Advanced vehicle dynamics

(AEng6203)
Presentation
On
ABS and TCS, and effect of driving
torque and braking torque on
steering
Presented by: Abubaker Muzayin Ali
                    ID.No: pgr/27921/15
Submitted to: Dr. N Ramesh Babu Nallamothu

Department of Mechanical Engineering

SoMCME
Subdivision Automotive engineering
Adama Science and Technology University
23 ,Feb 2023
Adama, Ethiopia
Driving assists: ABS, TCS
Cars of today are usually equipped with a plethora of driving assists, regardless of
their performance.

It is safe to say that such technologies are designed with safety.

In our new multi-part series, we’ll go through some of the most commonly-seen
driving assist functions.

Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)

Introduction
ABS is an automated system that uses the principles of threshold braking (the
optimal amount of braking force is developed at the point when the wheel just
begins to slip) and cadence braking (pumping the brake pedal), techniques which
were once practiced by racing/skilful drivers before ABS was widespread.

ABS is a system that modulates brake pressure in an emergency stop to

keep the wheels from locking up. This allows the driver to maintain control
of the steering wheel and stop the car as quickly as possible.
Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) is.
 Prevents the vehicle’s wheels from locking up during emergency braking.

 When they lock up, traction is lost, and the car will simply glide straight-on,
skidding out of control and potentially causing a collision.

 The system uses sensors to engage and disengage the brakes continuously,
so that the car slows down quickly without the tires skidding and losing grip of the
tarmac. This gives the driver greater control, and reduces the chances of a
collision happening.

 In this sense, you no longer need to pump the brakes manually in such
situations, as ABS will do all the work for you when the brake pedal is applied.

 ABS is a safety system used on vehicles and operates by preventing the

wheels from locking up during hard braking, thereby maintaining tractive contact
with the road surface and allowing the driver to maintain more control over the
vehicle, and can reduce the stopping distance.

 ABS operates at a much faster rate and more effectively than most drivers
could manage. Basically the system would pulse the brakes (up to 15 times a
second) in order to prevent wheel lock-up and uncontrolled skidding of the tires.

Component of ABS

Fig

The following are the important parts of anti-lock braking system:

1 Speed sensors
  ABS system needs speed sensor to know when a wheel is about to lock.
 The ABS sensor normally consists of a toothed ring and a magnet
enclosed within a coil.
 The contact among the ring and the magnet induces an electric field due
to which a signal is generated.
 This signal is then transformed into a digital signal and sent to the ABS
controller. The controller then determines the speed of each wheel
individually.
 To generate a signal, these sensors use a magnet, a Hall Effect sensor, or
a toothed wheel and a coil of electromagnetic energy.
Valve
 ABS has a valve in its brake line. Valves play a major role in the ABS
system
 It controls the pressure and limits it to a certain amount.
 during braking pedal is pushed harder, the valves limit the pressure on the
brakes.
 The valve has three positions open, block, and release.
 Open position, it allows the pressure to flow through the brake.
 Block position, it blocks the extra pressure and maintains a limited
pressure in the system.
 Release position, it releases the pressure held on the brakes.
Pump

Pump is used to restore pressure after the valves have been released.
A signal from the controller will release the valve upon detection of wheel slip.
Braking system is restored to the desired pressure level after the valve releases the
pressure supplied by the user.
Controllers
 The wheel speed sensor sends information to the controller, which is a
type of ECU unit.
 The controller receives a signal when a wheel loses traction.
 The controller will then limit the brake force and activate the ABS
modulator, which turns the braking valve on and off.
How ABS work

o When the wheel or differentials of the vehicle rotates, it induces

magnetic field around the sensor.
o The fluctuation in this magnetic field generates voltage in the sensor.
The voltage generated sends signals to the controller.
o With the help of the voltage the controller reads the acceleration and
deceleration of the wheel.
 o Then valves rapidly apply and release the brake automatically to keep
vehicle tires from skidding and help keep the driver in control of the
vehicle.
o If speed sensors detect the speed of any of the wheels is reducing
drastically compared to others, the ECU sends the signal to the valves of
the respective wheel to reduce the brake pressure, and the valves get
closed.

The advantages of ABS braking systems

In addition to what we discuss above Anti-Lock Braking System reduces
the friction of wheels on the roads and can increase the efficiency of
the tires up to 30%. Makes better use of the brake disc and brake pads.
Overrides the driver's instinct to brake harshly. Good braking performance
under different conditions.

