Study of the Effects upon Vehicle Stability Exerted by Tie Rod End Clearance Under Slalom Maneuver

Tie rod end clearance is an important parameter influencing automobile stability under slalom maneuver. In this paper the steering mechanism is simplified into a plane linkage mechanism and an analysis of the effects on vehicle stability exerted by kinematic pair clearance under slalom maneuver is also presented. A 4DOF mathematical model of vehicle maneuvering system is thus being built. On the basis of this model, we adopt the numerical analysis method to conduct a simulated analysis about the stability of prototype vehicle side slip angle as the clearance parameter changes. According to the results, vehicle slalom dynamics behaviors manifest itself in shifting from single cycle to chaos directly. With the increase in clearance, nearly no change is displayed in the upper critical frequency of vehicle slalom instability. However, an increasing rise is shown in the lower critical frequency. The instability frequency bandwidth, accordingly, bears an increase as well and a marked difference manifests itself with regard to the characteristics of window dynamics in chaotic areas.