Steering systems

Steering system:

Thesteeringsystem converts the rotation

of the steering wheel into a swiveling
movement of the road wheels.
 Types of steering
Manual Steering system

A. Rack and pinion

B. Recirculating Ball Screw

Power assisted Steering system

A. Rack and pinion

B. Recirculating Ball Screw

 1. The rack-and-pinion system

At the base of thesteering columnthere is a small

pinion (gearwheel) inside a housing.
Its teeth mesh with a straight row of teeth on a rack - a
long transverse bar.
Turning the pinion makes the rack move from side to
side.
The ends of the rack are coupled to the road wheels by
track rods.
This system is simple, with few moving parts to
become worn or displaced, so its action is precise.
Rack &Pinion Steering gear
box
 Construction & Working:
Auniversal jointin the steering column allows it to connect with

the rack without angling the steering wheel awkwardly sideways.

A rack-and-pinion gearset is enclosed in a metal tube, with each

end of the rack protruding from the tube.

A rod, called a tie rod, connects to each end of the rack.

Thepinion gearis attached to the steering shaft.

When you turn the steering wheel, the gear spins, moving the rack.

The tie rod at each end of the rack connects to thesteering

armon thespindle.
Rack &Pinion Steering gear
box
 Rack &Pinion Steering gear
box
The rack-and-pinion gear set does two things:
It converts the rotational motion of the steering
wheel into the linear motion needed to turn the wheels.
It provides a gear reduction, making it easier to turn the
wheels.

On most cars, it takes three to four complete revolutions

of the steering wheel to make the wheels turn from lock to
lock (from far left to far right).
 Steering gear ratio
Thesteering ratiois the ratio of how far you turn the
steering wheel to how far the wheels turn.

For instance, if one complete revolution (360 degrees) of

the steering wheel results in the wheels of the car turning
20 degrees, then the steering ratio is 360 divided by 20,
or 18:1.

A higher ratio means that you have to turn the steering

wheel more to get the wheels to turn a given distance.
 2.Recirculating-ball steering
mechanism/ The steering-box
system
At the base of the steering column there is a worm
gearinside a box. A worm is a threaded cylinderlike a
short bolt.
Imagine turning a bolt which holding a nut on it; the
nut would move along the bolt. In the same way,
turning the worm moves anything fitted into its thread.
Depending on the design, the moving part may be a
sector (like a slice of a gear wheel), a peg or a roller
connected to a fork, or a large nut.
Recirculating-ball steering mechanism
The nut system has hardened balls running inside the

thread between the worm and the nut. As the nut moves,

the balls roll out into a tube that takes them back to the

start, it is called a recirculating-ball system.

The worm moves a drop arm linked by a track rod to

asteering armthat moves the nearest front wheel.

A central track rod reaches to the other side of the car,

where it is linked to the other front wheel by another track

rod and steering arm. A pivotedidler armholds the far

end of the central track rod level.

Recirculating-ball steering
mechanism
 Recirculating-ball steering
mechanism
The balls actually serve two purposes:
1. They reduce friction and wear in the gear;

2. They reduceout of contactin the gear (when

you change the direction of the steering wheel --
without the balls in the steering gear, the teeth
would come out of contact with each other for a
moment, making the steering wheel feel loose.)
Recirculating-ball
Steering
 Disadvantage:

The steering-box system has many moving parts,

so is less precise than the rack system, there
being more room for wear and displacement.

Power steering in a recirculating-ball system

works similarly to a rack-and-pinion system.
Assist is provided by supplying higher-pressure
fluid to one side of the block.
 3. Power-assisted steering
Need:
On a heavy car, either the steering is heavy or it is

inconveniently low geared - the steering wheel

requiring many turns from lock to lock.

Heavy gearing can be troublesome when parking in

confined spaces. Power-assisted steering

overcomes the problem.

 Concept:
Theenginedrives apumpthat supplies oil under highpressureto
the rack or the steering box.
Valvesin the steering rack or box open whenever the driver turns
the wheel, allowing oil into the cylinder. The oil works
apistonthat helps to push the steering in the appropriate
direction.
As soon as the driver stops turning the wheel, the valve shuts and
the pushing action of the piston stops.
The power only assists the steering - the steering wheel is still
linked to the road wheels in the usual way.
So if the power fails, the driver can still steer but the steering
becomes much heavier.
Power-assisted steering
 Power-assisted steering
Construction:
1.Pump
The hydraulic power for the steering is provided by arotary-vane pump.
This pump is driven by the car's engine via a belt and pulley.
It contains a set of retractable vanes that spin inside an oval chamber.

As the vanes spin, they pull hydraulic fluid from the return line at
low pressure and force it into the outlet at high pressure.
The amount of flow provided by the pump depends on the car's engine
speed. The pump must be designed to provide adequate flow when the
engine is idling. As a result, the pump moves much more fluid than
necessary when the engine is running at faster speeds.
The pump contains a pressure-relief valve to make sure that the
pressure does not get too high, especially at high engine speeds when so
much fluid is being pumped.
 Torsion Bar:
2.Torsion Bar:
The key to the rotary valve is atorsion bar.

The torsion bar is a thin rod of metal that twists whentorqueis applied

to it.

The top of the bar is connected to the steering wheel, and the bottom

of the bar is connected to the pinion or worm gear (which turns the
wheels), so the amount of torque in the torsion bar is equal to the
amount of torque the driver is using to turn the wheels.

The more torque the driver uses to turn the wheels, the more the bar

twists.
 Power-assisted steering
3.Rotary /Spool Valve:

A power-steering system should assist the driver only when he is exerting force

on the steering wheel (such as when starting a turn).

When the driver is not exerting force (such as when driving in a straight line),

the system shouldn't provide any assist.

The device that senses the force on the steering wheel is called therotary valve.

The input from the steering shaft forms the inner part of aspool-valve assembly.

It also connects to the top end of thetorsion bar.

The bottom of the torsion bar connects to the outer part of the spool valve.

The torsion bar also turns the output of the steering gear, connecting to

either the pinion gear or the worm gear depending on which type of steering the

car has.
 Power-assisted steering
working:
As the bar twists, it rotates the inside of the spool valve relative to

the outside.

Since the inner part of the spool valve is also connected to the

steering shaft (and therefore to the steering wheel), the amount of

rotation between the inner and outer parts of the spool valve depends

on how much torque the driver applies to the steering wheel.

When the steering wheel is not being turned, both hydraulic lines

provide the same amount of pressure to the steering gear.

But if the spool valve is turned one way or the other, ports open up to

provide high-pressure fluid to the appropriate line.

Power-assisted steering
E ND