ANALYSIS OF VEHICLE BRAKING PROCESS The utilization adhesion coefficient of the wheel is defined
as the ratio between the braking force and the normal force of
To simplify the analysis, a two-wheel model of vehicle
the ground to the wheel under the brake strength z
braking on the level road is established as showed in Fig. 1.
condition.
The air resistance and rolling resistance of tires on the ground
According to the Equations (1), (2) and (4), the utilization
are ignored in the model, and forces on the vehicle left and
adhesion coefficients of the vehicle front and rear wheels can
right wheels are assumed to be the same [21].
be derived as:
FXb1 β zL
ϕf = = (5)
m
du FZf b + zhg
dt

F (1 − β ) zL
G ϕ r = Xb 2 = (6)
hg
FZr a − zhg
FXb1 FXb 2
FZf FZr
a b
III. THE ECE REGULATIONS
L
In this paper, the vehicle model for the mid-size vehicle
Fig. 1. The two-wheel vehicle braking model
was studied, that was called as M1 category vehicle. The
number of seats of M1 vehicle is not more than 9, and the
In Fig. 1, FZf and FZr are the normal force of the ground to driver's seat is included. The main parameters of the mid-size
the front and rear wheels respectively(N); a is the distance vehicle are shown in Table I.
between the front axle center line and the center of TABLE I
THE MAIN PARAMETERS OF THE MID-SIZE VEHICLE
gravity(m); b is the distance between the rear axle center line
The The
and the center of gravity(m); L is vehicle axle distance(m); distance
height The distance
m is the vehicle mass(kg); G is the vehicle gravity(N); h g is of the of the front
of the rear
Vehicle
Vehicle center axle
the height of the center of gravity(m); FXb1 and FXb 2 are the axle center axle
Load mass of center line
line to the Distance
braking forces of the ground to front and the rear wheels m (kg) gravity to the
center of L(m)
hg center of
respectively(N). (m) gravity a(m)
gravity
Assumed that the braking deceleration of the vehicle is b(m)
du dt , and the brake strength of the vehicle is z, then No
load 1418 0.510 1.064 1.596 2.66
du / dt = zg and the normal forces of the ground to the front 1/2 Full
and rear wheels can be solved as follows: load 1605 0.530 1.14 1.52 2.66
du Full
FZf = (Gb + m hg ) / L = G (b + zhg ) / L (1) load 1793 0.553 1.239 1.421 2.66
dt
According to the ECE regulations for braking force
du distribution of the M1 vehicle, the detailed mathematical
FZr = (Ga − m hg ) / L =G ( a − zhg ) / L (2)
dt inequality constraint condition can be obtained as follows.
During the vehicle braking process, the braking forces of When 0.1≤ z ≤ 0.61, the utilization adhesion coefficients
the front and rear axles are distributed with a certain of the front and rear wheels are constrained to meet the
proportion. And the distribution coefficient β is usually used braking distance standard as:
to represent the braking force distribution proportion, and it is ­ z + 0.07
defined with the braking force ratio between the front wheel °°ϕ f ≤ 0.85
braking force and the vehicle total braking force. Namely (7)
®
Fu 1 F °ϕ ≤ z + 0.07
β= = u1 (3) °̄ r 0.85
Fu 1 + Fu 2 Fu
When 0.15 ≤ z ≤ 0.8 , the utilization adhesion coefficients
Where, Fu1 and Fu 2 are the braking forces of the front and
of the front and rear wheels are constrained to meet the
rear wheels respectively; Fu is total braking force. braking stability standard as:
When the vehicle front wheel is about to locked alone or the ϕ f ≥ ϕr (8)
front and rear wheels are both about to locked at the same According to Equations (5)-(8), the mathematical

