Analysis of steering performance of differential coupling wheelset

In order to improve the curving performance of the conventional wheelset in sharp curves and resolve the steering ability problem of the independently rotating wheel in large radius curves and tangent lines, a differential cou- pling wheelset （DCW） was developed in this work. The DCW was composed of two independently rotating wheels （IRWs） coupled by a clutch-type limited slip differential. The differential contains a static pre-stress clutch, which could lock both sides of IRWs of the DCW to ensure a good steering performance in curves with large radius and tangent track. In contrast, the clutch could unlock the two IRWs of the DCW in a sharp curve to endue it with the characteristic of an IRW, so that the vehicles can go through the tight curve smoothly. To study the dynamic performance of the DCW, a multi-body dynamic model of single bogie with DCWs was established. The self-centering capability, hunting stability, and self-steering performance on a curved track were analyzed and then compared with those of the conventional wheelset and IRW. Finally, the effect of coupling parameters of the DCW on the dynamic performance was investigated.

Vehicle Active Steering Control Research Based on Two-DOF Robust Internal Model Control

Because of vehicle＇s external disturbances and model uncertainties,robust control algorithms have obtained popularity in vehicle stability control.The robust control usually gives up performance in order to guarantee the robustness of the control algorithm,therefore an improved robust internal model control（IMC） algorithm blending model tracking and internal model control is put forward for active steering system in order to reach high performance of yaw rate tracking with certain robustness.The proposed algorithm inherits the good model tracking ability of the IMC control and guarantees robustness to model uncertainties.In order to separate the design process of model tracking from the robustness design process,the improved 2 degree of freedom（DOF） robust internal model controller structure is given from the standard Youla parameterization.Simulations of double lane change maneuver and those of crosswind disturbances are conducted for evaluating the robust control algorithm,on the basis of a nonlinear vehicle simulation model with a magic tyre model.Results show that the established 2-DOF robust IMC method has better model tracking ability and a guaranteed level of robustness and robust performance,which can enhance the vehicle stability and handling,regardless of variations of the vehicle model parameters and the external crosswind interferences.Contradiction between performance and robustness of active steering control algorithm is solved and higher control performance with certain robustness to model uncertainties is obtained.

Performance analysis and test of a maize inter-row self-propelled thermal fogger chassis

In view of the difficulties in weeding and plant protection in the middle and late period of maize planting,this paper proposed a self-propelled thermal fogger chassis.According to the theoretical calculation and agronomic requirements for maize planting,the structure and working principles of the self-propelled thermal fogger chassis were introduced.On this basis,the multi-body dynamics model of chassis structure was established,and the chassis traction,steering and obstacle surmounting performances were also analyzed.Then the rationality and the feasibility of the design were verified through the furrow running test and test equipped with thermal fogger.Test results showed that,the traction performance improves with the decrease of soil deformation index and increase of cohesion,and when track pre-tensioning force was about 1000 N,the machine had a good traction performance;with the decrease of the soil deformation index and the increase of cohesive force,the stability of the single side brake turn of the chassis becomes better;on the contrary,with the increase of the tightness of the crawler,the steering radius turns smaller and the steering stability becomes worse.Under heavy clay,with the pre-tensioning of 1000 N,the machine has better steering stability and smaller turning radius.The obstacle-surmounting simulation result shows that on sandy soil road,the maximum climbing angle for the chassis is 42°,the height of vertical obstacle crossing is 170 mm and the trench width is 440 mm.The study provides a reference for the design of plant protection machinery in the middle and late stages of maize planting.