Design Optimisation of Adaptive Scooter to Ensure Optimal Vehicle Handling and Safety

The scooter was essentially designed for commuting purpose of a rider and pillion. Based on the size and weight of the scooters they are commonly used either by first time two wheeler users or more experienced users. However in recent times there has been an increase in number of scooters which are being used by differently-abled people with additional support in the form of side wheels so that the stability of the vehicle is enhanced and the vehicle does not capsize. While the role of this supporting structure is to enhance the safety, little research has been done to determine how the vehicle layout should be changed such that the handling and ride comfort is optimized.

To enable the optimum vehicle layout, a series of simulations were conducted with the help of a Multibody code (ADAMS), such that the best combination of ride and handling is arrived at and the safety of the rider is ensured.

As the prime objective of the additional support is to improve the safety for differently-abled people, this paper can be looked at by future design engineers to improve safety of adaptive scooters.