3354
inequality constraints of braking force distribution coefficient
are derived as:
­ z 2hg + z(b + 0.07hg ) + 0.07b
°β ≤ 0.1 ≤ z ≤ 0.61
° 0.85ZL
°° -z 2hg + z(a − 0.07hg ) + 0.07a (9)
®β ≥ 1- 0.1 ≤ z ≤ 0.61
° 0.85ZL
° zhg +b
°β ≥ 0.15 ≤ z ≤ 0.8
°̄ L cannot meet the braking force distribution requirements of
So the Equation (9) is the constraints of the ECE
regulations for M1 vehicle, and the actual vehicle braking
force distribution coefficient β should meet the inequality
constraints (9) to get the good braking performance.
IV. OPTIMIZATION ALGORITHM FOR BRAKING FORCE
DISTRIBUTION
The braking force distribution coefficient β describes the
braking force distribution ratio between the front and rear
wheels, and β meets the constraint condition (9), so the
braking force distribution algorithm should be designed
according to Equation (9).
In the following, the braking force distribution algorithm
with fixed ratio is given firstly, then the braking force
optimization distribution algorithms with fixed ratio and
variable ratio are designed respectively, and the vehicle
braking performance of the three braking force distribution
algorithms are analyzed in theory.
A. Braking Force Distribution Algorithm with Fixed Ratio
In this paper, the braking force distribution algorithm with
fixed ratio was used in the brake of the mid-size vehicle. The
vehicle braking force distribution coefficient β = 0.55.
With Equations (5)-(7), the variation curve of the
utilization adhesion coefficients of front and rear wheels with
the brake strength is drawn under no load and full load
conditions, respectively, as shown in Fig. 2.
Fig. 2. Variation curve of utilization adhesion coefficients of the front and
rear wheels with the brake strength under no load and full load conditions
when the distribution coefficient β = 0.55
As can be seen from Fig. 2, for the braking force
distribution coefficient with fixed ratio β =0.55 and the brake
strength of 0.38 ≤ z ≤ 0.61 , the utilization adhesion
coefficient of the front wheel is higher than the limit of ECE
regulation under no load condition. And in full load
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condition, the utilization adhesion coefficient of the rear
wheel ϕ r is above the utilization adhesion coefficient of the
front wheel ϕ f , which not conforms to the constraint
Equation (8) of the braking directional stability of ECE
regulations. Under this condition, the rear wheel is easy to be
locked earlier than the front wheel during the vehicle braking
process, and the vehicle will lose the directional stability. So
the braking force distribution algorithm with fixed ratio
ECE regulations under some conditions, and it may cause
sideslip when the vehicle braking.
B. Optimization Braking Force Distribution Algorithm
with Fixed Ratio
The rationality of the actual vehicle braking force
distribution can be analyzed according to the relation curve
between the utilization adhesion coefficient and brake
strength. When the utilization adhesion coefficient is equal to
the brake strength all the time, the braking force distribution
rationality of the vehicle front and rear axles achieves the
ideal situation. In this case, the adhesion conditions to the
ground are utilized most adequately, and the braking force
distribution between front and rear axles is best. For the
actual braking force distribution is different from the ideal
state, the optimization method is used to solve the optimal
braking force distribution ratio, and the difference between
the utilization adhesion coefficient and brake strength is
minimal for this distribution ratio.
During the optimization process, the no load and full load
conditions are both considered, and the objective function has
been selected as the sum of squares of the difference between
the utilization adhesion coefficient and the corresponding
brake strength on no load and full load conditions. The brake
strength z is selected to change from 0.15 to 0.8 with step
0.05, and the utilization adhesion coefficients of the front and
rear wheels are considered, so the objective function of
optimization braking force distribution algorithm with fixed
ratio can be defined as follows:
0.8
F = min ¦ {[(ϕ
z j =0.15
fno − zj )2 +(ϕrno − zj )2 ]+[(ϕf full − zj )2 +(ϕrfull − zj )2 ]} (10)
In order to solve the objective function, the constraint
conditions should be determined. Based on the parameters of
the vehicle braking performance under no load and full load
conditions in Table I, the constraint inequalities can be solved
with the Equation (9) of braking force distribution coefficient
β as follows:
­2.261β z − 0.51z2 −1.6317z − 0.11172 ≤ 0;˄0.1 ≤ z ≤ 0.61˅
°
°0.51z − 2.261β z +1.2327z − 0.07448 ≤ 0;˄0.1 ≤ z ≤ 0.61˅
2
°°0.51z − 2.66β +1.596 ≤ 0;˄0.15 ≤ z ≤ 0.8˅ (11)
®
°2.261β z − 0.553z −1.4597z − 0.09947 ≤ 0;˄0.1 ≤ z ≤ 0.61˅
2
°0.553z2 − 2.261β z +1.0607z − 0.08673 ≤ 0;˄0.1 ≤ z ≤ 0.61˅
°
¯°0.553z − 2.66β +1.421 ≤ 0;˄0.15 ≤ z ≤ 0.8˅
According to the objective function (10) and the constraint
conditions (11), the optimized mathematical model of the
fixed braking force distribution ratio β can be built in
MATLAB environment. The optimal values of the
optimization design variables X = [ β , z ] = [0.7354,0.5045]
can be solved with the nonlinear constrained optimization
function fmincon( ) in MATLAB optimization toolbox, so the
optimization braking force distribution coefficient with fixed
ratio is β =0.7534.
With the braking force distribution coefficient
β =0.7534, the variation curve of the utilization adhesion
coefficient varies with the brake strength.
For the detailed brake strengths z , the optimization
objective function is selected as the sum of squares of the
difference between the front and rear utilization adhesion
coefficient and their brake strength on no load and full load
conditions. So the objective function of the optimization
braking force distribution algorithm with variable ratio can be
described as follows:
F = min{[(ϕf − z)2 +(ϕr − z)2 ] +[(ϕf − z)2 + (ϕr − z)2 ]} (12)
no no full full

