Stability and Ride Comfort Performance of Three-Axle City Buses due to the Third Axle Position: A Comparative Approach

The efficiency of public transport is fundamental for the city traffic. Taking this as a goal and linking with the financial and structural situations of each market, new technologies regarding city buses have emerged in recent years and one of them is studied in a comparative way in the present work. A new city bus which has 15 meters length, front-engine and three-axles. The great difference of this vehicle is the positioning of the third axle near to the front axle of the vehicle instead of the traditional configuration whereupon this axle is located near the rear axle. With the aid of MATLAB/Simulink, the two mentioned vehicle models were generated with eighteen degrees of freedom and were tested in two different manoeuvrers, passing through a bump and then a sequence of turns. At the end of the work, it was possible to conclude that the new city bus presents less oscillations in terms of roll and pitch angles in addition to smaller vertical displacements for the same proposed manoeuvre, which leads to greater passenger comfort.

CFD Analysis of the Influence of the Front Wing Setup on a Time Attack Sports Car’s Aerodynamics

In time attack races, aerodynamics plays a vital role in achieving short track times. These races are characterized by frequent braking and acceleration supported by aerodynamic downforce. Usually, typical cars are modified for these races by amateurs. Adjusting the aerodynamic solutions to work with bodies developed for other flow conditions is difficult. This paper presents the results of a numerical analysis of the effects of installing a straight wing in front of or above the body on the modified vehicle system’s aerodynamic characteristics, particularly on the front wheels’ aerodynamic downforce values. The paper presents the methodology and results of calculations of the aerodynamic characteristics of a car with an additional wing placed in various positions in relation to the body. The numerical results are presented (Cd, Cl, Cm, Clf, Clr), as well as exemplary pressure distributions, pathlines, and visualizations of vortex structures. Strong interactions between the wing operation and body streamline structure are shown. An interesting and unexpected result of the analysis is that the possibility of obtaining aerodynamic downforce of the front wheels is identified, without an increase in aerodynamic drag, by means of a wing placed in a proper position in front of the body. A successful attempt to balance the additional downforce coming from the front wing on the front axle is made using a larger spoiler. However, for large angles of attack, periodically unsteady flow is captured with frequency oscillations of ca. 6–12 Hz at a car speed of 40 m/s, which may interfere with the sports car’s natural suspension frequency.

Measurement analysis of braking forces and braking coefficient at different loads of a passenger vehicle

This paper presented an analysis of the braking force efficiency, i.e. its intensity in the case. It presented an analysis of the efficiency of braking forces, i.e. their intensity in the case when the load of a passenger vehicle was gradually changing. The change in the load of the vehicle was done by varying the number of passengers in it from one to five which is a feature of a higher number of M1 category vehicle. By increasing in the number of passengers the weight of the vehicle varied by approximately 75kg per passenger. The experimental test was performed in the technical inspection station, i.e. on standard rollers for the brake system testing. The test results shown that the relative difference of braking forces occurred on the front axle during intensive braking and that the braking coefficient was the lowest of about 69.94% in the case when only the driver was in the vehicle. It increased with increasing load, i.e. the number of passengers in the vehicle up to 85.91% and then dropped by increasing the rear passenger behind the driver and front passenger to 80.43% which can affect the stability of the vehicle when braking in the event of a dangerous traffic situation.

The effect of high-speed train meet on wheel wear at different speeds

Purpose Considering that a meet between high-speed trains can generate aerodynamic loads, this study aims to investigate the effect of high-speed train meet on wheel wear at different speeds to provide a more accurate wheel wear model and a new idea for reducing wheel wear. Design/methodology/approach The train speed was set at 250, 300, 350 and 400 km/h separately, and a vehicle system dynamics model was constructed using the parameters of an actual high-speed train on a line. The aerodynamic forces arising from constant-speed train meet were then applied as additional excitation. Semi-Hertzian theory and Kalker’s simplified theory were used to solve the wheel/rail contact problems. The wheel wear was calculated using Archard wear model. The effect of train meet on wheel wear was analyzed for the whole train, different cars and different axles. Findings According to the results, all wheels show a wear increase in the case of one train meet, compared to the case of no train meet. At 250, 300, 350 and 400 km/h, the total wheel wear increases by 4.45%, 4.91%, 7.57% and 5.71%, respectively, over the entire operational period. The change in speed has a greater impact on wheel wear increase in the head and tail cars than in the middle car. Moreover, the average wear increase in front-axle wheels is 1.04–2.09 times that in rear-axle wheels on the same bogie. Practical implications The results will help to analyze wheel wear more accurately and provide theoretical guidance for wheel repair and maintenance from the perspective of high-speed train meet. Originality/value At present, there is a lot of focus on the impact of high-speed train meet on the dynamic performance of vehicles. However, little research is available on the influence of train meet on wheel wear. In this study, a vehicle dynamics model was constructed and the aerodynamic forces generated during high-speed train meet were applied as additional excitation. The effect of train meet on wheel wear was analyzed for the whole train, different cars and different axles. The proposed method can provide a more accurate basis for wear prediction and wheel repair.

