Vehicle Dynamics

3W Vehicles Stability
A Case study

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Vehicle Dynamics

Contents
Single front wheel 3-Wheelers Single rear wheel 3-Wheelers Single Front wheel vs. Front 2 wheels- 3W 3-Wheeler present issues 1. Mechanical design aspect 2. Stability during curves 3. Road holding aspect

Simple visual analysis of 3-Wheeler stability 1. Center of gravity position-Comparison 3W vs. 4W 2. Accelerating or braking in a straight line

Logic behind the mathematics of safety margins Analysis and mathematics practice tests to perform Modeling 'unicycle' of Valkenburgh-Klein-Szostak Modeling using the criterion of Sliding Front Wheel Internal (GRAI)

Model for a 3W rear engine-rear drive

Mathematical development of safety margin calculations

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Vehicle Dynamics

Single front wheel 3-Wheelers

First component layout: 3-Wheelers with a single front wheel, coming from a regular 2-Wheel motorcycle. The rear may come from an old Volkswagen Beetle, or may simply be a modified motorcycle rear end: This group includes the off-road 3-Wheelers that are not sold anymore because of their rollover propensity:

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Vehicle Dynamics

3W-Single Front wheel

Disadvantages: 1. A single front wheel which should take most of the braking capacity 2. Largest trend reversal because the braking increases the chances of rollover and is always greater than the accelerations forward, because the three wheels can participate in braking 3. The engine drives the back passenger in a frontal collision 4. The CG is behind the center of aerodynamic pressure, which is less stable at high speed 5. The full width of the vehicle behind the driver rather than before, which makes less visibility of the width of the vehicle in tight traffic Conclusion: This 3-Wheeler component layout with a single front wheel can tip over easily in most applications and does not offer the best braking performance. It thus present little interest for general public usage.

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Vehicle Dynamics

Single rear wheel 3-Wheelers

Third component layout: The 3-Wheelers with rear-engine and a singlerear driving wheel Their rear engine and single rear wheel assembly usually comes from a regular 2- Wheel motorcycle The 1977 Phantom was among the first well made ones

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Vehicle Dynamics

Single Front wheel vs. Front 2-wheels 3W

These single front wheel 3-Wheelers have lost popularity first precisely because they would easily rollover when turning, as shown refer to last slide

Rollover while turning-1F2R

Also when braking while going straight, the weight is transferred to only one front wheel instead of two, which is the case of the 3-W with two front wheels.
2F-1R 1F-2R

Braking force Distribution

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Vehicle Dynamics

3-Wheeler present Issues

Mechanical design aspects: During forward collisions, the engine at the rear pushes the passengers in the back and tends to crush them against the obstacle It's the same as for mid-engine sports car and Formula 1 race cars So like for these cars, the passenger protective structure must be designed to hold back the rear engine in case of forward collisions, in order to insure their safety

2 Front wheel-RE

These 3-Wheelers sit their passengers side-by-side in bucket seats and hold them back with safety belts in a protective structure.

Also, these 3-Wheelers must be quite wide and low in order to present a safety margin against rollover

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Vehicle Dynamics

Stability during curves: The engine and transmission constitute a heavy group of components at the back of the vehicle, close to the rear wheel, that does nothing to avoid rollover in curves at high speeds. Worse, the vehicle may have to accelerate strongly and turn at the same time, for instance at a road crossing like to the right

In this case, weight is transferred to the rear due to the acceleration, which increases the weight on the rear wheel
With all this weight on the rear wheel, the acceleration may be even stronger so that the interior front wheel can lift off the ground and cause a rollover in front of the incoming traffic

2 Front wheel-RE Accelerating while turning

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Road holding aspect:

In order to increase stability in curves, the designer of such a 3Wheeler may move the passengers forward to bring the center of gravity closer to the two front wheels, that do the work to avoid rollover in curves. But this has two consequences: First, the two front wheels have to be moved farther apart to insert these passengers, so the vehicle has to be very wide. This explains why such 3-Wheelers are typically as wide as a car

Font wheels moved further apart to increase wheel track

Second, if the passengers are moved forward, weight is removed from the rear wheel. So the powerful motorcycle engine can spin this rear wheel and cause the vehicle to spin around, even more so on wet pavement.

This can happen while 1. Accelerating in a highway entrance or exit. 2. It can also happen while leaving a street intersection like at the right.
3W (RE) spinning about single rear wheel www.sytrics.com
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Study Case: Where the passenger of such a 3-W that spinned around when accelerating straight ahead: In order to accelerate more rapidly, the driver shifted rapidly from first to second to third gear, without releasing the accelerator (Power shift). When passing from 2nd to 3rd gear, the engine increased its RPM rapidly so that when the clutch was released, the engine inertia was able to spin the rear wheel and spin the 3-Wheeler around.

3W (RE) spinning about single rear wheel

In practice with this rear-engine (RE) and a single-rear driving wheel concept, designers have to accept an in-between compromise, both limiting ground traction when accelerating and limiting stability in curves.