coefficients of the front and rear wheels with brake strength Where, z is 0.2, 03,0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8 respectively.
in no load and full load conditions can be drawn as shown in If the brake strength z=0.2, with the parameters of the
Fig. 3. vehicle braking performance under no load and full load
conditions in Table I, the constraint inequalities can be solved
with the Equation (9) of braking force distribution coefficient
β as follows:
­ 0.4522 β − 0.45846 ≤ 0;
° 0.19246 − 0.4522 β ≤ 0;
°
°1.698 − 2.66 β ≤ 0; (13)
®
° 0.4522 β − 0.41353 ≤ 0;
° 0.14753 − 0.4522 β ≤ 0;
°
¯1.5316 − 2.66 β ≤ 0;
Fig. 3. Variation curve of utilization adhesion coefficients of the front and
rear wheels with the brake strength under no load and full load conditions
With the same method, the constraint conditions for other
when the optimization distribution coefficient with fixed ratio β = 0.7534 braking strengths can be determined, and the optimization
braking force distribution results can be solved with the
As can be seen from Fig. 3, with the optimization braking
fmincon( ) function according to the objective function and
force distribution coefficient β =0.7534 and the brake
its corresponding constraint condition. The detailed
strength of 0.1 ≤ z ≤ 0.61, the utilization adhesion coefficients optimization results for different braking strengths are shown
of the front and rear wheels are within the limit of ECE in Table Ċ.
regulation in no load and full load conditions. The front TABLE Ċ
utilization adhesion coefficient ϕ f is higher than the rear THE OPTIMIZED DISTRIBUTION COEFFICIENTS UNDER DIFFERENT
BRAKE STRENGTH Z
utilization adhesion coefficient ϕ r , thus the front wheel will Brake
be locked earlier than the rear wheel during the vehicle actual strength 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8
z
braking process, and the directional stability of vehicle
Distribution
braking can be ensured. Therefore, the optimization coefficient 0.63 0.65 0.67 0.69 0.71 0.73 0.75
distribution algorithm with fixed ratio β =0.7534 can meet β 83 75 67 59 50 42 34
the braking standards of the ECE regulations and ensure the As can be seen from Table Ċ , the optimal values of
good braking directional stability. braking force distribution coefficient are different under
C. Optimization Braking Force Distribution Algorithm different brake strength z. With the braking force distribution
with Variable Ratio Based on Brake Strength coefficients in Table Ċ, the variation curves of front and rear
In part B, the brake strengths at the range of 0.15 ~ 0.8 are utilization adhesion coefficients with the brake strength under
all considered in the objective function of braking force no load and full load conditions can be drawn as shown in
optimization distribution with fixed ratio, and the Fig. 4.
optimization ratio is a fixed and integrated result for 0.15 ~
0.8 brake strengths. So the optimization distribution
coefficient with fixed ratio is not all optimal at each kind of
brake strength. Therefore, the braking performance cannot be
ensured to achieve the optimal status under each kind of
brake strength.
In order to improve the braking performance further, an
optimization braking force distribution algorithm with
variable ratio based on brake strength is presented in this
paper. The braking force distribution coefficient β is
optimized at the detailed braking strength, so the distribution

