CHAPTER 7:STEERING SYSTEM

Introduction
 Both the steering and suspension systems work closely
together and even share some of the same parts.
 The steering system controls your car's left and right
motions (improve handling characteristics)
 The suspension controls the up and down motions of
your vehicle. Improve riding characteristics)
 In the past fifty years, car steering systems haven't
changed much. But in the next decade, we'll see
advances in car steering that will result in more efficient
cars and a more comfortable ride.
 Introduction
 The steered wheels are usually the front wheels due to stability
reasons.
 Rear wheel steering will have better maneuverability at low
speeds, but an unstable situation will arise at high speeds.
 Forklifts are a typical example of a rear wheel steered vehicle.
 Introduction
 4-wheel steering is also available in some production cars.
 It increases maneuverability by offering a very tight turning
circle at the cost of additional complexity and weight.
 Main tasks of the steering

 The main tasks of steering system are

– To turn the steered wheels in the desire direction.
– To allow different steering angles of the steered
wheels during cornering.
– To amplify the torque generated manually by an
adequate amount.
 Requirements for steering systems

 Maximum damping of impact from surface irregularities, but no

loss of contact with the road surface.
 Direct steering response to even minor steering movements, due to
a very rigid system.
 The steering systems layout must satisfy the Ackermann conditions:
when the wheels are turned, the elongations of the axes of rotation
of the front left and right wheels must intersect with an elongation
of the rear axle (correct steering principle).
 When the steering wheel is released, the wheels must return to the
centre position and remain stable in that position. (proper wheel
alignments: camber caster, and toe)
 Types of steering
 There are 4 types of steering
– Fifth wheel steering
– Articulated body steering:
– Differential (Skid) steering:
– King-pin steering (double-pivot steering)
 Fifth wheel steering
– pivot at the center so the axle
– commonly used on towed
vehicles, such as semi-trailers
pulled by tractor-trucks.
– It permits large steered angles
and facilitates maneuvering.
 Types of steering

 Articulated body steering:

– Vehicle body is hinged at the mid-section about a vertical axis.
– The wheels are fixed on the body, The front half can be rotated with
respect to the rear half by hydraulic cylinders.
– Used in wheeled off-the-road vehicles (e.g. loaders with large
diameter tires).
 Types of steering
 Differential (Skid) steering:
– This system introduces of a velocity differential across the two
sides of the vehicle.
– Differential steering is mostly used in track laying vehicles and
on some special purpose (combat) vehicles
 Types of steering

 King-pin (Ackerman) steering

– Pivoting only the wheels and their stub axles around the
kingpins.
– The front axle itself remains fixed.
– With this arrangement, the axle is held
at a right angle to the vehicle frame and
cannot pivot.
 Types of steering

 Kingpin (Ackerman) Steering (double-pivot steering)

– The wheels change from the straight-ahead position independently
on separate pivot pins or knuckle pivots at the ends of the axle.
 Ackerman principle

 Condition for True Rolling

– True rolling occurs only when the direction of motion is
perpendicular to the wheel axis
– A force acting parallel to the wheel axis will produce purely a
scrub action
 When the direction of rotation
is neither parallel nor
perpendicular to the axis of
rotation, the movement will
be the compound of true
rolling and lateral distortion
 Ackerman principle
 Condition for True Rolling on a circular path
– The projected axes of several wheels all moving in different curved
paths must intersect at a single point (instantaneous center)
– If these projected axes do not intersect at a single point, a degree
of tyre-scrub must result.

Fifth wheel steering

 Ackerman principle
 Condition for True Rolling on a circular path
 Ackerman principle
 Condition for True Rolling on a circular path
When ever a vehicle takes a turn, the front wheel must turn in a
definite manner both in relation to each other and to the axis of
the rear wheels so that the lateral slip may be avoided and true
rolling for all the wheels is obtained.
For this all the wheels must always rotate about the instantaneous
centre. Since the rear wheels have a common and fixed axis, it is
quite obvious that this common centre ‘o’ would lie some where on
its extension.
From the figure
 Ackerman principle
 Condition for True Rolling on a circular path
 Cot ø = (C + X)/b = C/b + X/b = C/b + Cot θ
 OR Cot ø - Cot θ = C/b WHERE,
 θ = Angle of inside lock
 Ø = Angle of outside lock
 a = Wheel track
 C = distance between the pivot centres
 b = Wheel base
 D = Length of track rod
TURNING CIRCLE RADIUS
 Outer front wheel ROF = b/SIN ø + (a – c)/2
 Inner front wheel RIF = b/SIN θ - (a – c)/2
 Outer rear wheel ROR = b Cot ø + (a – C)/2
 Inner rear wheel RIR = b Cot θ – (a – c)/2
 Ackerman principle
 Condition for True Rolling on a circular path
TURNING RADIUS
“Turning radius of an automobile vehicle is the radius of the arc
described by the centre of the track made by the outside front
wheel of the vehicle when making its shortest turn”.
- Society of Automotive Engineer
ROF =[(b/SIN θ)2 + C2 + 2bc/TAN θ]1/2+(a–c)/2
Example
The scania truck has got the wheel base of 4500 mm and
wheel track is 2600 mm. The pivot center distance is 2430
mm. The maximum angle by which the inner front wheel can
be turned by steering is 450. Find out the turn of outer wheel
for minimum turning radius and also the turning radius of the
vehicle. Assume the true rolling conditions.
 Ackerman Linkage Geometry

