Road-Vehicle Directional Response Studies Using a General-Purpose Simulation Methodology

This paper discusses the computer simulation of a road-vehicle directional response to fixed-control steering inputs using a general purpose simulation language, ACSL. The equations of motion are derived to evaluate the vehicle directional behavior in terms of sideslip angle, yawing velocity gain, and path curvature gain. Computer simulations have been performed to examine the influence of tire lateral stiffnesses, load distribution on front and rear axles, and forward speed on vehicle directional response, in particular on the vehicle turning geometry.