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Running gear
Published in Andrew Livesey, Practical Motorsport Engineering, 2019
Wheelbase (WB) – is measured from the centre of the front axle (imaginary) to the centre of the rear axle. The overall length (OL) is measured from front bumper to rear bumper. Both the wheelbase and the ratio of the wheelbase to the overall length (k1) k1 = WB/OL are important variables in suspension design. A long wheelbase relative to the overall length of the vehicle allows for the accommodation of passengers between the axles, so the floor can be flat in the foot well and the seat cushion height has less special constraints. It reduces the affect of load positioning in the vehicle; this includes the position of the engine and gearbox. It reduces the tendency to pitching, especially on undulating country roads, which in turn allows the use of softer springs that tend to give passengers a more comfortable ride. With the reduced overhang there is less polar inertia, which improves the swerveability of the vehicle. The length of the wheelbase affects the turning circle for any given input of steering angle. American car companies have set ratios for wheelbase and overall length; this is to give a particular aesthetic to their full size cars – for example the Lincoln. On the compacts and sub-compacts (ordinary European-style cars) this does not apply.
Chassis systems
Published in Tom Denton, Automobile Mechanical and Electrical Systems, 2018
There are numerous terms and phrases associated with steering geometry. Wheelbase is the distance between the wheel centres of the front and rear wheels. The track is the distance between the wheels, measured from tyre centre to tyre centre on the wheel contact plane. A greater track and wheelbase results in improved safety, especially when cornering.
Chassis
Published in Andrew Livesey, Advanced Motorsport Engineering, 2012
Wheel base (WB) – is measured from the centre of the front axle (imaginary) to the centre of the rear axle. The overall length (OL) is measured from front bumper to rear bumper. Both the wheelbase and the ratio of the wheelbase to the overall length (k1), k1 = WB/OL, are important variables in suspension design. A long wheelbase relative to the overall length of the vehicle allows for the accommodation of passengers between the axles, so the floor can be flat in the foot well and the seat cushion height has less special constraints. It reduces the affect of load positioning in the vehicle; this includes the position of the engine and gearbox. It reduces the tendency to pitching, especially on undulating country roads which in turn allows the use of softer springs which tend to give passengers a more comfortable ride. With the reduced overhang there is less polar inertia, which improves the swerveability of the vehicle. The length of the wheelbase affects the turning circle for any given input of steering angle. American car companies have set ratios for wheel base and overall length; this is to give a particular aesthetic to their full size cars – for example the Lincoln. On the compacts and sub-compacts (ordinary European style cars) this does not apply.
Models for ground vehicle control on nonplanar surfaces
Published in Vehicle System Dynamics, 2023
Thomas Fork, H. Eric Tseng, Francesco Borrelli
We evaluated our modelling approach on data gathered with the 1:10 scale remote control car shown in Figure 4(a). This vehicle has a wheelbase length of 0.25m and with retrofits has a mass of 1.76kg. Raw vehicle inputs are pulse width to the front steering servo and signed duty cycle (negative for reverse) to the brushed DC drive motor. This vehicle has front and rear differentials, with a rigid axle connecting both. Suspension linkages can also be seen in Figure 4(a). We equipped the car with motion tracking markers to track vehicle pose at a rate of 240 Hz, from which linear and angular velocity of the vehicle was estimated. We built a quarter-pipe turn for testing our nonplanar vehicle modelling approach, shown with car in Figure 4(b). This was part of a larger, L-shaped test track, which was flat and is shown in Figure 5. Axes of the motion capture system were aligned with the L shape of the track, with the quarter pipe at a 45 degree angle on the outermost turn of the track.
Gear shifting multi-objective optimization to improve vehicle performance, fuel consumption, and engine emissions
Published in Mechanics Based Design of Structures and Machines, 2018
Jony Javorski Eckert, Fabio Mazzariol Santiciolli, Elvis Bertoti, Eduardo dos Santos Costa, Fernanda Cristina Corrêa, Ludmila Corrêa de Alkmin e Silva, Franco Giuseppe Dedini
Longitudinal acceleration is responsible for a load transfer to the vehicle rear wheels, decreasing the normal load applied to the frontal traction wheels. This phenomenon limits the transmissible traction force between the tire and the ground (Eckert et al., 2016a). The maximum transmissible force at the tire contact Fmax [N] for a front wheel drive vehicle is given according to (Eq. 7) as proposed by Jazar (2008) as a function of the tire-ground peak friction coefficient μ, the vehicle wheelbase L [m], the height of the gravity center h [m], and the longitudinal distance between the vehicle rear axle and the gravity center c [m]:
Discomfort limits provided by railroad crossings to passenger cars
Published in International Journal of Pavement Engineering, 2021
Ufuk Kırbaş, Mustafa Karaşahin
In the second stage of the calibration, the road profiles that could be used in the simulation were determined in the gaps between the rails and the distances outside the tracks (before and after the track and between two railroad tracks) in railroad crossings with distress severity L, M, and H. To this end, vibrations at various ride speeds were read through the driver's seat surface at crossings of a double-track railroad and awz parameter values were determined. While determining the measured section length for a double-track railroad crossing, 3.5 metres approach and departure lengths before and after the railroad tracks were accepted. These lengths are a value that indicates the largest wheelbase of a passenger car-type vehicle. The reason for choosing this value is that only railroad crossing distress is evaluated in this study. If longer distances were to be considered, it is clear that other types of distress of road pavements could be encountered. At shorter distances, it is encountered that the whole of the vibration effects that occur in the vehicle cannot be evaluated. The distance between two railroad tracks has been accepted as 3 m. This value was found by measuring in field studies where vibration data were collected. By the way, the evaluated railroad track width is normal track width and 1.5 m. It is known that grooved section rails are used in railroad crossings to provide rolling convenience to road vehicles. Since it is known that this is the case in railroad tracks that have been evaluated on the site, the profile created is modelled on a track with a grooved section about 10 cm wide. The reason is explained in this way, and the total length of the railroad crossing distress section was considered to be 13 m.