Title: New method to predict truck-semitrailer jackknifing effect

Authors: Roberto Spinola Barbosa

Addresses: Polytechnic School of University of Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Mello Moraes, 2231, cep. 05508-970, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil

Abstract: A new method based on two articulated bodies with internal inertial force, similar to the structural buckling effect, is proposed to describe the unstable yaw relative angular movement between truck and semitrailer, known as jackknifing. An analytic expression is derived from the proposed linear model, allowing the prediction of the deceleration limit prior to the yaw instability phenomenon. A detailed non-linear model with 19 degrees of freedom was developed and used as a simulations tool to verify dynamic performance. The analytical results of the jackknife effect were validated by comparison with the instability tendency simulated with a complete vehicle dynamic model. The results show good agreement between the proposed analytical expression and the numerical simulation. The proposed analytic expression is independent of the vehicle speed and does not require a stability analysis or an integration process, unlike all other techniques available in the literature.

Keywords: jackknifing; truck; dynamic; safety; instability.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHVS.2020.112972

International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems, 2020 Vol.27 No.6, pp.840 - 860

Received: 17 Sep 2017
Accepted: 06 Jul 2018
Published online: 12 Feb 2021 *

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