Search Results

Abstract A kinematic modeling framework was established to predict status (position, displacement, velocity, acceleration, and shape) of a towing vehicle system with different driver inputs. This framework consists of three components: (1) a state space model to decide position and velocity for the vehicle system based on Newton’s second law; (2) an angular acceleration transferring model, which leads to a hypothesis that the each towed unit follows the same path as the towing vehicle; and (3) a polygon model to draw instantaneous polygons to envelop the entire system at any time point.

Abstract Aiming to improve the handling performance of heavy tractor semi-trailer during turning or changing lanes at high speed, a hierarchical structure controller is proposed and a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test bench of the electronic pneumatic braking system is developed to validate the proposed controller. In the upper controller, a Kalman filter observer based on the heavy tractor semi-trailer dynamic model is used to estimate the yaw rates and sideslip angles of the tractor and trailer. Simultaneously, a sliding mode direct yaw moment controller is developed, which takes the estimated yaw rates and sideslip angles and the reference values calculated by the three-degrees-of-freedom dynamic model of the heavy tractor semi-trailer as the control inputs. In the lower controller, the additional yaw moments of tractor and trailer are transformed into corresponding wheel braking forces according to the current steering characteristics.

Abstract Improving the aerodynamics of heavy trucks is an important consideration in the strive for more energy-efficient vehicles. Cooling drag is one part of the total aerodynamic resistance acting on a vehicle, which arises as a consequence of air flowing through the grille area, the heat exchangers, and the irregular under-hood area. Today cooling packages of heavy trucks are dimensioned for a critical cooling case, typically when the vehicle is driving fully laden, at low speed up a steep hill. However, for long-haul trucks, mostly operating at highway speeds on mostly level roads, it may not be necessary to have all the cooling airflow from an open-grille configuration. It can therefore be desirable for fuel consumption purposes, to shut off the entire cooling airflow, or a portion of it, under certain driving conditions dictated by the cooling demands. In Europe, most trucks operating on the roads are of cab-over-engine type, as a consequence of the length legislations present.

Abstract A number of semi-deterministic and stochastic formulations of multi-degree of freedom, frequency domain load models for heavy truck chassis are proposed and evaluated. The semi-deterministic models aim at reproducing the damage of a specific vehicle, while the stochastic ones aim to describe a collection of vehicle loads. The stochastic models are divided into two groups: Monte Carlo based and models based on single spectrum matrices. In both cases, the objective is to provide a load model that may be used to produce a design with a certain probability of survival. The goodness of the models is evaluated through a comparison of their damage outcomes with the corresponding damages of a set of time domain loads. This original time domain load set consists of chassis accelerations collected from seven physical trucks.

Abstract Vehicle rolling resistance and weight are two of the factors that affect fuel economy. The vehicle tire rolling resistance has a more significant influence than aerodynamics drags on fuel economy at lower vehicle speeds, particularly true for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Less vehicle weight reduces inertia loads, uphill grade resistance, and rolling resistance. The influence of weight on the fuel economy can be considerable particularly in light- to medium-duty truck classes because the weight makes up a larger portion of gross vehicle weight. This article presents an empirical investigation and a numerical analysis of the influences of rolling resistance and weight on the fuel economy of medium-duty trucks. The experimental tests include various tires and payloads applied on a total of 21vehicle configurations over three road profiles. These tests are used to assess the sensitivity of rolling resistance and weight to the vehicle fuel economy.

Abstract An analysis method for the stability of combined braking system of tractor-semitrailer based on phase-plane is investigated. Based on a 9 degree of freedom model, considering longitudinal load transfer, nonlinear model of tire and other factors, the braking stability of tractor-semitrailer is analyzed graphically on the phase plane. The stability of both tractor and semitrailer with different retarder gear is validated with the energy plane, β plane, yaw angle plane and hinged angle plane. The result indicates that in the long downhill with curve condition, both tractor and semitrailer show good stability when retarder is working at 1st and 2nd gear, and when it is at 3rd gear, the tractor is close to be unstable while semitrailer is unstable already. Besides, tractor and semitrailer both lose stability when retarder is working at the 4th gear.

Abstract When commercial vehicles drive in a mountainous area, the complex road condition and long slopes cause frequent acceleration and braking, which will use 25% more fuel. And the brake temperature rises rapidly due to continuous braking on the long-distance downslopes, which will make the brake drum fail with the brake temperature exceeding 308°C [1]. Meanwhile, the kinetic energy is wasted during the driving progress on the slopes when the vehicle rolls up and down. Our laboratory built a model that could calculate the distance from the top of the slope, where the driver could release the accelerator pedal. Thus, on the slope, the vehicle uses less fuel when it rolls up and less brakes when down. What we do in this article is use this model in a real vehicle and measure how well it works.

