Static Turning Analysis of Vehicles Subject to Externally Applied Forces - A Moment Arm Ratio Formulation

SUMMARY A formulation for representing the static turning response of a two-axle vehicle due to applied external or control forces is expressed in terms of a simple ratio of two distances along the vehicle longitudinal axis. The two distancescoincide with points on the vehicle at which externally applied/ control forces and their reactive inertial forces act with respect to the vehicle neutral steer point. The resulting formulation is equivalent to the rotational equilibrium equation written with respect to the neutral steer point. The method allows a simple “visual analysis” of the steady turning process by showing how key forces and associated moment arms can change with respect to one another due to vehicle modifications or different operatingconditions, thereby affecting the static turning response of the vehicle.