3356
Fig. 4. Variation curve of utilization adhesion coefficients of the front and
rear wheels with the brake strength under no load and full load conditions
when the optimization distribution algorithm with variable ratio.
From Fig.4 we can see that the front and rear utilization
adhesion coefficients are within the limit of ECE regulation
in no load and full load conditions. The front utilization
adhesion coefficient ϕ f is above the rear utilization adhesion
coefficient ϕ r , thus the front wheel will be locked earlier
than the rear wheel during the vehicle actual braking process,
and the directional stability of vehicle braking and ECE
regulation can be ensured.
Compared the results from Fig. 3-4, the optimization
distribution algorithm with variable ratio has better
performance than the optimization distribution algorithm
with fix ratio. For the optimization distribution algorithm
with variable ratio, the braking force distribution coefficient
varies with the changes of the brake strength, and the
utilization adhesion coefficients of the front and the rear
wheels are closer to its corresponding brake strength in no
load and full load brake conditions, and the adhesion
coefficients of front and rear wheels to the ground are utilized
more sufficiently, so the braking force distribution proportion
is more reasonable and the vehicle braking efficiency will be
better.
V. SIMULATION AND ANALYSIS
In order to verify the results of the previous theoretical
analysis, the simulation tests were done on different load
conditions for the different braking force distribution
algorithms, including the distribution coefficient with fixed
ratio β = 0.55, the optimization distribution coefficient with
fixed ratio β =0.7534 and the optimization distribution
coefficient with variable ratio β values.
The vehicle braking force distribution control model was
built with the mid-size vehicle model and linear brake master
A. Comparison and Analysis of the Braking Speed
The braking speed curve describes the variation of the
vehicle speed and wheel speeds during the braking process,
and it can reflect the vehicle braking efficiency directly.
During the analysis process, the result of brake strength
z=0.4 is selected as example. Firstly, the vehicle brakes in no
load condition is considered, the braking speed curves of the
three braking force distribution algorithms are shown in Fig.
5.
For fixed braking force distribution coefficient β =0.55,
the braking speed curve is shown in Fig. 5(a). The rear wheel
was locked at about 11.2s, and then front wheel was locked
after about 1.5 s, so the rear wheel was locked earlier than the
front wheel. In this dangerous braking condition, the vehicle
is easy to skidding, and the vehicle directional stability cannot
be ensured. Fig. 5(b) is the braking speed curve of the
optimization braking force distribution coefficient with fixed
ratio β = 0.7534. As found from the figure, the front wheel
was locked at about 11.2s, and the rear wheel was not locked
during the braking process and the vehicle was in a steady
state. The front adhesion coefficient utilization is
E f =89.18%, and the rear adhesion coefficient utilization is
Er =76.27%. Fig. 5(c) presents the braking speed curve of the
optimization braking force distribution coefficient with
variable ratio. The front wheel was locked earlier than the
rear wheel, which ensures the directional stability of the
vehicle braking. And the front adhesion coefficient utilization
is E f =99.99%, and the rear adhesion coefficient utilization
is Er =99.99%. Compared Fig. 5(c) with Fig. 5(b), the rear
wheel was locked faster. Therefore, under no load condition,
the braking force optimization distribution algorithm with
variable ratio has a higher ground adhesion coefficient
utilization and better braking performance.
80