Disadvantage of ABS brakes

The primary disadvantage of ABS brakes is the increased cost it adds to
the overall cost of a vehicle. Also maintenance costs go up as the
sensors on each wheel are expensive and get heavy on the pocket if they
run out of calibration. The job of anti-lock brakes is to provide sure footed
braking.
Note- ABS provides driver more control through steering during
braking by not locking the brakes.

Note- power steering and abs share no relation inside a automotive

vehicle they have it's own system the only thing they have “in common”
are they're both hydrolytically controlled.

Traction Control System (TCS)

Introduction
The steer ability of a vehicle is not only lost when the wheels lock up on braking;
the same effect arises if the wheel’s spin when driving off under severe
acceleration.
Electronic traction control has been developed as a supplement to ABS. This
control system prevents the wheels from spinning when moving off or when
accelerating sharply while on the move. In this way, an individual wheel, which is
spinning is braked in a controlled manner. If both or all of the wheels are spinning,
the drive torque is reduced by means of an engine control function. Traction
control is not normally available as an independent system, but in combination
with ABS. This is because many of the components required are the same as for
the ABS. Traction control only requires a change in logic control in the ECU and a
few extra control elements such as control of the throttle.

Fig traction control system

 Going hand in hand with ABS is this - the Traction Control System, or TCS.
Designed with safety firmly in mind, it applies the brakes to any of the four wheels
if it detects excessive wheel spin which usually indicates the car losing grip on the
road.

 To achieve this, the system employs a series of sensors to identify whether

there is too much power going through the wheels.

 Once confirmed that the car is possibly out of control, the ABS then kicks in
to pump the brakes on the tires, while engine power is reduced. This process
effectively slows down the rotational speed of the tires. Thus enabling them to
regain traction.

 Traction Control (TC) limits wheel spin during acceleration. It does this by
applying the brakes (ABS) to the drive wheels only when slip is detected. Just like
stability control, it can also cut engine power if you get overzealous with the
throttle.

The main controller for the traction can include one of the following, depending on
make, model, and year of vehicle:
1. The body control module (BCM)
2. The powertrain control module (PCM)
3. The antilock brake system (ABS) controller
The controller uses inputs from several sensors to determine if a loss of traction is
occurring. The input signals used for traction control include:
 Throttle position (TP) sensor:-This indicates the position of
the throttle, which is the driver command for power.
 Wheel speed sensor (WSS) :-The controller monitors all
four-wheel speed sensors. If one wheel is rotating faster
than the other, this indicates that the tire is slipping or has
lost traction.
 Engine speed (RPM):-This information is supplied from
the engine controller powertrain control module (PCM) and
indicates the speed of the engine.
 Transmission range switch :-Determines which gear the
driver has selected so that the PCM can take corrective
action.
Traction control systems (TCS) apply the brakes when a drive wheel attempts to
spin and lose traction.
Controlling wheel slip is the goal of both ABS and ATC.
 ABS controls negative wheel slip by modulating the hydraulic pressure
to the wheel, or wheels that is skidding.
 An ATC system controls positive wheel spin by modulating hydraulic
pressure at the wheel that is spinning to slow down the wheel

                                                              
Figure1: Typical traction control

Engine Controls
 More advanced systems work at higher speeds and integrate some
engine control functions into the control loop.
 Most TCS compare front wheel speeds to rear wheel speeds to
determine if drive wheels lose traction. When drive wheel slip is
detected while the brake is not applied, the electronic brake control
module (EBCM) will enter into the traction control mode.
Control functions
Control of tractive force can be by a number of methods. three techniques used to
prevent wheel spin,
 Throttle Control.
 Ignition Control.
 Brake Control.

Throttle control This can be via an actuator, which can move the throttle cable, or
if the vehicle employs a drive-by wire accelerator, then control will be in
conjunction with the engine management ECU.
Ignition control If ignition is retarded, the engine torque can be reduced by up to
50% in a very short space of time.
Brake control If the spinning wheel is restricted by brake pressure, the reduction in
torque at the affected wheel is very fast. Maximum brake pressure is not used, to
ensure passenger comfort is maintained.

Driving torque
Driving torque is the torque which is the cause of the rotary motion.

Applied to internal combustion engines or electric motors, torque

indicates the force to which the drive shaft is subjected. Torque is
expressed in newton-meters (Nm). The interaction of torque and engine
speed (rpm) determines the engine power.

