Parallel design optimization of multi-trailer articulated heavy vehicles with active safety systems
Date
2013-04-01
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Abstract
Multi-trailer articulated heavy vehicles (MTAHVs) exhibit unstable motion modes
at high speeds, including jack-knifing, trailer swing, and roll-over. These unstable
motion modes may lead to fatal accidents. On the other hand, these vehicle
combinations have poor maneuverability at low speeds. Of all contradictory design
criteria of MTAHVs, the trade-off relationship between the maneuverability
at low speeds and the lateral stability at high speeds is the most important and
fundamental. This trade-off relationship has not been adequately addressed. The
goal of this research is to address this trade-off relationship through the design optimization
of MTAHVs with active safety systems. A parallel design optimization
(PDO) method is developed and applied to the design of MTAHVs with integrated
active safety systems, which involve active trailer steering (ATS) control, anti-roll
(AR) control, differential braking (BD) control, and a variety of combinations of
these three control strategies. To derive model-based controllers, a single-trailer
articulated heavy vehicle (STAHV) model with 5 degrees of freedom (DOF) and a
MTAHV model with 7 DOF are generated. The vehicle models are validated with
those derived using a commercial software package, TruckSim, in order to examine
their applicability for the design optimization of MTAHVs with active safety
systems. The PDO method is implemented to perform the concurrent design of
the plant (vehicle model) and controllers. To simulate the closed-loop testing maneuvers,
a driver model is developed and it is used to drive the virtual vehicle
following the prescribed path. Case studies indicate that the PDO method is effective
for identifying desired design variables and predicting performance envelopes
in the early design stages of MTAHVs with active safety systems.
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Keywords
Multi-trailer articulated heavy vehicles, Active safety systems, Design optimization, Active trailer steering, High performance computing