Abstract
A properly designed steering system has direct correlation with the stability and safety of the automobile. This paper presents a kinematic design example of a rack and pinion steering system combined with an independent front suspension. The design considered the available space and cross-coupling with the vehicle suspension. Virtual models were created and further updated as the design progressed. A simplified geometrical model has been created first, and was corrected and improved within Catia CAE package.
Keywords: rack and pinion, steering kinematics, Ackermann steering, CAD, optimization