IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTIVE STEERING ON A MULTIPLE TRAILER LONG COMBINATION VEHICLE

In order to introduce longer heavy vehicles with multiple articulation joints between vehicle units into the UK and other European countries, rear steering of the trailing vehicle units is required to allow for sufficient manoeuvrability. An extensive program of research has been undertaken into trailer steering technologies in recent years. Such systems can enable significantly longer heavy vehicles to negotiate narrow roads. It is thought that this same technology could be used in military supply operations.

Possible benefits of using multiple-trailer ‘long combination’ vehicles in military supply include: (i)

Fewer vehicles are needed to perform the same supply tasks. This means fewer drivers and consequently less exposure to threats, as well as improved productivity of each driver and vehicle.

Longer vehicles can have 20% to 30% lower fuel consumption for a given freight task than conventional vehicles, depending on the configuration.

Application of controlled steering on trailer axles provides further benefits. These include: (i)

Improved low-speed manoeuvrability gives better access to confined locations.

Eliminating tire scrubbing in sharp corners significantly reduces tire wear.

By steering the axles at high speeds, it is possible to improved high-speed stability and reduce the risk of rollover: giving safer vehicles that are more tolerant to inexperienced drivers.

This paper details the development and testing of trailer steering controllers for forward and reverse travel of a double trailer vehicle. Practical implementation of the controllers on the Cambridge Vehicle Dynamics Consortium’s Long Combination Vehicle (LCV) is outlined, and test results of the system’s low speed forward and reversing performance are shown.