• Parallel set track-rod-arms

– The original Ackerman linkage.
– Both steered wheels then swiveled at equal angles
– The intersecting projection lines did not meet at one point
– the track rod dimensions yi, xi and yo,xo remain equal for all angles of
turn
 Ackerman Linkage Geometry

• Inclined track-rod arms (modified Ackerman Linkage)

– This is trapezium linkage configuration
– Which makes the inner wheel swivel about its king-pin slightly more
than the outer wheel this enables to have a common instantaneous
center
– The track-rod dimensions for inner wheel yi is always smaller than the
outer wheel yo. But there is very little variation b/n xi and xo
 Front Wheel Alignment

 For the road wheels to roll freely and with the min of effort,
opposite wheels must be approximately parallel to each
other when the vehicle is in motion along a straight path
 Front Wheel Alignment

 Rear wheel drive

– The front wheel will diverge due to the tire resist the forward
motion of the suspension system
– To correct this tendency the wheels are initially giving toe-in
so that under driving condition the wheels will turn parallel
 Front Wheel Alignment

 Front wheel drive

– The front wheel will converge due to the of the stub-axles
assembly pulling forward the suspension cross member and
body
– To correct the converging tendency when in motion the
wheel track is adjusted with a toe-out when the vehicle at
rest
 The Main parts of steering

• All the parts necessary to make the front wheels turn in the
direction we wish to go.

• These parts include

 a steering wheel,
 a gearbox, and
 steering linkages and
 levers
 Steering Linkage Arrangement

 To make a turn some sort of mechanical linkages has to be

incorporated b/n the front steered road wheels and the driver’s
steering wheel.
 This mechanism must operate effectively under all normal conditions
without interfering
– with the propelling road-wheel traction or
– with the suspension movement which copes with road surface
irregularities and roll during cornering.
 The layout of any steering arrangement used depends largely on the
type of suspension system used for front wheel
– A rigid-axle-beam front suspension
– Independent front suspension
 Steering Linkage Arrangement

 Axle-Beam suspension steering system

 Consists of
– Steering wheel
– Steering box
– Drop (pitman)-arm
– Drag-link arm
– Stub-axle
– Track-rod-arm
– Track-rod
Steering Linkage Arrangement
Axle-Beam suspension steering system

Front View
 Steering Linkage Arrangement
 Axle-Beam suspension steering system
– Steering box
• Provides a gear reduction so that with only a small effort, a much
larger force can be applied to the steering linkage
• The degree of stub axle movement will be reduced for a give angular
movement of the steering wheel
– Drop-arm (Pitman-arm)
• Its sawing action imparts a circular-arc movement to the drag-link
– Drag-link
• Tubular rod converts the circular movement of the drop-arm into a
linear push or pull motion of the drag-link arm
• An alternative transverse drag-link lay out may preferred for cross
country vehicles
 Steering Linkage Arrangement

• Axle-Beam suspension steering system

Transverse located drag-link

 Steering Linkage Arrangement
 Axle-Beam suspension steering system
– Drag-link arm
• Provide the leverage to convert the linear drag-link movement to an angular
movement about the stub-axle king-pin
– Stub-axle
• Each steered road-wheel is mounted on a short axle-shaft commonly known as a stub-
axle
– Track-rod arm
• Bolted approximately right angles to the wheel axis in the horizontal plane
• Provides the leverage to rotate the stub-axle about the king-pin the rotary movement
being transferred to the other stub-axle by means of the track-rod
– Track-rod
• To enable the two stub-axles to pivot together, transfer the motion from one stub-axle
to the other
 Steering Linkage Arrangement

• Independent-suspension steering system

 With rigid beam suspension the relative movement can take
place only in the horizontal plane. Therefore the effective
track-rod length is not influenced by any vertical suspension
deflection
 Independent suspension steering has to cope with each stub-
axle moving up or down independent of the other so that the
distance b/n track-rod arm ball-joint centers is continually
varying
 A single track-rod joined the two stub-axles together, the
slightest bump or rebound would tend to pull both stub-axle
arms at once
 Steering Linkage Arrangement

• Independent-suspension steering system

– The difficulty of the changing distance between track-rod-arm
ball-joint centers can be overcome by using
• a 3 piece track-rod (relay-rod and idler )
• Form a rack-shaft

Split track-rod with relay-rod

idler steering linkage lay out

Used for large private cars

 Steering Linkage Arrangement

 Independent-suspension steering system

Rack and pinion steering linkage

arrangement

In either case, this part has

freedom to move in the horizontal
plane bur restrained from moving
in the vertical plane

