MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

POLITEKNIK SULTAN AZLAN SHAH

DJA 6042 : VEHICLE DYNAMICS

CHAPTER 2:
ACCELERATION & BRAKING
PERFORMANCE
POWER LIMITED ACCELERATION

 Performance in longitudinal acceleration of a motor vehicle is

determined by two limits

 1. Engine power
 2. Traction limits on the drive
POWER LIMITED ACCELERATION

 The Engine
 Gas turbine engine
 Electric motor
 Stirling-cycle engine
 Rankine vapor cycle engine
CRITERIA ENGINE
 The source of propulsive power is the engine.
 Engines may be characterized by their torque and power curves as a function
of speed.
 Power and torque are related by the speed
 POWER = TORQUE x ROTATIONAL SPEED
P=Txw
Watt = N.m x rad/sec
Note: Power (1 kW)=0.746 HP

 At low moderate speed, the Newton’s Second law can be obtained by

M.ax = Fx
 M : mass of the vehicle = W/g
 ax : acceleration in the forward direction
 Fx : tractive force at the drive wheel
POWER TRAIN

 Acceleration performance requires

modeling the mechanical systems by
which engine power is transmitted to
the ground.
 ENGINE
 The torque delivered through the clutch as input to the transmission can be
determined by application of Newton’s Second Law as:

Tc=Te – Ie𝜶e
 Tc : torque at the clutch (input to transmission)
 Te : engine torque at a given speed
 Ie: engine rotational inertia
 𝜶 e :engine rotational acceleration
 DRIVE SHAFT
 The torque delivered at the output of the transmission is amplified by the gear ratio of
the transmission but is decreased by inertial losses in the gears and shafts. If the
transmission inertia is characterized by its value on the input side, the output torque
can be approximated by the expression:

Td=(Tc – It𝜶e)Nt

 Td : torque output to the drive shaft

 Nt : numerical ratio of the transmission
 It: rotational inertia of the transmission
 𝜶 e :engine rotational acceleration
CONSTANT ENGINE POWER
 Except for the grade term, all other forces vary with
speed, and must be evaluated at each speed for
acceleration performance
 The ‘Constant Engine Power’ is equal to the maximum
power of the engine, which is the upper limit of
tractive effort available, less any losses in the driveline.
 It is only approached when the engine reaches the
speed at which it develops maximum power
 The curves illustrate visually the need to provide a
number of gear ratios for operation of the vehicle (low
gearing for start up, and high gearing for high speed
driving)
 For maximum acceleration performance, the
optimum shift point between gears is the point where
the lines cross
 The area between the lines for the different gears and
the constant power curve is indicative of the
deficiencies of the transmission in providing maximum
acceleration performance
POWER TRAIN
 Automatic transmissions provide somewhat different
performance, more closely matching the ideal because of the
torque converter on the input.
 Torque converters are fluid couplings that utilize hydrodynamic
principles to amplify the torque input to the transmission at the
expense of speed.
 Figure 2.5 shows the torque ratio and efficiency characteristics of
a typical torque converter as a function of speed ratio.
POWER TRAIN

 At zero output speed (speed ratio of zero) the output

torque will be several times that of the input.
 Thus the torque input to the transmission will be twice
the torque coming out of the engine when the
transmission is stalled, providing for good "off-the-line"
acceleration performance.
 As speed builds up and the transmission input
approaches engine speed, the torque ratio drops to
unity.
TRACTION LIMIT ACCELERATION
TRACTION LIMITED ACCELERATION

 For a solid rear axle with a locking differential, additional tractive force can
be obtained from the other wheel up to its traction limits.
TRACTION LIMITED ACCELERATION

 Finally, in the case of a front axle, the fore/aft load transfer is opposite from
the rear axle case. Since the load transfer is reflected, the opposite direction
yields a sign change.
FUNDAMENTAL OF BRAKING
CONSTANT DECELERATION
DECELERATION: ENERGY & POWER

 The energy and/or power absorbed by a brake system can be substantial during a
typical maximum-effort stop.
 The energy absorbed is the kinetic energy of motion for the vehicle, and is thus
dependent on the mass.

 The power absorption will vary with the speed, being equivalent to the braking force
times the speed at any instant of time. Thus, the power dissipation is greatest at the
beginning of the stop when the speed is highest.
BRAKING FORCE
BRAKING FORCE ON THE GROUND
ANTILOCK BRAKING SYSTEM
BRAKING EFFICIENCY
THANK YOU