Modeling & Simulation of Joystick Operated Steering System

Joystick operated Hydraulic steering system offers numerous advantages in terms of controllability and operator comfort over the conventional steering systems. Consequently, there is also growing need to model these complex dynamic systems for evaluation and enhancement of performance. This paper is focused on modeling, simulation and analyzing the dynamic behavior of a joystick type hydraulic steering system of articulated machinery using commercially available Dynamic system modeling software. The simulation program is developed by modeling each component of joystick Steering system using various libraries exist in the dynamic system modeling tool. The complete vehicle was modeled as lumped mass, which will act on the tires and in turn acts as a load to the steering system. The simulation can be carried out for different type of steering operations of the machine and also for different load cases at different steering angles to predict the system performance characteristics. It will enable us to virtually simulate the Joystick type steering system and evaluate the system dynamic response and performance during the development stage. Simulation results obtained will help us improving the system performance and operability, design optimization thereby reducing cost and time associated with the Product design development and field testing significantly.