Abstract In order to improve robustness of vehicle dynamic performance, a steering mechanism model is proposed with alignment parameters of front wheel based on preference function method. In the steering mechanism model controllable variables include the trapezoid connection length, the base angle of steering trapezoid, the kingpin inclination angle, caster, camber and uncontrollable variables include load and initial braking velocity. Optimization objective is some vehicle dynamic performance. In the preference function method the individual performance preference and preference aggregation in designing variable space and performance variable space are analyzed. The individual performance preference includes the controllable variable preference, noise factor preference and optimization objective preference. The aggregation function is developed by aggregating all the individual performance preferences.

Abstract The suspension system has been shown to have significant effects on vehicle performance, including handling, ride, component durability, and even energy efficiency during the design process. In this study, a new roll-plane hydraulically interconnected suspension (HIS) system is proposed to enhance both roll and lateral dynamics of a two-axle bus. The roll-plane stability analysis for the HIS system has been intensively explored in a number of studies, while only few efforts have been made for suspension tuning, especially considering lateral plane stability. This article aims to explore the integrated lateral and roll dynamics by suspension tuning of a two-axle bus equipped with HIS system. A ten-degree-of-freedom (DOF) lumped-mass vehicle model is integrated with either transient mechanical-hydraulic model for HIS or the traditional suspension components, namely, shock absorber and anti-roll bar (ARB).

Abstract A way of providing steering redundancy for highly autonomous vehicles or vehicles equipped with steer-by-wire systems by steering the rear axle for directional control of the vehicle has been previously proposed. In this study, we further investigate and improve on that concept and validate it through simulation and experimental testing on a vehicle. Consequently, we show that in the case of failure of primary front axle steering system, the vehicle controller steering command (in the case of autonomous driving) or the driver’s steering command (in the case of a steer-by-wire system) can be mathematically manipulated to generate a steering input at the rear axle, which results in the same yaw rate response as if the vehicle was steered from the front, and thus providing a way to control the vehicle should a failure occur in the primary steering system.

Abstract In this article, a new road load simulation technology is presented for commercial vehicle driveline. In order to assess the performance of vehicle driveline, the chassis dynamometer system is introduced on the basis of the traditional vehicle driveline test bench, which improves the accuracy of the simulation system without the need of complex modeling of commercial vehicle tire dynamics. The vertical load of the vehicle is emulated by the hydraulic loading mechanism, and the influence of the vertical load on commercial vehicle driveline is emulated when the vehicle passes the bumpy road. The evaluate control method of commercial vehicle acceleration inertia based on wheel rotational speed and vehicle dynamics model is designed.

Abstract A detailed model for pneumatic S-cam drum brake systems is developed and integrated into a multibody dynamic model for a 33-ft A-double long combination vehicle (LCV). The model, developed in TruckSim®, is used to study the dynamics of LCVs during straight-line braking at various speeds. It includes the response delay in braking that occurs from the time of application to when the brakes are applied at the drum for all axles. Additionally, the model incorporates an accurate characterization of brake torque versus chamber pressure at different speeds, along with the anti-lock brake system (ABS) dynamics, to yield an accurate prediction of the vehicle’s deceleration during braking. The modeling results are compared with test results at speeds ranging from 20 mph to 65 mph on dry pavement. A close match between the model’s prediction and test results is observed.

Abstract This research develops a hierarchical control strategy to improve the stability of multi-axle electric vehicles with in-wheel motors while driving at high speed or on low adhesion-coefficient roads. The yaw rate and sideslip angle are chosen as the control parameters, and the direct yaw-moment control (DYC) method is employed to ensure the yaw stability of the vehicle. On the basis of this methodology, a hierarchical yaw stability control architecture that consists of a state reference layer, a desired moment calculation layer, a longitudinal force calculation layer, and a torque distribution layer is proposed. The ideal vehicle steering state is deduced by the state reference layer according to a linear two-degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) vehicle dynamics model.

Abstract The civil aircraft nosewheel is clamped, lifted, and retained through the pick-up and holding system of the towbarless towing vehicle (TLTV), and the aircraft may be moved from the parking position to an adjacent one, the taxiway, a maintenance hangar, a location near the active runway, or conversely only with the power of the TLTV. The TLTV interfacing with the nose-landing gear of civil transport aircraft for the long-distance towing operations at a high speed could be defined as a towbarless aircraft taxiing system (TLATS). The dynamic loads induced by the system vibration may cause damage or reduce the certified safe-life limit of the nose-landing gear or the TLTV when the towing speed increases up to 40 km/h during the towing operations due to the maximum ramp weight of a heavy aircraft.