Used for small and medium private cars

 Steering Gear

 The steering gear has the task of converting the rotating

movement of the steering wheel into a pivoting movement of the
wheels.
 Requirements if it is to function efficiently:
– No play when traveling straight ahead,
– High efficiency,
– High rigidity,
– Scope for adjustment.
 Types of steering gear
– Recirculation-ball-and-nut steering
– Rack-and-pinion steering
 Steering Gear

 Rack-and-pinion steering assembly

– Let R- steering-wheel radius
– r- pinion pitch-circle radius
– p- linear or circular pitch
– t- number of pinion teeth
– E- input steering xi 2R R
Movement ratio( MR)   
– W- output rack load xo 2r r
– Now consider the pinion to make one revolution
– The input steering –wheel movement xi=2πR
xi 2R
– The output rack movement xo=2πr=tp MR  
xo tp
 Example

 A rack-and-pinion steering has a pinion of 16 mm pitch-circle

diameter. What effort must be applied on the 320 mm
diameter steering-wheel to overcome a resistance of 500 N
experienced transversely on the rack
• Given
– 2r=16 mm
– 2R=320 mm
– W=500N
• Required
– E=?
 solution

• Movement ratio
xi 160 mm
Movement ratio( MR)    20 : 1
xo 8 mm

• When there is no friction, MR

xi W
MR  
xo E
W 500 N
Input effort  E    25 N
MR 20 N
 Steering Gear

 Rack-and-pinion steering assembly

– Is designed to have the following properties
 To give reduction to reduce steering wheel effort
 To reduce the directness of the steering response
 To enable the front wheels turn through an angle of 70o
b/n steering locks
 The gearing should tend to be semi-irreversible
(dampening out any light wheel wobbles), but allowing
direct road-wheel reactions to be transmitted back to the
steering-wheel
 Steering Gear
Rack-and-pinion steering assembly
Principle of operation

• The transfer of motion

from the pinion to the rack
is achieved by the pinion
teeth along the circular
pitch of the pinion should
equal the linear pitch of
the rack
 Steering Gear
Rack-and-pinion steering assembly

Construction
 The ball-race bearings straddle
& support the pinion gear
 The rack slides in its tubular
housing b/n two bearings
 The half-bearing yoke is made to
push the rack teeth in to mesh
with the pinion teeth-it thus
controls the amount of backlash
b/n the rack and pinion teeth
 Steering Gear
 Recirculating ball rack and sector
steering gear box
– This steering gear box is basically a manual
screw-nut-type steering device, which
reduce the screwing friction which would
be generated b/n the engaging threads
 Power-Steering
 The purpose of power steering is
– to reduce driver's effort at the steering wheel.
 To improve driving comfort, most modern automobiles have
wide low pressure tires which increase the tire to road contact
area. As a result of this, more steering efforts is required.
 Power-assisted Steering
 Steering effort can be decreased by increasing the gear ratio of steering
gear. However, this will cause a larger rotary motion of the steering
wheel when the vehicle is turning, making sharp turns impossible.
 The power system is designed to become operative when the effort at
wheel exceeds a predetermined value, say 10N.
 The system is always so designed that in the event of the failure of the
power system, the driver is able to steer the vehicle manually although
with increased effort
 Application:
– Such a system is used in medium and heavy vehicles whose unladen
weight is more than 1500 kgs.
 Power-assisted Steering
 Types of power steering systems:-
– Three types of steering systems are in common use.
• Integral system:
– This is the most commonly used system. In this system the control
valve and the power piston are internal parts of the steering gear.
• Integral power rack and pinion system:
– In this system control valve and power piston are contained in the
same housing but they are connected externally by tubing.
• Non Integral System:-
– In this system externally mounted components that are attached to the
steering linkage are used. The control valve and the power piston are
connected by hoses or tubing.
 Power-assisted Steering

 In all power steering systems hydraulic pressure is provided by

a pump mounted near the front of the engine.
 It is driven by a v-belt from the camshaft pulley.
 The pump is connected to the control valve by means of two
hoses.
 One hose delivers the hydraulic fluid
to the control valve. The second hose
returns the fluid to the reservoir
 Power-assisted Steering
 Components of power steering system
– The power steering system includes
• a control valve assembly and
• a power cylinder.
– In addition, the system has
• fluid reservoir,
• hydraulic pump, and
• control hoses.
• A filter
• fluid cooler.
 Power-assisted Steering
 Pump
– The hydraulic power for the steering is provided by a
rotary-vane pump
– This pump is driven by the car's engine via a belt and
pulley. It contains a set of retractable vanes that spin
inside an oval chamber.
‾ The amount of flow provided by
the pump depends on the car's
engine speed.
‾ The pump must be designed to
provide adequate flow when the
engine is idling.
 Power-assisted Steering
 Control valve
– When there is no demand for power assistance and the valve
remains in its neutral position, it must allow the fluid being
delivered by the pump to be re-circulated via the valve to the
reservoir.

There are two basic types of

control valves,
Linear and
Rotary spools
 Steer-by-wire

 Means the replacement of hydraulic and mechanical systems in

motor vehicles with electronic controls and systems.
 A steer-by-wire system that can change the steering ratio while
you drive.
 The system can also intervene in an instant to provide a
correction if the rear end starts to break away
The End