In automobile vehicle, engine provides driving torque whereas bearing

friction and rolling friction of the wheel create resistance (brake) torque.

Driving torque reflected on the wheel equals resistance torque acting on

the motor. During acceleration, driving torque is more than resistance
torque, during deceleration, it is less.
Braking Torque

Introduction
Braking torque is the torque opposing the rotary motion.

When you want to slow down or stop the rotation of the wheels, you use
something called brake torque to measure the amount of pressure that is applied
to the rotors and/or the brake shoes.

Brake torque is essentially the power of the braking system. The brake caliper acts
on the disc at a certain distance from the hub center, known as the effective
radius. The force exerted by the caliper, multiplied by the effective radius of the
system equals the brake torque. Increasing either the force applied by the caliper,
or the effective radius results in increased brake torque.

Disc brakes are the most common type of braking system in use today. A disc
brake is a braking system in which a disc that rotates in solidarity with the vehicle
wheel is subjected to friction by brake pads with a high coefficient of friction. The
brake pads are organized inside of a component known as the caliper, which is
then solidly attached to the framework of the automobile. The brake pads are
pressed against the disc by a hydraulic circuit with enough force to convert some
or all of the kinetic energy of the vehicle while it is in motion into heat. This
process continues until the vehicle comes to a complete stop or its speed is
reduced
The effect of driving torque and braking torque on
steering (torque steer)
During heavy accelerating or braking, driving torque and braking torque
generate, that the angle of steering depend on them. When driving at high
speed high torque it have, and low steering angle (that is the effect on
steering).

Driving torque is the amount of torque the driver exerts on the wheel, to
various other parameters, such as steering angle, vehicle yaw rate and
lateral acceleration.

Braking torque effects usually occur during cornering when a driver has to
slow down on a wrongly assessed bend by reducing the amount of
acceleration or applying the brake.

So driving torque effect on steering happens during high

acceleration and braking torque effect on steering
happens at the time slow down the speed of the car by
hitting down brake pedal. This effect is called torque
steer.

Torque steer happens mostly in FWD cars and refers to a situation when
a car's engine torque influences its steering.

TORQUE STEER is the tendency of a vehicle to pull to either the left or right
under acceleration or braking.  You may notice when applying the throttle the
steering wheel tug in your hands as the car tries to pull to one side.
In high-speed driving, the range of steering angles used is smaller than in

Torque steer is a sensation that is commonly experienced in powerful front-

wheel-drive cars. It happens under acceleration as the torque delivered by the
engine overcomes the front tires, resulting in either the steering wheel 'tugging' in
your hands, or the car pulling to one side of the road as you accelerate.
The reason for this happening in modern cars is because of the typical
transverse, front engine layout used by many car manufacturers. Because of this
layout, with the engine and gearbox mounted together, it means unequal length
driveshaft need to be used to accommodate them. In turn, this means an unequal
amount of stress is put upon the drive shafts by the engine torque and that’s
what causes the car to pull to one side.

The engine, transmission, and drivetrain components in FWD vehicles are

all located in the vehicle’s front end, but there is no driveshaft. The
transmission and differential are mounted on one side of the engine, which
causes one half-shaft to be shorter than the other. Different half-shaft
lengths mean that they react to torque inputs differently, and one of the
front drive wheels can have more power behind it than the other. Since the
front wheels also connect to the steering system, the car can pull to one
side or the other.

Torque steer is a phenomenon that mostly affects front-wheel-drive cars

where heavy acceleration causes the vehicle to veer to the left or right.

Torque steer occurs for various reasons,

 Some of which relate to the car’s tires,
 While others involve suspension geometry and chassis
dynamics.
 However, the most common cause of torque steer in front-drive
vehicles is the orientation of their engine.
In RWD vehicles, the engine and drivetrain components such as the
differential are oriented in a straight line from front to back. This
configuration allows the components (half-shafts) that connect the drive
wheels to the differential to be the same size and length, which means that
they carry the same forces over the same distance. No torque steer
happen.
Causes for torque steer are:

 Incorrect sidewall ply design allowing deformation of the tire sidewall.

 Asymmetric driveshaft angles due to any combination of
 Unequal driveshaft length or diameter
 Transient movement of the engine
 Tolerances in engine mounts
 Different driveshaft torques left to
 Suspension geometry
 Unequal traction forces due to road surface