Abstract
Keywords: tire pressure, stability, turning radius, bicycle model
This paper presents a series of experiments referring to the car stability during turning maneuvers on dry concrete road surface at different tire pressure levels. The two degree-of-freedom bicycle model and the related equations were used to estimate the vehicle stability in turns. Experimental have been performed using a front-drive car equipped with a high performance GPS data logger VBOX designed primary for use in automotive testing. A series of comparative tests have been carried out on different tire pressures (1,6; 1,8; 2, and 2,2 cm2 daN ) and steering angles (10°, 20°, and 30°) to estimate the front-drive car stability in turning maneuvers. For all tests, longitudinal velocity, yaw rate, longitudinal and lateral acceleration, steering angle and vehicle trajectory were continuously recorded at 10 Hz sampling rate. The proposed model for the vehicle stability estimation and the interpretation of obtained experimental data were implemented using MAPLE programming toolbox and language. After all data processing and analysis we find that an increasing of tire pressure from normal to maximum admissible values will improve the vehicle behavior in cornering, decreasing the turning radius values for the same steering angle, and also reducing the lateral scattering values for vehicle slip angle.