The influence of production vehicle dynamics control systems on the yaw stability of car-trailer combinations

Abstract

The stability of articulated vehicle combinations is an ongoing concern in the automotive community. When larger trailers are towed by ordinary passenger cars, they tend to exhibit lightly damped oscillations in the yaw plane, or “snaking,” at higher speeds [1, 2]. Above a critical speed, the entire vehicle-trailer combination becomes unstable and uncontrollable [1-4]. This critical speed can correspond to ordinary highway speeds, and is heavily influenced by factors in control of the vehicle owner, such as the centre of gravity location of the trailer and tyre inflation [1-4].