Research into Driving Stability of an SUV–Trailer Combination for Driving Maneuvers by Simulation Computations

Operation of vehicle–trailer combinations is currently popular throughout many countries. Connecting a trailer to a passenger car increases the car’s utility value because it is possible to transport more goods over shorter or longer distances. Trailers are also popular as caravans, which provide a home on wheels during holiday periods. As a trailer is connected to a towing vehicle by means of a spherical joint from the mechanics’ point of view, a vehicle–trailer combination has significantly different driving properties in comparison with a sole vehicle. These differences are manifested mainly while driving in a curve as lower stability of the vehicle. In this case, the lower stability is considered an uncontrolled sway motion. This study is focused on researching the driving stability of a vehicle–trailer combination regarding the sway motion problem. The research is fully performed by means of simulation computations in a commercial multibody simulation software. The investigated vehicle–trailer combination consists of an SUV passenger car and a single-axle goods trailer. Two model driving maneuvers are investigated, namely bypassing an obstacle in a lane and changing lanes on a road. Simulation computations are performed for chosen loads of the trailer and for a different position of the center of gravity of the load in the single-axle trailer. The performed research has proven that the applied simulation computations represent a robust tool to investigate real tasks related to vehicle safety without performing expensive and dangerous tests. Very important findings include identifying the proper position of the center of gravity of the load on the trailer to ensure safe driving properties for driving maneuvers that could pose potential danger during real operation.