Steering Motion Analysis of Tractor-Trailer Systems

A kinematic model for studying the maneuverability of an off-road tractor/double-axle trailer combination has been formulated. The influence of steering inputs from the tractor and the trailer front axles on the system's maneuverability in terms of lateral displacement and rotational motion during the turning process is studied by conducting computer simulations using the LOTUS spreadsheet program. A lane-change problem is presented to demonstrate the computational procedure and to illustrate the application of the kinematic model.