Unit 3 Steering Kinematics

Prof. Praveen P. Rathod

Praveen.rathod@viit.ac.in
Department of Mechanical Engineering

BRACT’S, Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology, Pune-48

(An Autonomous Institute affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University)

(NBA and NAAC accredited, ISO 9001:2015 certified)
Teaching Scheme: Credits:
TH: -- 03 hrs/week
TH:--03

PR.: - 02 hr/week OR:-- 01

Examination Scheme:
Insem-30
Endsem-30
CE-20
Competency Skill: -20
3/29/23
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 STEERING SYSTEM

 Steering is the term applied to the collection of components,

linkages, etc. which will allow a vehicle to follow the
desired direction.
 An automobile is steered with the help of steering gears
and linkages, which transfer the motion of the hand
operated steering wheel to the pivoted front wheel hubs via
steering column.
 The other parts that are used for steering a vehicle are
steering wheel pads, steering shafts, steering boxes, steering
arms and steering stabilizers. These parts are made of durable
materials like stainless steel, iron, aluminum, copper,
magnesium, titanium, platinum, rubber, and plastics.

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 NEEDS OF STEERING SYSTEM

 It should multiply the turning effort applied on the

steering wheel by the driver.

 It should be to a certain extent irreversible. In other words,

the shocks of the road surface encountered by the wheels
should not be transmitted to the driver’s hands.

 The mechanism should have self rightening effect i.e., when the
driver releases the steering wheel after negotiating the turn, the
wheel should try to achieve straight ahead position.

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Function of Steering
System
•Control of front wheel
(sometimes rear wheel) direction.

• Transmit road feel (slight steering

wheel pull caused by the road
surface) to the drivers hand.

•Maintain correct amount of

effort needed to turn the wheels.

•Absorb most of the shock going to

the steering wheel as the tire hits
holes and bumps in the road.

•Allow for suspension action.

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LAYOUT OF A STEERING SYSTEM

A typical steering system consists

of
 Steering wheel
 Steering shaft
 Steering gear box
 Pitman arm
 Drag link
 Steering knuckle arm,
 Tie rod
 Track rod arm
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 Tire rod
Stee
ring
arm

Gearbox
Pitman arm
Drag link
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Turning the Car (when turning, front wheels don’t point the same
direction)

•Inside wheel turns at a smaller radius, hence the inside wheel turns at
a steeper angle then the outside wheel.

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Linkage Steering System (Worm Gear)

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Linkage Steering System (Worm Gear)
Parts
•Steering Wheel – used by the driver to rotate
a steering shaft that passes through the
steering column.

•Steering Shaft – transfers turning motion

from the steering wheel to the steering
gearbox.

•Steering Column – supports the steering

column and steering shaft.

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 STEERING GEARS
 The steering gear is a device for converting the rotary
motion of the steering wheel into straight line motion of the
linkage with a mechanical advantage.

 If the steering wheel is connected directly to the steering

linkage it would require a great effort to move the front
wheels. Therefore, to assist the driver, a reduction system
is used having a steering ratio.\

Most useful steering gear system are as follows:

• Worm and worm wheel
• Worm and nut
• Worm and nut
• Recirculating ball type
• Rack and pinion
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 Worm and Nut Steering Gear
• Steering rod end have
worm.
• worm is connected
with a nut arrangement
• When worm rotates, the nut
is able to move
• Movement is along the axis
of column either up or
down

• This move cross shaft in arc

which also move drop
arm .
• This is used in steering all
wheels
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Worm and Nut Steering Gear

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 Worm & Worm Wheel Steering Gear
• There are square threads or
worms on the steering rod
end which engages in a
worm wheel .
• Worm wheel is connected to
a drop arm .
• When driver rotates the
steering wheel ,drop arm
moves forward or backward
resulting in motion of stub
axle.
• The arc movement of the drop
arm is usually from 60 to 90
deg.
• This system is commonly used
in tractors .

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 Rack and Pinion Gear
• A pinion is mounted at the end
of steering gear shaft .
• Pinion is engaged with a rack
which have ball joints at end
for rise and fall of wheels .
• On revolving pinion rack
moves to and fro.
• Due to this movement tie rod
and stub axle also moves and
we get desired steering .
• This system is popular in small
cars like Maruti 800.
• Its gear ratio is limited by
the diameter of steering
wheel and pinion gear
hence can’t used in heavy
vehicles

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Rack and Pinion Gear

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 RECIRCULATING BALL TYPE STEERING GEAR

 It consists of a worm at the end of steering rod. A nut is mounted on the

worm with two sets of balls is the grooves of the worm, in between the nut
and, the worm. The balls reduce the friction during the movement of the nut
on the worm. The nut has a number of teeth on outside, which mesh with
the teeth on a worm wheel sector, on which is further mounted the drop
arm.

 When the steering wheel is turned, the balls in the worm roll in the grooves
and cause the nut to travel along the length of the worm. The balls, which
are in 2 sets, are recirculated through the guides. The movement of the nut
causes the wheel sector to turn at an angle and actuate the link rod through
the drop arm, resulting in the desired steering of the wheels. The end play
of the worm can be adjusted by means of the adjuster nut provided.