cylinder model based on the ASM model of dSPACE. The 70

vehicle braking force distribution control model was 60

connected to the ASM vehicle dynamics simulation model, 50 FL Wheel speed

Speed(km/h)

Vehicle speed
and the roads information and modes of vehicle operation 40

30
were set in Model Desk software, and then downloaded to the
20
ASM model for the simulation experiment. During the 10
RL Wheel speed

simulation, the friction coefficient of road surface is 0.8 and 0

the vehicle braking initial speed is 80 km/h. The load 11 11.5 12 12.5 13 13.5 14 14.5 15

condition is no load, 1/2 full load and full load conditions. Time(s)

The vehicle coaxial left and right wheels have the same load (a) Fixed braking force distribution coefficient β =0.55 without
conditions, and the operation of the coaxial wheels can be optimization
considered consistent in the straight line braking process. The
brake strength z is set by the position of the brake pedal in 80

Model Desk software, and the brake strength z = 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 70 RL Wheel speed
60
0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8 were simulated respectively using the three
Speed(km/h)

50
braking force distribution control algorithm in no load, 1/2 40
Vehicle speed

full load and full load conditions. 30

In the following, the simulations results of the braking 20 FL Wheel speed
speed and braking distance are compared and analyzed 10

respectively. 0
11 11.5 12 12.5 13 13.5 14 14.5 15
Time(s)

3357
 (b) Optimization braking force distribution coefficient with fixed ratio (a) Fixed braking force distribution coefficient β =0.55 without
β = 0.7534 optimization
80
80
70
FL wheel speed Vehicle speed
70
60
60
50
speed(km/h)

Vehicle speed

Speed(km/h)
50
40
40
30 RL Wheel speed
30
RL wheel speed
20
20 FL Wheel speed
10
10

0 0

11 11.5 12 12.5 13 13.5 14 14.5 15

11 11.5 12 12.5 13 13.5 14 14.5
Time(s)
Time(s)
(b) Optimization braking force distribution coefficient with fixed ratio
(c) Optimization braking force distribution coefficient with variable ratio
Fig. 5. The variation curves of the vehicle speed, front wheel speed and the β = 0.7534
rear wheel speed with time during the vehicle braking with brake strength 80
z=0.4 and no load condition for the three braking force distribution
70
algorithms FL Wheel speed
60
Secondly, the vehicle brakes in 1/2 full load condition is 50
considered, the braking speed curves of the three braking

Speed(km/h)
RL Wheel speed
40

force distribution algorithms are shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 6(a) 30

Vehicle speed

shows the result of the fixed braking force distribution 20

coefficient β =0.55. The rear wheel was locked at about 10

11.6s, but the front wheel was not locked during the vehicle 0

11 11.5 12 12.5 13 13.5 14 14.5 15

braking process. In this braking condition, the rear wheel is Time(s)

