A roll stability performance measure for off-road vehicles

The roll stability is significant for both road and off-road commercial vehicles, while the majority of reported studies focus on road vehicles neglecting the contributions of uneven off-road terrains. The limited studies on roll stability of off-road vehicles have assessed the stability limits using performance measures derived for road vehicles. This study proposes an alternative performance measure for assessing roll stability limits of off-road vehicles. The roll dynamics of an off-road mining vehicle operating on random rough terrains are investigated, where the two terrain-track profiles are synthesized considering coherency between them. It is shown that a measure based on steady-turning root-mean-square lateral acceleration corresponding to the sustained period of unity lateral-load-transfer-ratio prior to the absolute-rollover, could serve as a reliable measure of roll stability of the vehicle operating on random rough terrains. The robustness of proposed performance measure is demonstrated considering sprung mass center height variations and different terrain excitations. The simulation results revealed adverse effects of terrain elevation magnitude on the roll stability, while a relatively higher coherency resulted in lower terrain roll-excitation and thereby enhanced vehicle roll stability. Terrains with relatively higher waviness increased the magnitude of lower spatial frequency components, which resulted in reduced roll stability limits.     

Composite chattering-free discrete-time sliding mode controller design for active front steering system of electric vehicles

Nonlinear Dynamics - In order to reduce the adverse effects of internal uncertainty and external disturbance in the active front steering (AFS) system of electric vehicles, two chattering-free...     

Effect of snow cover on obstacle performance of vehicles

Trafficability of terrain is a function of soft soil, hard or rough ground, geometric obstacles, vegetation, and the riverine environment. All of these terrain aspects are altered by cold temperatures and snow cover. This paper examines the effect of snow cover on obstacle crossing performance of vehicles. The mathematical expressions describing step negotiation, trench crossing, and slope climbing on snow-covered obstacles are given in terms of tracked vehicle, obstacle, and snow parameters.Tests of two tracked vehicles on snow-covered slopes, stream crossings, steps, and trenches were conducted, and some of the results were compared with computed values. Differences between computed and experimental values are attributed to neglecting slip-sinkage and track deflection in the computations.     

Soil parameters to predict the performance of off-road vehicles

Soil parameters c, , k_c, k and n were determined by use of a Penetro-Shear apparatus. This device utilizes the rotating and penetrating motion of a circular plate. The performance of a full scale M113 track is predicted using soil parameters calculated from the Penetro-Shear Apparatus data and compared to experimental determination of the drawbar pull-weight ratio vs.per cent of track slip curves.     

Influences of aerodynamic loads on hunting stability of high-speed railway vehicles and parameter studies

The influences of steady aerodynamic loads on hunting stability of high-speed railway vehicles were investigated in this study.A mechanism is suggested to explain the change of hunting behavior due to actions of aerodynamic loads：the aerodynamic loads can change the position of vehicle system（consequently the contact relations）,the wheel/rail normal contact forces,the gravitational restoring forces/moments and the creep forces/moments.A mathematical model for hunting stability incorporating such influences was developed.A computer program capable of incorporating the effects of aerodynamic loads based on the model was written,and the critical speeds were calculated using this program.The dependences of linear and nonlinear critical speeds on suspension parameters considering aerodynamic loads were analyzed by using the orthogonal test method,the results were also compared with the situations without aerodynamic loads.It is shown that the most dominant factors a ff ecting linear and nonlinear critical speeds are different whether the aerodynamic loads considered or not.The damping of yaw damper is the most dominant influencing factor for linear critical speeds,while the damping of lateral damper is most dominant for nonlinear ones.When the influences of aerodynamic loads are considered,the linear critical speeds decrease with the rise of cross wind velocity,whereas it is not the case for the nonlinear critical speeds.The variation trends of critical speeds with suspension parameters can be significantly changed by aerodynamic loads.Combined actions of aerodynamic loads and suspension parameters also a ff ect the critical speeds.The effects of such joint action are more obvious for nonlinear critical speeds.     

Optimal control of the dynamic stability for robotic vehicles in rough terrain

In this paper, we mount semi-active suspensions between the wheels and platform of a robotic vehicle to absorb the vibrations caused by movement over rough terrain. The semi-active suspension consists of a spring and a magneto-rheological damper. By combining the dynamic model of the suspended robotic vehicle and the control model of the damper, we propose a new methodology to evaluate the dynamic stability of the vehicle. The model considers the configuration of semi-active suspensions and the road-holding ability of robotic vehicles. Based on the stability criterion, we use the particle swarm optimization method to search the optimum semi-active damping characteristics. The control model of the semi-active damper is checked by sinusoidal response analysis. To verify the dynamic stability criterion and the control method, we evaluate the proposed methodology by simulating a rough pavement condition and comparing the effectiveness of the method to a passive suspension. The results show that the proposed stability criterion is feasible, and the optimal control method yields a substantially improved dynamic stability when the vehicle moves through rough terrain.     

