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The paper examines typical vehicle dynamics models used for the design of car-trailer active safety systems, including active trailer braking and steering. A linear 3 degree-of-freedom (DOF), a nonlinear 4 DOF and a nonlinear 6 DOF car-trailer model are generated. Then, these models are compared with a car-trailer model developed with the commercial software package, CarSim. The benchmark investigation of the car-trailer models is carried out through examining numerical simulation results obtained in two emulated tests, i.e., a single lane-change and a Fishhook maneuver. In the vehicle modeling, a mathematical model of a tire with flexible sidewalls is included to account for transient tire forces. Steady-state aerodynamic forces are included in these models. The deviation of the model dynamic responses, e.g., the variation of the articulation angle between the car and trailer, is discussed.

This paper presents nonlinear bifurcation stability analysis of articulated vehicles with active trailer differential braking (ATDB) systems. ATDB systems have been proposed to improve stability of articulated vehicle systems to prevent unstable motion modes, e.g., jack-knifing, trailer sway and rollover. Generally, behaviors of a nonlinear dynamic system may change with varying parameters; a stable equilibrium can become unstable and a periodic oscillation may occur or a new equilibrium may appear making the previous equilibrium unstable once the parameters vary. The value of a parameter, at which these changes occur, is known as “bifurcation value” and the parameter is known as the “bifurcation parameter”. Conventionally, nonlinear bifurcation analysis approach is applied to examine the nonlinear dynamic characteristics of single-unit vehicles, e.g., cars, trucks, etc.

This paper examines the performance of different active control strategies for improving lateral stability of car-trailer systems using numerical simulations. For car-trailer systems, three typical unstable motion modes, including trailer swing, jack-knifing and roll-over, have been identified. These unstable motion modes represent potentially hazardous situations. The effects of passive mechanical vehicle parameters on the stability of car-trailer systems have been well addressed. For a given car-trailer system, some of these passive parameters, e.g., the center of gravity of the trailer, are greatly varied under different operating conditions. Thus, lateral stability cannot be guaranteed by selecting a specific passive parameter set. To address this problem, various active control techniques have been proposed to improve handling and stability of car-trailer systems. Feasible control methods involve active trailer steering control (ATSC) and active trailer braking (ATB).

This article presents an autonomous steering control scheme for articulated heavy vehicles (AHVs). Despite economic and environmental benefits in freight transportation, lateral stability is always a concern for AHVs in high-speed highway operations due to their multi-unit vehicle structures, and high centers of gravity (CGs). In addition, North American harsh winter weather makes the lateral stability even more challenging. AHVs often experience amplified lateral motions of trailing vehicle units in high-speed evasive maneuvers. AHVs represent a 7.5 times higher risk than passenger cars in highway operation. Human driver errors cause about 94% of traffic collisions. However, little attention has been paid to autonomous steering control of AHVs.

The phase-plane analysis technique has become a powerful tool for analyzing lateral stability of single-unit vehicles. Articulated vehicles, such as car-trailer combinations, consist of multiple vehicle units. Multi-unit vehicles exhibit unique dynamic features compared against single-unit vehicles. For example, a car-trailer may exhibit one of the three unstable motion modes, i.e., jack-knifing, trailer sway and rollover. Considering the distinguished configurations and dynamic features of articulated vehicles, it is questionable whether the phase-plane analysis method based on single-unit vehicles is applicable for analyzing the lateral stability of multi-unit vehicles. In order to address the problem, case studies are conducted to test the effectiveness of the phase-plane method for analyzing the lateral stability of a car-trailer combination, which is represented by a nonlinear vehicle model generated using the CarSim software package.

As the forward speed of a car increases, the safety of the vehicle and the driver becomes a more significant concern. Active aerodynamic control can effectively enhance the lateral stability of high speed vehicles over tight cornering maneuvers. A split rear wing has been proposed. By means of manipulating the attack angles for the right and/or left parts of the split rear wing, a favorable yaw moment may be achieved to ensure the lateral stability of the vehicle. However, active control of the split rear wing has not been adequately explored. This paper proposes a novel active split rear wing, which can improve the lateral stability over tight cornering maneuvers, and will not degrade the longitudinal dynamics of the vehicle. A Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) based controller for the active split rear wing is designed using a linear vehicle model.