 To compensate for the wear of the teeth on the nut and the worm, the two
have to be brought nearer bodily. To achieve this, the teeth on the nut are
made tapered in the plane perpendicular to the plane of Figure.
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RECIRCULATING BALL TYPE STEERING GEAR

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RECIRCULATING BALL TYPE STEERING GEAR

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 WORM AND ROLLER
• Worm and roller gear have two
teethed roller which are fastened to
the cross shaft called roller shaft or
sector shaft.
• The threads of the worm gear are
meshed with roller shaft at the end
of the steering tube.
• Dia of worm is greater at end and
reduced at center .
• When the worm shaft is turned by
the steering tube, the roller will also
be moved in an arc for rotating the
roller shaft .
• The bearings are designed to resist
both radial and end thrust.
• Used in Leyland and American
passenger car
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Linkage Steering System (Worm Gear)
Parts
•Steering Gearbox) – changes turning
motion into a straight-line motion to the left
or right.

•Steering gear box ratios range from 15:1 to

24:1 (with 15:1, the worm gear turns 15
times to turn the selector shaft once).

•Steering linkage – connects the steering

gearbox to the steering knuckles and
wheels.

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Linkage Steering System Parts

 Pitman arm
 Drag link
 Steering Arm
 Stub axle and track rod
 Steering knuckle arm
 Steering Stops

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 Understeer and oversteer

Understeer and oversteer are vehicle

dynamics terms used to describe the
sensitivity of a vehicle to steering.

oversteer is what occurs when a car turns

(steers) by more than (over) the amount
commanded by the driver.

Conversely, understeer is what occurs

when a car steers less than, or 'under' the
amount commanded by the driver

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, VIIT , Pune-48
 STEERING GEOMETRY

 The term "steering geometry" (also known as "front-end geometry")

refers to the angular Relationship between suspension and steering
parts, front wheels, and the road surface. Because alignment deals
with angles and affects steering, the method of describing alignment
measurements is called steering geometry.

There are five steering geometry angles :

 Camber
 Caster
 king pin inclination
 Toe in & Toe-out on turns

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 Camber:-
 Camber angle is the angle
between the vertical line and centre
line of the tyre when viewed from the
front of the vehicle.
 Camber angle is positive when
this is outward. This happens when
wheels are further apart at top than at
bottom. On the contrary, camber
angle is negative when angle is
inward. This happens when wheels
are further apart at bottom than at top.
 The camber, should not be more
than 2 degree, because this causes
uneven or more tyre wear on one side
than on other side.

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Caster:-
Caster angle is the
tilt of king pin centre
line towards front of
back from the vertical
line.

It is the angle

between the vertical
line and king pin
centre line in the
wheel plane when
looked from side.

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 King pin inclination
 It is the angle between king pin
centre line and vertical line when seen
from the front of the vehicle.
 It is also called steering axle
inclination.
 King pin inclination and caster are
used to improve directional stability in
cars.
 This is also used to reduce steering
effort
when steering a stationary
 it reduces tyre wear.
 This inclination varies from 4 to 8
degree
in modern cars.
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Department of Mechanical Engineering, VIIT , Pune-48
 TOE IN & TOE OUT

 In automotive engineering, toe also known as tracking.

 This can be contrasted with steer, which is the anti symmetric angle, i.e.
both wheels point to the left or right, in parallel (roughly).

 Positive toe, or toe in, is the front of the wheel pointing in towards the
centerline of the vehicle

 Negative toe, or toe out, is the front of the wheel pointing

away from the centerline of the vehicle.

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, VIIT , Pune-48
Department of Mechanical Engineering, VIIT , Pune-48
Included angle and scrub radius

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Cornering Force and self aligning torque

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 STEERING
MANUAL STEERING - In which, the driver’s muscular energy is directly
used in steering the wheels of the vehicle.

POWER ASSISTED STEERING - In which, the driver is aided by an

external power assistance, so that the efforts required at the steering
wheel is lower.

In case of failure of the source of power, the steering system reverts

to manual steering.

Power source for the steering can be :

1. Hydraulic power - Hydraulic pressure generated by a power

steering pump, driven by the engine.

2. Electric power - An electric motor driven by the vehicle electrical

system and controlled by a an ECU. Also known as Electronic Power
Steering (EPS)
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 STEERING GEAR BOX
STEERING
MANUAL STEERING
STEERING COLUMN
STEERING WHEEL

STEERING INTERMEDIATE COLUMN

TIE ROD
POWER ASSISTED STEERING
(HYDRAULIC)

ENGINE
POWER STEERING PUMP

STEERING GEAR BOX RESERVOIR

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 ACKERMANN STEERING GEOMETRY
 Consider a front‐wheel‐steering vehicle that is turning to the left, When the
vehicle is moving very slowly, there is a kinematic condition between the
inner and outer wheels that allows them to turn slip free. The condition is
called the Ackerman condition
 Ackermann steering geometry is a geometric arrangement of linkages in the
steering of a car or other vehicle designed to solve the problem of wheels
on the inside and outside of a turn needing to trace out circles of different
radii.

