ABSTRACT
The dynamics of vehicles with articulated car bodies is discussed. Configurations with conventional wheelsets and either forced steering (steering derived from relative motions between car bodies) or self steering (steering derived from wheelset motions only) are compared with vehicles with active steering based on lateral displacement feedback. It is shown that for passive steering there are significant advantages in self steering where interaction between wheelsets and body is minimised. The results of solutions of the equations of motion for vehicles in non-uniform curves such as transition curves illustrate the conflict between stability and dynamic response and indicate the limitations of conventional wheelsets, and the benefits of active steering.
