Case Study Continued

Steering Consideration
To design the steering system we must
consider the 3-Dimensional geometry of
the system
Steering Axis
Imaginary line from the upper and lower
outboard A-Arm pivots
Kingpin Angle
Steering axis angle:


Effect of Kingpin Angle

Typically the is kingpin
angled toward the center
of the car
In this case, any turning of
the wheel forces the tire
to arc toward the ground
This causes this corner of
the vehicle to be raised,
providing a self centering
force on the steering
system

Caster
The angle of the steering axis as
viewed from a side view
Front of Car
Positive Negative
Positive Caster
When the wheel is turned the cornering
force acts perpendicular to the wheel
through the contact patch.
creates a torque about the steering axis
that acts to center the steering system

Positive
Front of Car
Negative Caster
This has the opposite effect as positive
caster
As the tires are turned a torque is created that
cause the tire to turn farther
Front of Car
Negative
Caster
The torque created by caster is a large factor in
providing feedback for a driver.
These aligning torques are responsible for allowing a
driver to recover form a spin.
These forces are present any time the wheel is turned at
an angle to the vehicle trajectory
Trajectory
Effects of Caster Dynamic Camber
From a performance standpoint the caster
can be used to achieve the desired
camber for a given situation.
Positive Caster: Adds negative to outside
tire in a cornering situation, Optimal for
traction

Bump Steer
Steer angle generated any time the suspension travels up or down
Created any time the steering rod inboard pivot is not located on the instant
center
Causes tires to toe in or out with steer angle
CHASSIS
Instant Center
Ground
Steering Rod
(Toe Rod)
Steering Rod
Inboard Pivot
Bump Steer
Can be used for performance tuning
Can be used on the rear suspension to
create passive rear steer
CHASSIS
Instant Center
Ground
Passive Rear Steer
Relies on the vehicle roll angle during a
cornering situation to steer the rear wheels
CHASSIS
Ground
Toe Rod
Steering Ackerman
Steering Ackerman
describes the angle
difference between the
outside and inside tire of
a vehicle
The steering sensitivity of
the vehicle is greatly
affected by the amount of
Ackerman designed into
the suspension
Corner Conditions
When the vehicle
negotiates a turn the
two front wheels must
carve different arc,
the outside wheel
travels a further
distance than the
inner
Parallel Steering
Parallel steering means that
both front tires are turned the
same amount to navigate a
given corner
This will work but it reduces
the effectiveness of the
steering system
If both the wheels were
turned by the same amount,
the inside wheel would scrub
(effectively sliding sideways)
So to eliminate this
scrubbing of the inside tire,
the tire needs to be steered
more to carve the same arc
Drawing out Ackerman
To visualize Ackerman
steering geometry you can
draw it out on the vehicle lay
out
First draw a vehicle
center line
Draw a line down the
center of the rear axle
Then draw a line
intersecting the outer
steering point and the
kingpin axis
The intersection of the two
dotted lines defines the
Ackerman characteristics of
the vehicle
True Ackerman
For a vehicle to have true
Ackerman all of the wheels
must pivot around the same
point
This ensures that no tire is
unnecessarily scrubbing, so
this means that both tires are
traveling tangent to the circle
the vehicle is traveling on.
When the outer steering
attachment falls anywhere on
the pink line the vehicle will
have the same true Ackerman
Over True Ackerman
Over Ackerman refers to the
inside tire turning more then the
amount required to travel the
desired arc
This case shows how the
intersection point falls in front of
the rear axle center line, thus
increasing the angle difference
between the two tires
So it could be described as have
toe out in relation to the turning
circle
In most cases this is done for low
speed cars that require nimble
quick turning, the vehicle will have
increased steering response at
low speeds
Under True Ackerman
In this setup the
intersection point falls
behind the axle center
This causes the
steering response of the
vehicle to decrease
slightly
So it could be described
as have toe in in
relation to the turning
circle
Anti-Ackerman
This describes the
characteristic of the
outside wheel turning
more than the inside
wheel
This is done for high
speed stability, the car
acts lazy and does not
respond quickly to
steering inputs
This over stabilizes the
vehicle
Drawing Anti-Ackerman
When drawing out Anti-Ackerman, imagine the
Ackerman drawing just mirrored around the front axle
centerline
The steering angle difference would be the same as
normal Ackerman, just that the outside tire is now turning
more then the inside
Steering Ratio
The steering ratio can be
adjusted by moving the
outer steering pickup
point along the Ackerman
Axis (dotted line), and still
maintain the Ackerman
geometry
This action will decrease
the steering effort
required, but it will also
slow the steering

Roll Gradient
Relationship between vehicle roll angle
(body roll) and lateral acceleration.
Units: Degrees / G
This is usually a design target that a
designer will use while designing the
suspension
Roll Stiffness
If you know the roll stiffness of a car and the CG and roll
center height, you can calculate the roll gradient

b = roll moment
) (deg/G
R
b x
R
stiffness
lateral
grad