 The use of such geometry helps reduce tyre temperatures during high-
speed
cornering but compromises performance in low speed maneuvers.

 The intention of Ackermann geometry is to avoid the need for tyre to

slip sideways when following the path around a curve.

 As the rear wheels are fixed, this centre point must be on a line
extended from
the rear axle.
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 The Ackerman or kinematic steering is a correct condition when the turning speed of the
vehicle is slow.

 When the vehicle turns fast, significant lateral acceleration is needed, and therefore, the
wheels operate at high slip angles.

 loads on the inner wheels will be much lower than the outer wheels.

 Tire performance curves show that by increasing the wheel load, less slip angle is required
to reach the peak of the lateral force.

 Under these conditions the inner front wheel of a kinematic steering vehicle would be at a
higher slip angle than required for maximum lateral force.

 Therefore, the inner wheel of a vehicle in a high speed turn must operate at a lower steer
angle than kinematic steering.

 Reducing the steer angle of the inner wheel reduces the difference between steer angles
of the inner and outer wheels.

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 For race cars, it is common to use parallel or reverse steering.
 The correct steer angle is a function of the instant wheel load, road condition, speed, and
tire characteristics.
 Furthermore, the vehicle must also be able to turn at a low speed under an Ackerman
steering condition.
 Hence, there is no ideal steering mechanism unless we control the steer angle of each
steerable wheel independently using a smart system.

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 The advantages of Ackermann Steering are
•Due to its turning pairs, it requires less effort to operate.
•Ackermann acquires less wear and tear problems.

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Trapezoidal steering mechanism

A symmetric four‐bar linkage, called a trapezoidal steering mechanism

The mechanism has two characteristic parameters: angle β and offset arm length d..
Steering systems requirements

• The steering system must also allow the driver to have some road feel (feedback
through the steering wheel about road surface conditions).

• The steering system must help maintain proper tire‐to‐road contact.

• For maximum tire life, the steering system should maintain the proper angle
between the tires both during turns and straight‐ahead driving.

• The driver should be able to turn the vehicle with little effort, but not so easily that it
is hard to control.
 Davis steering Mechanism
Davis steering gear is an exact steering gear mechanism. It has two sliding
pairs and two turning pairs. In this mechanism, the slotted links are attached
to the front wheel axle, which turn about two pivotal points. It has the rod and it
is constrained to move in the direction of its length by the sliding two members.

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The advantages of Davis Steering Mechanism are

•It satisfies the fundamental equation at all the positions and turns

instead of sticking to few turns.

•We can say that Davis Steering is an exact mechanism of steering.

•The construction is easy.

•The whole power of driver is converted to the wheels while turning.

 HYDRAULIC POWER STEERING
 HYDRAULIC POWER STEERING : hydraulic system for reducing
the steering effort on vehicles by using hydraulic pressure to assist in
turning the wheels. It is intended to provide for easier driving direction
control of the car while preserving "feedback", stability and unambiguity of
the trajectory specified. The steering booster is arranged so that should the
booster fail, the steering will continue to work (although the wheel will feel
heavier).

The steering booster consists of the following basic elements:

 Steer torque detector
 Controlled pressure distributor case
 Hydraulic booster pump
 Tank with a working liquid
 Connection hoses

The working liquid, also called "hydraulic fluid" or "oil", is the medium by
which pressure is transmitted. Common working liquids are based on
mineral oil. For pressure restriction in the pump there is a restrictive valve,
which is adjusted on different cars in a range from 7 to 13 MPa.

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, VIIT , Pune-48
Power Steering normally use an engine driven pump and a
hydraulic system to assist steering action.

Three major types of power steering

systems:

•Integral-piston linkage system.

•External power steering system.

•Rack-and-pinion system

•Integral power piston.

•External power piston.

Integral Rack-and-pinion system

is the most common.

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 Power steering pump is driven by the engine produces the
hydraulic pressure for steering system operation.

Four basic pumps:

•Roller pump.

•Vane pump.

•Slipper pump.

•Gear pump.

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, VIIT , Pune-48
Electronic or Electric Power Steering

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, VIIT , Pune-48
 Steering System Diagnosis
Steering Wheel Play is the most common
problem.

Should not be able to turn the steering

wheel more than 1 ½’’ (33mm) without
causing movement of the front wheels.

Move the wheel side-to-

side, should have no play.

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 Steering System Diagnosis

Hard Steering (steering wheel requires excessive turning

effort)

•Low power steering fluid.

•Pump belt broken or slipping.

Steering System Noise

•Belt squeal is a loud screeching sound produced by a worn belt.

•Power steering pump noise is usually a loud whine that only occurs
when the steering wheel is turned.
•Low fluid level and air in the system.

Check fluid with engine turned off.

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, VIIT , Pune-48