The problem with this final solution is that both the risk of rolling over in curves and the risk of spinning around may not be eliminated.
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Conclusion: This 3-Wheeler component layout with rear-engine and single-rear driving wheel: Offers a great opportunity to drive a high performance vehicle offering Formula 1 sensations. But despite its performances in curves and accelerations, it also presents problems: The chassis must be designed to hold back the rear engine in case of forward collisions If not well designed, the vehicle may rollover when accelerating while turning And the powerful engine can spin the rear wheel and cause the vehicle to spin around

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Vehicle Dynamics

Simple visual analysis of 3-Wheeler stability

Center of gravity position:
If the vehicle is in a curve towards the left, for example, then centrifugal force is exerted on the center of gravity of the vehicle occupants system, while the vehicle's weight exerts a downward gravitational force
Thus, the centrifugal force tends to roll the vehicle over towards the right, around an imaginary point (I)under the right tires, while the gravitational force holds the vehicle back to avoid rollover It's as though the centrifugal force and the gravitational force combined together into a resulting force exerted on the center of gravity to turn it around this imaginary point. Consider a 4-Wheeler as seen from the rear
CG Centrifugal Force (F)

t
4-W Rear View

Rollover point (I)

We can thus easily understand that if the center of gravity height (h) is greater than the half-track (t) seen from the rear, the resulting force will be aligned over the imaginary point and will thus roll the vehicle over in a curve.

The ratio of the center of gravity height(h) to this half-track(t) thus plays a crucial role in determining the stability against rollover of a 4-Wheeler. Ideally, this center of gravity height should be low like for a sports car, in order to insure a safety margin against rollover.
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Comparison 3W vs. 4W In the case of 3-Wheelers, another factor comes into play: As can be seen for a 4-Wheeler on the illustration at the right, the 4-Wheeler rolls over around a line corresponding to the imaginary point (deep blue) of the previous illustration. But in the case of a 3-Wheeler, the vehicle rather rolls over around a line (blue) going from the unique wheel to one of the two symmetrical wheels.
CG

4-W

3-W (2F-1R) Green Line is shorter in case of 3W

We can immediately see that the green line between the center of gravity and the rollover line is thus shorter than in the case of the 4-Wheeler, even though the CG height, the length(wheelbase) and the track of the 3-Wheeler are the same as those of the 4-Wheeler. The center of gravity height (red) is thus proportionately greater, which reduces the safety margin against rollover in curves
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Moreover, a 3-Wheeler in a curve can also be subject to a braking or accelerating force that will combine with the lateral centrifugal force, which may further increase chances of rolling over of this 3-Wheeler For example in the case of the single-front-wheel 3-Wheeler, here above to the right, braking in a curve towards the left will increase chances of rolling over this 3-Wheeler

4-W

3-W

So in the case of a 3-Wheeler: 1. The CG height: should be low in relation to the half-track(t), like for a 4-W. 2. But the CG position also has importance: The farther it is from the two symmetric wheels towards the single wheel, the shorter is the distance from the center of gravity to the rollover line, which reduces the safety margin against rollover of the 3-W compared to the 4-W.
- It seems more appropriate to consider overturning, flipping or tipping points or axes - And to insure an adequate ratio between the vehicle-occupants center of gravity height and the horizontal distance between the center of gravity and these points or axes, instead of a weight percentage on the front wheels.

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Accelerating or braking in a straight line

1F
Front CG 2R

When going straight, a 3-W may be accelerating or braking thus:

1F-2R

- It may tip backward while accelerating, as in the case of a two rear wheels 3-Wheeler where the center of gravity is located too far back
- Or, while braking in the case of a two front wheels 3-W illustrated at the right, it may roll around the blue point under the front wheels and tip forward
CG

Summary 1. The 3-Ws CG must be low and close to the two symmetrical wheels , that are alone to avoid a rollover in curves 2. But this CG must not be too close to these two symmetric wheels, to avoid tipping backward or forward. 3. Basically, the CG must be located under a pyramid, as shown to the right in the case of a twofront-wheel 3-Wheeler, to avoid rolling over sideways or tipping forward
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2F-1R

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Logic behind the mathematics of safety margins

Necessity for Math: 3-wheels may present a risk of reversal on curved roads. At a minimum, we must therefore ensure they have a positive margin of safety against overturning

To check their margin of safety against overturning in different operating conditions

Specifically: 1. The principles of physics and logic behind the mathematical margin of safety against overturning 2. The mathematical development of these calculations margin of safety in the case of 3-W (2F1R) & Front-wheel-steering 3. The mathematical development in the case of 3W (2F1R) with rear engine,rear wheel drive 4. Finally analyzing & summarising the results of calculations of margin of safety.
3-Wheeler to a single front wheel are excluded from modeling because they have many disadvantages stated earlier
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Analysis and mathematics practice tests to perform