easy to skidding, and the vehicle directional stability cannot
be ensured. Fig. 6(b) is the braking speed curve of the
optimization of braking force distribution coefficient with
fixed ratio β = 0.7534. As found from the figure, the front
wheel was locked at about 11.7s and the rear wheel was not
locked during the braking process, and the vehicle was in a
steady state. And at this time the adhesion coefficient
utilization of front wheel is E f =86.43%, the adhesion
coefficient utilization of rear wheel is Er =70.68%.
Fig. 6(c) presents the braking speed curve of the
optimization braking force distribution coefficient with
variable ratio. It is similar to Fig. 6(b), the front wheel was
locked at about 11.8s, and the rear wheel was not locked, so
the directional stability of the vehicle braking was ensured.
And at this time, the adhesion coefficient utilization of the
front wheel is E f =96.22%, the adhesion coefficient
utilization of rear wheel is Er =92.67%. Compared Fig. 6(c)
with Fig. 6(b), the front and rear wheels speeds drop faster,
and the braking time is shorter. Therefore, under 1/2 full load
condition, the braking force optimization distribution
algorithm with variable ratio has a higher ground adhesion
coefficient utilization and better braking performance.
80
70
60
Vehicle speed
50
Speed(km/h)
(c) Optimization braking force distribution coefficient with variable ratio
Fig. 6. The variation curves of the vehicle speed, front wheel speed and the
rear wheel speed with time during the vehicle braking with brake strength
z=0.4 and 1/2 full load condition for the three braking force distribution
algorithms
Thirdly, the vehicle brakes in full load condition is
considered, the braking speed curves of the three braking
force distribution algorithms are shown in Fig. 7. In Fig. 7(a),
the braking speed curve is shown when the fixed braking
force distribution coefficient is β =0.55 without
optimization. The rear wheel was locked at about 12.1s, and
the front wheel was not locked. During this braking process,
the rear axle of the vehicle is easy to skidding and the ground
adhesion coefficient utilization is low in such a dangerous
braking condition, so the vehicle directional stability cannot
be ensured. Fig. 7(b) is the braking speed curve of the
optimization braking force distribution coefficient with fixed
ratio β = 0.7534. As found from the figure, the front wheel
was locked at about 12s and the rear wheel was not locked
during the braking process, and the vehicle was in a steady
state. And at this time, the adhesion coefficient utilization of
front wheel is E f =81.94%, and the adhesion coefficient
utilization of rear wheel is Er =64.45%. Fig. 7(c) presents the
braking speed curve of the optimization of braking force
distribution coefficient with variable ratio. The front wheel
was locked at about 12.3s, and the rear wheel was not locked,
so the directional stability of the vehicle braking can be

40
FL Wheel speed
ensured. In addition, the front adhesion coefficient utilization
30 is E f =91.23%, and the rear adhesion coefficient utilization is
20 RL Wheel speed

10
Er =84.49%. Compared Fig. 7(c) with Fig. 7(b), the ground
0 adhesion coefficient utilization of the front and rear wheels
11 11.5 12 12.5 13
Time(s)
13.5 14 14.5 15
are higher, and the braking time is shorter. Therefore, under
full load condition, the vehicle braking force optimization

3358
distribution algorithm with variable ratio shows a higher
ground adhesion coefficient utilization and better braking B. Comparison and Analysis of the Braking Distance
effect. The braking distance is the important braking performance
80
indicator, and it can reflect the vehicle braking efficient well.
70 During the analysis process, the simulation results with
60 different braking strength under no load, 1/2 full load and full
50 Vehicle speed load conditions are considered, and the braking distance
Speed(km/h)

40
FL Wheel speed
variation curves with braking strength are shown in Fig. 8.
30 58

20 56

RL Wheel speed 54
10

Braking distance s(m)

52
0
50
11.5 12 12.5 13 13.5 14 14.5 15
Variable ratio optimization
Time(s) 48

46

(a) Fixed braking force distribution coefficient β =0.55 without 44

Fixed ratio optimization

optimization
42

40

0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8

Brake-strength z
80

70
(a) In no load condition
60
Vehicle speed 60
Speed(km/h)

50

40
55

Braking distance s(m)

30
RL Wheel speed
Variable ratio optimization
20 50
FL Wheel speed
10
Fixed ratio optimization
0 45

11.5 12 12.5 13 13.5 14 14.5 15 15.5

Time(s) 40

(b) Optimization braking force distribution coefficient with fixed ratio 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
Brake-strength z
0.6 0.7 0.8

