Search Results

Tires have been taking an important role in vehicle safety in the last years. A lot of efforts have been taken in the way that we can understand, predict and follow its behavior, in the way that this could be useful for vehicle safety increasing. In this direction, several models describe the tire interaction with ground, considering the steering angle, pressure, temperature, friction coefficient and thread as well. Inside this analysis, there is the tire slip angle value, that is consequence of lateral forces acting over the tire. This characteristic is predicted in some cases, and evaluated on another ones. This paper brings to community another point of view of slip angle. We propose a mathematical model that describes a constraint linking slip angles and steering angle, in the way that makes the vehicle turns. We present the kinematic model that makes all three angles compatibles each other, function of the radius' corner.

In order to fulfill the users' needs, many innovations are included in vehicles. However, not all of these vehicles can be used by People with Special Needs (PSN), due to their technical characteristics and/or adaptation cost, even with the financial incentives offered by Brazilian Government. In this context, the Universal Design (UD) is inserted, where PSN and people without physical deficiencies can use the same vehicle, with little or no adaptation. In order to identify the needs of PSN, interviews were carried out with PSN and exhibiters of automotive products for PSN, in the VII Reatech 2008 (International Fair of Technologies of Rehabilitation, Inclusion and Accessibility), where can be highlighted: to lower the car floor; to improve the door access (increasing width, height and opening angle); to improve the internal space of vehicles; to reduce the cost of adaptation kits; and others.

This work presents a mathematical model for a three-wheeled narrow vehicle that will serve as a platform for mobility engineering experiments, conducted by the Mechanical and Automation curses of the Federal University of Santa Catarina. This document presents a cinematic and dynamic model of the vehicle, whose main feature is the leaning movement of its body and wheels. In spite of the enhanced mechanical and control projects complexity, the capacity to lean on curves offers better directional stability, which is a limitation for narrow vehicles. The ability to lean the entire vehicle allows the reduction of transversal loads on the wheels, which reduces their mechanical solicitations. Some simplifications were made in the mathematical model to facilitate the analysis of physical aspects inherent to this type of vehicle.