A variety of mathematical analysis and practical tests have been developed to assess the safety of vehicles on highways
The SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) is full of articles on these tests and analysis Mathematical analysis: 1. Determining position of center of gravity 2. Margin of safety against overturning 3. Dynamic analysis including thousands of vehicle parameters 4. Dynamic analysis of vehicle collisions. Practice tests 5. Constant radius circle 6. Lane change (Emergency lane change) 7. Dropped from the steering wheel-steering (Free return ability) 8. Releasing the accelerator (Dropped throttle) 9. Braking distances However, since the 3-Wheelers with particular risk of reversal, it is necessary to ensure before any other tests or analysis, a 3-Wheels to provides security against overturning
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For stability of 3-Wheelers against overturning

Essentially, this analysis is to: Step 1: Calculate the capacity of tires which generates longitudinal acceleration (Ax /g) and lateral (Ay/g)s applying it to the center of gravity of 3-Wheeler Step 2: Calculate the limits of longitudinal accelerations (Ax/g) and lateral (Ay/g) in the center of gravity, beyond which it is a reversal of the vehicle Step 3: Then ensure that the limits where there is a reversal beyond the capacity of the tires, so that the tires slide before the vehicle overturned. Modeling the capacity of tires Several authors consider that the coefficients of friction in longitudinal & lateral as Cfy & Cfx for tire against the ground, conform to a law 'elliptical' grip after the right figure

According to "Race Car Vehicle Dynamics," William F. Millikan, Douglas L. Millikan, SAE International, SAE R-146, 1995: Millikan, SAE International

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Modeling 'unicycle' of Valkenburgh-Klein-Szostak-For Tyres

Consider just the three wheels of a 3-Wheeler one or two front wheels, act according to their ability i.e. elliptical These tires can therefore generate longitudinal acceleration Ax/g (acceleration or braking) and lateral Ay/g (centrifugal / centripetal) from the center of gravity. Thus, it is as if these 3-wheels were replaced by a single wheel and were regarded as a 'unicycle' shown in third figure.

(Ax/g)-Longitudinal acceleration (Ay/g)-Lateral acceleration

This assumption is valid if the three wheels to participate ideally longitudinal acceleration Ax/g and lateral Ay/g in the center of gravity, as is the case when analyzing the combined lateral acceleration in longitudinal braking, since the three wheels can participate in these accelerations and decelerations.

If the traction at the front only, or is the back only (RWD). We can not use this assumption of elliptic boundary applied to all three wheels.

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Modeling using the criterion of Sliding Front Wheel Internal (GRAI)

If a 3-W with front wheel-drive guidelines before accelerating at the same time it rotates clockwise as shown at right, the left front wheel house to the curve will be reduced due to transfer weight to the front wheel Right outside the curve (due to lateral acceleration) and because of weight transfer to the rear wheel (due to longitudinal acceleration) So even before the 3 wheels can be reversed, the left front wheel house at the curve may be too lightweight to withstand high accelerations, which will reduce the chances of reversing the 3-W The margin of safety against overturning of this 3-Wheeler will be higher than projected in the modeling of type unicycle of Valkenburgh-Klein-k Szosta above. The rear wheel, will not slip as it gets proportionately more weight because the rear wheel, will not slip as it 'gets' proportionately more weight because the weight transfered to back and it does not participate in the forward acceleration of the vehicle.

Vehicle Dynamics

3W(FWD) taking curve while accelerating

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Model for a 3W rear engine-rear drive

There can not be any slippage Front Wheel internal, which can limit the risk of overturning. In contrast to these 3-wheel, transferring weight over the rear wheel increases the propulsive force generated by the wheel back. In this case, the left front wheel inside the curve may rise and cause a reversal in front of vehicles that are coming in the opposite direction. We can attempt to move the center of gravity closer to the front wheels to reduce the weight on the rear wheel (the size of the ellipse in front or rear of the rear wheel). This reduces the risk of excessive longitudinal acceleration and the risk of reversal in acceleration But if the traction on the back tire is reduced, a very powerful engine of conventional two-wheel motorcycle is very powerful enough to skid the rear wheel not only on wet, but even on dry pavement.

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Mathematical development of safety margin calculations-For Vehicle

Curve (Ay/g) max as a function of (Ax/g), beyond which there is a reversal: Consider the illustration shown in the figure: Fx- Longitudinal Component of force acting on CG Fy-Lateral Component of force acting on CG (c) Ax-Longitudinal Acceleration Ay-Lateral Acceleration Fx=(W/g)*Ax Fy=(W/g)*Ay

Vehicle Dynamics

F = Fx*sin + Fy*cos (F-Rollover Force about axis AB)

Sin = (t/2h) ; cos=(L/h) also sin=*c/(L-x)+ (by geom.) Hence , F = (W/g)*(Ax)(t/2h)+(W/g)*(Ay)*(L/h) Balancing moments about CG, W c= F z . (where z-height of CG from ground) Solving this we get
L-wheelbase t- trackwidth x- CG locn from front wheel centre - angle CBD W- Weight of the vehicle (N)

(Ay/g) L + (Ax/g) (t/2) = [(L-x)/z] (t/2)

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