ME4214

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

ME4214 VEHICLE DYNAMICS

(Semester I : AY2013/2014)

Time Allowed : 2 Hours

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES:

1. This examination paper contains THREE (3) questions and comprises FOUR (4)
printed pages.

2. Answer ALL THREE (3) questions.

3. This is an OPEN-BOOK EXAMINATION.

4. Programmable calculators are NOT allowed for this examination.

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QUESTION 1

A half truck frame model is represented by a uniform rigid beam of length 2L with mass per
unit length (m) and is supported on front and rear suspensions (front suspension spring
stiffness K1 and damping constant C1, rear frame is on 2 axles with suspension spring
stiffness K2 and damping constant C2 for each axle) as shown in Figure 1. The distance
between the rear axles is b. This system is excited by a force F(t) = F0ejt at distance a
from the centerline.

(a) Derive equations of motion for this system at the center of the wheel base, using
either (i) Newtons law of motion or (ii) Lagrange method and present them in matrix
form.
(15 marks)

(b) Find the natural frequencies (eigen-values) and mode shapes (eigen-vectors) of the
system for the following parameters. Identify bounce and pitch frequencies.
(25 marks)

L = 4 m, a = 3 m, b = 1 m, mass, m = 1000 Kg/m, C1 = 8000 Ns/m, C2 = 4000 Ns/m,

K1 = 100000 N/m, K2 = 60000 N/m

(c) Neglecting the coupling terms in the equations of motion (the term with pitch angle in
the first term and the term with z displacement in the second), determine the % critical
damping for the bounce and pitch motion.
(10 marks)

Figure 1
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QUESTION 2

A tricycle is modelled as an inverted T-structure with one steering front wheel and two non-
steerable rear wheels as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2

(a) Given that the tricycle has a yaw rate of r, and its velocity at the center of mass C has
magnitude v and sideslip angle , obtain the components (in the body frame B) of
velocities for the three wheels.
(10 marks)

(b) The front wheel is given a small steering angle , Obtain expressions for the lateral
force at each of the three wheels in terms of the state variables (x-component of v, r,
) and the input angle . The lateral force coefficient for each wheel is given by C.
(10 marks)
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QUESTION 3

(a) A front wheel steer vehicle has the following characteristics.

Mass of vehicle = 1200 kg

Moment of inertia about vertical axis = 1300 kg m2
Distance of front axle from center of mass = 1.4 m
Distance of rear axle from center of mass = 1.2 m
The lateral force coefficient at each of the four tires is 30 kN/rad.

Determine the stability of the vehicle.

(10 marks)

(b) While traveling along a straight path at 200 km/h, the vehicle was impacted from the
side. The lateral speed was changed suddenly to 3.6 km/h, while the yaw rate
remained unchanged immediately after the impact.

Find the lateral speed and yaw rate at a time 5 seconds after the impact. Sketch the
time response of the lateral speed after the impact.

You may assume that the forward speed remained constant and the steering angle was
held constant at zero after the impact.
(20 marks)

- END OF PAPER -