Evaluation of drawbar performance of winter tyres for special purpose vehicles

Driving on ice is still a risky activity. Research has investigated the factors contributing to the friction mechanism and has reported experimental studies of pneumatic tyres on ice in order to develop models that predict tractive and braking performance on ice/snow. Therefore, developing testing methods to obtain relevant experimental data for the validation of models is equally important.There are agricultural and industrial vehicles which are also designed for pulling but there are no specific studies reporting experimental tests on traction force of such machines in snowy conditions. However, this issue is very topical, as demonstrated by the appearance on the market of winter tyres for such vehicles.This study presents a method for testing winter tyres in outdoor test facilities with a focus on traction performance. The conclusions will serve in future investigations as a concise knowledge source to develop improved testing facilities and tyre–ice interaction models, aiding the development of better tyre designs and improved vehicle safety systems.The functional tests hereafter described have been carried out with the aim of evaluating the possibility of measuring the influences of different technique solutions on the performance of certain 17.5 R25 sized industrial tyres.     

Self-exciting vibrations and Hopf's bifurcation in non-linear stability analysis of rail vehicles in a curved track

The main objective of this article is to present the authors' view of and results on non-linear lateral stability of rail vehicles in a curved track. Three elements are exploited in order to secure this objective. Firstly, physical genesis of the problem is discussed, and its similarity to straight track analysis is emphasised. Results of the theories of self-exciting vibrations and bifurcation are the key elements here. Secondly, the method suitable for analysis in a curved track is presented. New necessary elements, extending the better established methods for straight track are clearly mentioned and described. The methodology of building original stability maps, being the basis for the analysis and valid for whole range of curve radii and straight track is represented. Thirdly, a sample of the analysis is shown in order to give the idea how the method can be utilised. The case study refers to the influence of wheel/rail profiles on the stability in circularly curved track and straight track as well. Two different pairs of wheel/rail profiles are used and the corresponding results compared. The main contributions of the article are: a discussion of the physical nature of phenomena related to the stability in a curved tracks, and the method (procedure) established for the reasons of the analysis. Another and more general contribution is our say in the hot polemics on the advisability of stability analysis in curves and the advantages of the non-linear critical speed over the linear one.     

Numerical analysis on tractive performance of off-road wheel steering on sand using discrete element method

This paper presents a numerical analysis on steering performance including tractive parameters and lug effects. To explore the difference between the turning and straight conditions of steering, a numerical sand model for steering is designed and appropriately established by the discrete element method on the basis of triaxial tests. From the point of mean values and variation, steering traction tests are conducted to analyze the tractive parameters including sinkage, torque and drawbar pull and the lug effects resulting from type, intersection and central angle. Analysis indicates that steering motion has less influence on the sinkage and torque. When the slip ratio exceeds 20%, the steering drawbar pull becomes increasingly smaller than in the straight condition, and the increase of steering radius contributes to a decline in mean values and a rise in variation. The lug effect of central angle is less influenced by the steering motion, but the lug intersection is able to significantly increase the steering drawbar pull along with the variation reduced. However, the lug inclination reduces the steering drawbar pull along with the variation raised in different degrees.     

Effect of shock interactions on the attitude stability of a toroidal ballute for reentry vehicles

The effect of shock interactions on the attitude stability of a reentry vehicle system with a toroidal ballute was investigated. The hypersonic wind tunnel experimental results showed that when the shock interaction occurred near or outside the ballute, an unstable oscillation of the ballute was observed. This was caused by the local high-pressure region on the ballute surface created by the shock interaction between the shock from the reentry capsule and the shock from the ballute. To avoid this unstable oscillation, the radius of the ballute should be designed to be large enough so that the shock from the capsule will be located inside the ballute, which can avoid the local high-pressure region on the ballute surface.     

航行体开槽包裹式缓冲头帽结构设计及其降载性能

针对空投航行体和火箭助飞航行体高速入水过程中遭受巨大的冲击载荷,可能导致的结构损坏、弹道失控等问题,提出了一种开槽包裹式缓冲头帽,用于保护航行体入水过程中的结构安全。首先,给出了缓冲头帽的详细设计参数,基于任意拉格朗日-欧拉算法,建立了航行体带缓冲头帽高速入水数值模型,并对该数值模型的正确性进行了验证。然后,在此基础上,研究了不同入水角度下,空泡流场的演变过程,分析了入水时缓冲材料的应力分布情况。最后,探究了不同入水速度和入水角度下缓冲头帽的降载性能。结果表明,数值计算所得空泡形态与实验图像基本吻合,且数值计算和实验测试所得的冲击加速度变化趋势基本一致,两者轴向加速度峰值相对误差为6.72%,径向加速度峰值相对误差为7.52%。航行体装备所设计的缓冲头帽以300 m/s的速度垂直入水时轴向降载率为22.17%;以100 m/s的速度60°入水时,轴向降载率为31.83%,径向降载率为66.80%。