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Most tractor-semitrailers are fitted with multi-axle trailers which cannot be actively steered, and such vehicles with an articulated configuration are inclined to exhibit instability such as trailer swing, jack-knifing, and rollover at high speed. Proposed in this paper is an optimal control of the yaw stability of tractor-semitrailers at high speed by applying an active trailer's steering angle. An optimal control algorithm is designed by employing a 3-DOF vehicle model in the yaw plane. The optimal linear quadratic regulator (LQR) approach is used with a cost function including sideslip angles, yaw rates of both tractor and trailer, and trailer's steering angle. The yaw stability at the high speed is also quantified by the dynamic performance measurements of lateral path deviation, hitch angle and rearward amplification (RA). The algorithm is evaluated by co-simulations using TruckSim and Matlab/Simulink softwares.

Comparing with traditional braking systems of automobiles, the brake-by-wire (BBW) system has a faster dynamic response and is more suitable for applications that facilitate regenerative braking. As the two main categories of BBW systems, the well-known electro-hydraulic braking system and electro- mechanical braking system are not compact enough and their fail-safe function has always been a worrying aspect. A new BBW system called integrated braking system (IBS) by employing the hydraulic multiplex method was proposed in recent years. The IBS implements power-assisted braking and active braking by means of just an integrated unit. It can certainly be used for ABS, ASR and ESC systems for building up and reducing brake pressure. Presented in the paper is a new structure of IBS, which is mainly composed of a motor, ball screw, master cylinder and four 2/2-way valves.