Comparative linear analysis of alternative layouts of heavy goods vehicles

This paper presents comparative analyses of steering wheel responses of various layouts for heavy goods vehicles, including rigid and articulated configurations. Newton and Lagrange techniques have been adopted to formulate and verify the generalized linear model for multi-axle rigid and articulated vehicles. The model is then used to simulate, analyze and compare steering angle response of a variety of commercially available vehicles. The study includes the analyses of steady state response and dynamic behavior for different layouts in terms of axle positions, number of axles and multiple steered axles.