β = 0.7534 (b) In 1/2 full load condition

65
80

70 60
Braking distance s(m)

60
55
Speed(km/h)

50 Vehicle speed
40 50 Variable ratio optimization

30 Fixed ratio optimization

RL Wheel speed 45
20

10 FL Wheel speed 40

0 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8

11.5 12 12.5 13
Time(s)
(c) Optimization braking force distribution coefficient with variable ratio
Fig. 7. The variation curves of the vehicle speed, front wheel speed and the
rear wheel speed with time during the vehicle braking with brake strength
z=0.4 and full load condition for the three braking force distribution
algorithms
Comprehensive analysis the results of Fig. 5-7, under no
load, 1/2 full load and full load conditions, the fixed braking
force distribution algorithm has obvious problem, and the
rear wheel was locked before the front wheel, so the vehicle is
easy to lose directional stability. The braking force
optimization distribution algorithms with variable ratio and
fixed ratio are both feasible. Compared with the optimization
distribution algorithm with fixed ratio, the optimization
distribution algorithm with variable ratio can achieve higher
utilization adhesion coefficient and shorter braking time, so it
has better braking effect in ensuring the vehicle braking
directional stability.
In order to verify the braking efficiency of the
optimization distribution algorithms with variable ratio and
fixed ratio, the braking distance of the two algorithms were
simulated and analyzed as follows.
Brake-strength z
13.5 14 14.5 15
(c) In full load condition
Fig. 8. The variation curves of braking distance with braking strength during
the vehicle braking process for the braking force optimization distribution
algorithms with fixed ratio and variable ratio
Fig. 8(a) is the braking distance curve of two braking force
optimization distribution algorithms in no load condition, and
Fig. 8(b) is the curve in 1/2 full load condition, and Fig. 8(c)
is the curve in full load condition. As can be seen from Fig.
8(a)-(b), in the most cases, compared with the braking force
optimization distribution algorithm with fixed ratio, the
optimization distribution algorithm with variable ratio has
shorter braking distance under different brake strength, so it
has better braking efficiency. We can see from Fig. 8(c), the
optimization distribution algorithm with variable ratio has
shorter braking distance under all brake strengths, so the
vehicle braking performance can be improved significantly
with the optimization distribution algorithms with variable
ratio.
By analyzing the simulation results of braking speeds and
braking distance under different load conditions, we can see
that the designed braking force optimization distribution

3359
algorithm with variable ratio is effective and appreciated. It
can achieve shorter braking distance and braking time, and it
meets the ECE regulations and ensures the directional
stability of the vehicle braking process effectively.
VI. CONCLUSION
The vehicle braking performance is the important
evaluation indicator of the vehicle safety, and the braking
force distribution affects the vehicle braking performance
directly. In order to improve the vehicle barking efficiency
further, an optimization braking force distribution algorithm
with variable ratio is designed in this paper. The braking force
distribution coefficient varies with the brake strength. The
braking force distribution model of front and rear axles was
built and the simulation was done with the ASM vehicle
model of dSPACE.
The simulation results show that the designed optimization
distribution algorithm is effective. Compared with the
braking force distribution algorithm with fixed ratio without
optimization and the braking force optimization distribution
algorithm with fixed ratio, the designed optimization
distribution algorithm with variable ratio has best adhesion
coefficient utilization of front and rear wheels and the
shortest braking distance. In addition, the designed algorithm
has better braking directional stability, so it can improve the
braking performance and increase the vehicle braking safety
obviously.
However, only the straight line braking process has been
considered in the designed optimization braking force
distribution algorithm, and the left and right wheels are
considered as the same, and the road friction coefficient is
constant. In order to extend the effective scope of this
algorithm, the four wheels vehicle model should be built, and
the variation of the vehicle steering angle and road friction
coefficient should be considered in the algorithm design
process. These issues will be the future research directions.
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