Title: Dynamic normal force control for vehicle stability enhancement

Authors: Taehyun Shim, Donald Margolis

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Dearborn, 4901 Evergreen Road, Dearborn, MI 48128, USA. ' Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA

Abstract: It is well understood that variations in normal force under the contact patch of pneumatic tyres effects the ability of that tyre to generate longitudinal and lateral forces. Normal forces self modulate when the vehicle corners, accelerates, or brakes, and its distribution, left to right and front to rear, can be affected by suspension design, anti-roll, and anti-pitch devices. This paper addresses the effectiveness of active suspension control to enhance vehicle lateral and longitudinal dynamics by modulating the normal force distribution at each corner of a vehicle. Normal force control is proposed for several scenarios including split µ roads and cornering over bumpy roads. It is shown that improved vehicle handling can result if normal force control is incorporated. Actuator and power requirements are assessed.

Keywords: handling dynamics; ride control; suspension control; vehicle dynamics; vehicle stability; normal force control; active suspension; vehicle handling; normal force modulation; lateral dynamics; tyre normal forces.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVAS.2005.007034

International Journal of Vehicle Autonomous Systems, 2005 Vol.3 No.1, pp.1 - 14

Published online: 06 May 2005 *

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