Title: Directional stability of tractor-semitrailers versus truck-full trailers

Authors: A.M. Sharaf

Addresses: Automotive Engineering Department, Military Technical College, Kobry El Koba, Cairo 11766, Egypt

Abstract: Recently the road transport in Egypt has been subjected to an intensive debate concerning the heavy vehicle's safety predominantly due to the arising rates of their fatal accidents. Numerous aspects are involved such as the driver, the infrastructure of the national roads and the wide diversity of heavy vehicle configurations. This controversy has been given up recommending the deterrence of the truck full-trailer and stimulating the dependency of heavy transportation on tractor semi-trailer combinations. This paper presents a technical comparison of the dynamic performance of both combinations during different standard manoeuvres and loading scenarios. Furthermore, the international standards to measure and assess the heavy vehicle performance are outlined. The paper exemplifies a scientific algorithm to examine the heavy vehicle design against the requirements of the international standards by means of computer simulation modelling. The directional stability of such combinations has been numerically simulated using the validated yaw/roll model. The finding of the paper complies with the governmental trend to stop the use of full-trailers due to their poor directional stability.

Keywords: vehicle dynamics; dynamic modelling; tractor semitrailers; performance measures; directional stability; vehicle stability; vehicle safety; heavy vehicles; truck full-trailers; vehicle performance; heavy vehicle design; international standards; simulation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHVS.2013.051102

International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems, 2013 Vol.20 No.1, pp.61 - 75

Published online: 30 Oct 2013 *

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