Title: Driver/vehicle systems: from linear stability to chaotic oscillations

Authors: G. Payre, P. Bourassa, M. Khan, Z. Liu

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1K 2R1, Canada. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1K 2R1, Canada. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1K 2R1, Canada. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1K 2R1, Canada

Abstract: The modelling of vehicle dynamics results in systems of differential equations. The pilot action is incorporated into these equations either as a state variable or as a retarded forcing term. The characteristic value of stability for the driver/vehicle system are first established by a linearisation method. Vehicle motion above the critical value for stability is shown to be either oscillation or exponentially divergent trajectories; the central manifold theory permits one to ascertain which of the two cases will occur. It is shown that an external periodic disturbance applied to the front wheels can induce chaotic motions for some range of the forward speed parameter.

Keywords: driver-vehicle systems; handling behaviour modelling; tractor semi-trailer dynamic modelling; vehicle design; vehicle handling behaviour; vehicle dynamics; chaotic motion; vehicle stability.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHVS.1997.054583

International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems, 1997 Vol.4 No.2/3/4, pp.125 - 144

Published online: 18 Jun 2013 *

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