Rollover Prevention and Motion Planning for an Intelligent Heavy Truck

It is very necessary for an intelligent heavy truck to have the ability to prevent rollover independently. However, it was rarely considered in intelligent vehicle motion planning. To improve rollover stability, a motion planning strategy with autonomous anti rollover ability for an intelligent heavy truck is put forward in this paper. Considering the influence of unsprung mass in the front axle and the rear axle and the body roll stiffness on vehicle rollover stability, a rollover dynamics model is built for the intelligent heavy truck. From the model, a novel rollover index is derived to evaluate vehicle rollover risk accurately, and a model predictive control algorithm is applicated to design the motion planning strategy for the intelligent heavy truck, which integrates the vehicle rollover stability, the artificial potential field for the obstacle avoidance, the path tracking and vehicle dynamics constrains. Then, the optimal path is obtained to meet the requirements that the intelligent heavy truck can avoid obstacles and drive stably without rollover. In addition, three typical scenarios are designed to numerically simulate the dynamic performance of the intelligent heavy truck. The results show that the proposed motion planning strategy can avoid collisions and improve vehicle rollover stability effectively even under the worst driving scenarios.

Requirements for static and fatigue strength of beams front axle of a truck

Based on the results of road tests of the stress-strain state of the beam of the controlled bridge of a dump truck, recommendations for its design were developed. The most loaded zones of the beam under operating conditions have been identified. The safety margins of the bridge beam in bending and torsion, the ratio of the moments of resistance to bending in the vertical and horizontal planes have been determined. The test mode and the standard of the bench fatigue life of the bridge beam have been established. Keywords: bridge beam, truck, strength, bending, twisting, load, dynamic factor, safety margin, operational requirements

A novel tracking control method for the distributed-drive and active-steering articulated virtual rail train

To realize the running control of distributed-drive and active-steering articulated virtual rail trains travelling on urban roads under non-contact virtual rail constraints, target trajectory generation and active-steering control are crucial issues. In this article, a novel tracking control method is proposed, which includes a dynamic target trajectory generation and a new active-steering tracking control system. First, a distributed-drive and active-steering articulated virtual rail train kinematics model with n-sections is derived, and then a new target trajectory generation method is proposed using data filtering and compression, coordinate transformation and spline difference, and the simulation comparison shows that the proposed method has less data storage space and high computational efficiency. Second, a new active-steering tracking control system composed of a rear axle preview active-steering controller, a front axle coordinated steering controller, and a differential-distribution controller is designed to achieve tracking control and coordinated movement of distributed-drive and active-steering articulated virtual rail train. Finally, a distributed-drive and active-steering articulated virtual rail train simulation model was constructed in ADAMS, and then simulations are performed under three rail conditions and compared with the other two methods, which show that the proposed method has good tracking control accuracy, adaptability, and superiority under various rails and different speeds.

Simulation Research on Regenerative Braking Control Strategy of Hybrid Electric Vehicle

This paper proposes a double layered multi parameters braking energy recovery control strategy for Hybrid Electric Vehicle, which can combine the mechanical brake system with the motor brake system in the braking process to achieve higher energy utilization efficiency and at the same time ensure that the vehicle has sufficient braking performance and safety performance. The first layer of the control strategy proposed in this paper aims to improve the braking force distribution coefficient of the front axle. On the basis of following the principle of braking force distribution, the braking force of the front axle and the rear axle is reasonably distributed according to the braking strength. The second layer is to obtain the proportional coefficient of regenerative braking, considering the influence of vehicle speed, braking strength, and power battery state of charge (SOC) on the front axle mechanical braking force and motor braking force distribution, and a three-input single-output fuzzy controller is designed to realize the coordinated control of mechanical braking force and motor braking force of the front axle. Finally, the AMESim and Matlab/Simulink co-simulation model was built; the braking energy recovery control strategy proposed in this paper was simulated and analyzed based on standard cycle conditions (the NEDC and WLTC), and the simulation results were compared with regenerative braking control strategies A and B. The research results show that the braking energy recovery rate of the proposed control strategy is respectively 2.42%, 18.08% and 2.56%, 16.91% higher than that of the control strategies A and B, which significantly improves the energy recovery efficiency of the vehicle.

A new effective nonlinear strategy for lateral stability increment of an articulated vehicle rigid cargo

In this paper, the effects of the most important parameters on directional dynamics of a tractor-semitrailer vehicle are examined. Initially, a three DOF dynamic model of a tractor-semitrailer vehicle is proposed. Then, the developed model is validated by means of TruckSim software during a standard maneuver. In order to analyze the system stability, the Lyapunov method has been used and the stability conditions have been extracted based on Routh criterion. The most important parameters are selected based on the articulation angle gain. Among the studied parameters, the semitrailer mass, the distance of the tractor unit center of mass and its front axle, and the tires cornering stiffness exhibited more effective behavior on the vehicle’s stability. The simulation results show that as the tractor center of mass moves toward its rear axle, the probability of the jackknifing increases. Moreover, an increment in the semitrailer mass leads to a turn of the semitrailer with respect to the tractor. Also, the understeer specification of the vehicle strengthens due to the tire cornering stiffness increment. Moreover, in order to increase the maneuverability of the articulated vehicle a new active steering controller is proposed using two different control methods. The controller is developed using the simplified dynamic model and the basis of feedback linearization method using dynamic sliding mode control method. In this system, the yaw rate and the lateral velocity of the tractor unit as well as articulation angle are studied as state variables which are targeted to track their desired references. Then, the vehicle dynamic performance is investigated during standard maneuvers. A more investigation shows that the track of the desired values of the vehicle state variables leads to eliminate off-tracking path.