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Measurements for Assessing the Steering Controllability Characteristics of Automobiles
Technical Paper
806080
Sector:
Language:
English
Abstract
This paper examines the results of steering controllability
tests developed for objectively quantifying directional
response.
The relationship of steering controllability characteristics,
exhibited by subcompact, compact, and intermediate size automobiles
produced in the U.S., to the specifications on yaw-rate gain and
response time developed in research programs sponsored by the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), is
investigated through 1) an analytical survey of the yaw response of
1977 model year vehicles and 2) open- and closed-loop testing of
three selected vehicles, in modified and unmodified conditions.
With the exception of some vehicle models equipped with manual
steering, the analytical survey and the open-loop tests show that
the directional performance characteristics of 1977 subcompact,
compact, and intermediate size cars lie within the
"optimum" region that has been defined through NHTSA
research. The closed-loop tests indicate that variations of
yaw-rate gain of the magnitude studied may or may not be of
consequence, depending upon the particular vehicle being
studied.
After presenting these results, the paper gives conclusions and
recommendations concerning specifications on yaw-rate gain and
response time.