Introduction

One of the essential requirements of a vehicle is its manoeuvrability. Steering of the vehicle is the
most deciding factor for evaluating its smooth handling. Over the years two wheel steering is used in
which rotating moment given by the driver is converted into lateral movement of the rack which in
turn moves front wheels to create steering effect.
Whenever a vehicle is taking turn it has to be slowed down because the wheels have tendency to
move forward while steering mechanism makes them rotating around their perpendicular axis. Due
to this reason loading on front axle is increased at the time when vehicle is taking turn. Due to this
problem front axles have to be strong enough especially for front wheel drive to sustain load of
engine and producing steering effect simultaneously.
As far as rear wheel drive vehicles are concern they have thrust provided by rear wheels which
means turning radius of the vehicle is greatly reduced due to push of rear wheel.
Steering System
Steering of a four wheel vehicle is, as far as possible, arranged so that the front wheels will
roll truly without any lateral slip.
The front wheels are supported on front axle so that they can swing to the left or right for
steering.
This movement is produced by gearing and linkage between the steering wheel in front of
the driver and the steering knuckle or wheel.
The complete arrangement is called the steering system.


Figure 1: Steering System

Requirements and functions of a steering system
Requirements
It should multiply the turning effort applied on the steering wheel by the driver.
It should be to a certain degree irreversible so that the shocks of the road surface
encountered by the wheels are not transmitted to the drivers hand.
The mechanism should have self rightening effect so that when the driver release the
steering wheel after negotiating the turn , the wheel should try to achieve straight ahead
position .
Functions
To control the angular motion the wheels and thus the direction of motion of the vehicle.
To provide directional stability of the vehicle while going straight ahead.
To facilitate straight ahead condition of the vehicle after completing a turn.
The road irregularities must be damped to the maximum possible extent. This should co-
exist with the road feel for the driver so that he can feel the road condition without
experiencing the effects of moving over it.
To minimize tire wear and increase the life of the tires.













Ackermann Steering principle

Figure 2: Ackerman Steering
The Ackerman steering gear consists of turning pairs rather than sliding pairs. The whole of the
mechanism is placed on the back of the front wheels.

In Ackerman steering gear, the mechanism ABCD is a four bar crank chain. The shorter links BC and
AD are equally inclined to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. For the correct steering the following
three positions are obtained.
1. When the vehicle moves along a straight path, the longer links AB and CD are parallel and
the shorter links BC and AD are equally inclined to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
2. When the vehicle is moving to the left, the lines of the front wheel axle intersect on the back
wheel axle at I for correct steering.
With perfect Ackermann, at any angle of steering, the centre point of all of the circles traced by all
wheels will lie at a common point. But this may be difficult to arrange in practice with simple
linkages. Hence, modern cars do not use pure Ackermann steering, partly because it ignores
important dynamic and compliant effects, but the principle is sound for low speed manoeuvres.
The turning circle of a car is the diameter of the circle described by the outside wheels when turning
on full lock. There is no hard and fast formula to calculate the turning circle but you can get close by
using this:
Turning circle radius = (track/2) + (wheelbase/sin (average steer angle))
However there are three major situations which can occur during the steering motion i.e. Under
steer, over steer and neutral or counter steer.
Understeer: Understeer is so called because when the slip angle of front wheels is greater than slip
angle of rear wheels.

Figure 3: Understeer

Oversteer: Over steer is defined when the slip angle of front wheels lesser than the slip angle of rear
wheels.

Figure 4: Over Steer
Neutral steer or counter steering: Counter-steering can defined as when the slip angle of front
wheels is equal to slip angle of rear wheels.

Figure 5: Neutral or counter steer

Front wheel and rear wheel drive


Figure 6: Front Wheel Drive
Front wheel drive system has engine mounted on the front axle and steering moment is produced by
the same axle. This means two function has been performed by front axle i.e. thrust and steer. Due
to this as discussed above axle must be strong enough.

Figure 7: Rear Wheel drive
In rear wheel drive system thrust or propulsion is provided by rear wheel while steering motion is
induced by front wheels. This means amount of loads on front wheels are less compared to front
wheel drive system and therefore front wheels need not to be as strong as it is in case of front wheel
drive system.


Front wheel Steering Rear Wheel Steering
Advantages Disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages
1. Lighter in weight, because
the driveshaft is shorter,
meaning better fuel
economy.
2. Less weight in the drive
train overall, resulting in
even more fuel economy.
3. Better traction (all other
things being equal),
because the drive wheels
are right under the heavy
engine. - Since the weight
is right over the drive
wheels, they have a
tendency to drive straight
head if they lose traction.
4. There is some thought
that they are easier to
1. Have a tendency to
"torque steer" where
the wheel actually turns
in hand if pressing hard
on the accelerator.
2. On heavy acceleration,
the weight of the car
moves back, unloading
the drive wheels and
cutting traction. For
that reason, most race
cars are rear-wheel
drive. Similarly, they
can lose traction on
steep slopes.
3. The engine
compartment contains
more stuff, so it is more
1. The drive wheels are
pressed down on heavy
acceleration, so they
gain traction.
2. When they lose
traction, the car has a
tendency to oversteer,
or cut a corner sharper
than intended. This is
often desirable in race
cars. It also causes rear-
wheel drive cars to
drift.
3. There is more space in
the engine
compartment, so one
can reach things more
easily.
1. Fuel efficiency is
reduced due to
power loss in
transmission
2. Rear wheel drive
vehicles are
heavier
3. Their turning
radius is larger
than front wheel
drive as rear wheel
propulsion tends
to push front
wheel in straight
direction.
4. Not suitable for
small segment
vehicle due to
assemble, since the entire
drive package is in the
front half of the car.
crowded, 4. The suspension in the
front doesn't have to be
jammed into a little
space. That means
things like arms and
rods can be longer, and
according to some, the
ball joints and bearings
will last longer
excessive weight
Table 1 Comparison of Front wheel drive and rear wheel drive vehicles

Need of four wheel steering

To improve stability, most cars nowadays are designed to exhibit under-steer characteristic
when driven at high speeds.
Although under-steer condition improves stability of the vehicle, it increases the driver's
steering effort. Also since a vehicle handling changes with road speed, the response to a
steering movement, both in time and direction, is difficult to predict.
These disadvantages can be overcome to a great extent by using four wheel steering (4WS).


Four wheel steering is a method developed in automobile industry for the effective turning of the
vehicle and to increase the manoeuvrability. In a typical front wheel steering system the rear wheels
do not turn in the direction of the curve and thus curb on the efficiency of the steering. In four wheel
steering the rear wheels turn with the front wheels thus increasing the efficiency of the vehicle. The
direction of steering the rear wheels relative to the front wheels depends on the operating
conditions. At low speed wheel movement is pronounced, so that rear wheels are steered in the
opposite direction to that of front wheels. At high speed, when steering adjustments are subtle, the
front wheels and the rear wheels turn in the same direction. By changing the direction of the rear
wheels there is reduction in turning radius of the vehicle which is efficient in parking, low speed
cornering and high speed lane change.
In city driving conditions the vehicle with higher wheelbase and track width face problems of turning
as the space is confined, the same problem is faced in low speed cornering. Usually customers pick
the vehicle with higher wheelbase and track width for their comfort and face these problems, so to
overcome this problem a concept of four wheel steering can be adopted in the vehicle. Four wheel
steering reduces the turning radius of the vehicle which is effective in confined space.

Working principle of a conventional four wheel steering