Abstract The objective of this article is to evaluate the effects of different blast protective modules to military vehicle structures and occupants. The dynamic responses of the V-shape integral basic armor, the add-on honeycomb sandwich structure module, and the anti-shock seat-dummy system were simulated and analyzed. The improvements of occupant survivability by different protective modules were compared using occupant injury criteria. The integral armored cab can maintain the integrity of the cab body structure. The add-on honeycomb sandwich armor reduces the peak structural deformation and velocity of the cab floor by 34.9% and 47.4%, respectively, compared with the cab with integral armors only. The integral armored cab with the anti-shock seat or the honeycomb sandwich structures reduces the occupant shock responses below the injury criteria. For different blast threat intensities, the selection of appropriate protective modules can meet protection requirements.

Abstract In-phase rear-wheel steering, where rear wheels are steered in the same direction of front wheels, has been widely investigated in the literature for vehicle stability improvements along with stability control systems. Much faster response can be achieved by steering the rear wheels automatically during an obstacle avoidance maneuver without applying the brakes where safe stopping distance is not available. Sudden lane change movements still remain challenging for heavy articulated vehicles, such as tractor and semitrailer combinations, particularly on roads with low coefficient of adhesion. Different lateral accelerations acting on tractor and semi-trailer may cause loss of stability resulting in jackknifing, trailer-swing, rollover, or slip-off. Several attempts have been made in the literature to use active steering of semi-trailer’s rear wheels to prevent jackknifing and rollover.

Abstract This study provides a simulation-based comparative analysis of the distance and time needed for long combination vehicles (LCVs) - namely, A-doubles with 28-, 33-, and 48-ft trailers - to safely exercise an emergency, evasive steering maneuver such as required for obstacle avoidance. The results are also compared with conventional tractor-semitrailers with a single 53-ft trailer. A multi-body dynamic model for each vehicle combination is developed in TruckSim® with an attempt to assess the last point to steer (LPTS) and evasive time (ET) at various highway speeds under both dry and wet road conditions. The results indicate that the minimum avoidance distance and time required for the 28-ft doubles vary from 206 ft (60 mph) to 312 ft (80 mph) and 2.3 s to 2.6 s, respectively. The required LPTS represents a 6% to 31% increase when compared with 53-ft semitrucks.

Abstract A hybrid fuzzy and proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller is proposed for roll angle handling of a three-axle truck with an active air suspension system. The conventional truck suspension system has four air springs for the rear wheels and two leaf springs for the front wheels, which cannot properly control the pitch angle, and here in this study is upgraded into front air springs. Therefore in the full air suspension system, the pitch angle is controlled by the active suspension system. Roll reduction of a heavy vehicle can improve the ride comfort and rollover tendency of the truck, simultaneously. The relation of air spring pressures and vehicle dynamics is developed in a simple and accurate model. Using this comprehensive model, it is possible to control the variables of vehicle dynamics such as roll, pitch, and height of the truck.

Abstract Since vehicle structural flexibility and suspension nonlinearity are usually not considered, many existing vehicle models have difficulty in accurately describing the dynamic characteristics of the actual vehicle, which limits their practical applications. This article presents a rigid-flexible coupled system to investigate the dynamic behavior of a heavy-duty truck. An improved Maxwell-slip (IMS) model is proposed to describe the hysteresis nonlinearity of a leaf spring. In the coupled system, the axles and powertrain are simplified to be rigid, and the cab and frame are modeled using finite element method (FEM) considering their flexibility. During the solution process, the application of the FEM leads to a significant increase in the computer burden. Therefore, the iterated improved reduction system (IIRS) method is adopted to reduce the size of the large-size finite-element (FE) models to achieve the purpose of improving the calculation efficiency.

Abstract This article proposes a novel approach to reduce the destabilizing impacts of the shifted loads of heavy trucks (due to improper loading or liquid slosh) by pneumatic suspension design. In this regard, the pneumatically balanced suspension with dual leveling valves is introduced, and its potential for the improvement of the body imbalance due to the shifted load is determined. The analysis is based on a multi-domain model that couples the suspension fluid dynamics, shifted-load impacts, and tractor-semitrailer dynamics. Truck dynamics is simulated using TruckSim, which is integrated with the pneumatic suspension model developed in AMESim. This yields a reasonable prediction of the effect of the suspension airflow dynamics on vehicle dynamics. Moreover, the ability of the pneumatic suspension to counteract the effects of two general shifted loads - static (rigid cargo) and dynamic (liquid) - is studied.