Study regarding the implementation of an Ackerman steering geometry in MATLAB

Abstract

In dynamic vehicle behavior the steering system has an important role. The vehicle stability, maneuverability depends on steering system characteristics. Majority of passenger vehicles uses the rack pinion steering linkage system. In this article, a simplified planar six-bar linkage model of the rack pinion steering system is presented. Kinematic relations are used to determine every linkage position in every possible situation. This simplified system contains a rack, tie rods, steering arms, and wheels. The six-bar linkage model is introduced in MATLAB SIMULINK. In the function of the rack displacement, the wheel angels are determined. The dimensions of this planar model can be estimated due to the minimum error between the calculated wheel angels for the rack and pinion system and an Ackerman principle based system with similar dimensions. For optimizing a system and for verifying the method numerical calculation are used.