Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
$35,714.00
Development of an adaptive active trailer steering system for long combination vehicles
FY 2018-19
Summary
Long combination vehicles (LCVs) are increasingly used on highways across Canada. An LCV consists of a tractor and two trailers, the length of each trailer is 16.2 m, and the total length of the vehicle can be 40 m. Two main configurations of LCVs are A- and B-train. Compared with a tractor/semi-trailer combination, the use of an LCV can result in 45% reduction in mileage travelled, 30% drop in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and 40% decrease in road wear. However, A-trains exhibit low lateral stability, B-trains show poor maneuverability, and the unsatisfactory directional performance of LCVs may lead to traffic accidents. The geometric features of existing highway ramps/interchanges were designed during the 1950s-70s without adequately considering the performance measures of LCVs. Due to the poor directional performance, LCVs are only allowed to travel on designated Ontario highway sections. Canada's long and severe winter patterns further degrade LCV safety. We believe that developing an adaptive active trailer steering (AATS) system for LCVs will have a multifold impact on Canadians by allowing the trucking industry and road systems to benefit from the positive effects of these vehicles, e.g., lower shipping costs, lighter environmental impact, and reduced road damage, while mitigating the adverse risks of increased traffic accidents and congestion.* The proposed project aims at developing the AATS technology to improve the low-speed maneuverability of B-trains and enhance the high-speed lateral stability of A-trains. Built upon our previous investigations on active trailer steering, the AATS system will be developed with distinguished features in terms of high reliability, adaptability to operating condition variation, and fault-tolerant design. We will develop the innovative AATS technology by performing interrelated investigations: 1) exploring adaptive and fault-tolerant control of active trailer steering; and 2) fabricating AATS prototypes and validating the technology based on driver-hardware-in-the-loop real-time simulation. The research will resolve the problems that are impeding the AATS technology from becoming a marketable product. *
Program
Collaborative Research and Development Grants
Location
Ontario, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
490843-2015
Name nom
He, Yuping
Department département
Automotive, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
Organization id
19222
Institution établissement
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Province en
Ontario
Province fr
Ontario
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2018
Competition year année de concours
2015
Award amount
35714
Program id
CRDPJ
Program name en
Collaborative Research and Development Grants
Program name fr
Subventions de recherche et développement coopérative
Group en
Research partnerships programs
Group fr
Programmes de partenariat
Committee code
96
Committee name en
RPP Internal Decision Cttee
Committee name fr
Cté de décision interne - PPR
Area of application code
1206
Area of application group en
Advancement of knowledge
Area of application group fr
Avancement des connaissances
Area of application en
Engineering
Area of application fr
Génie
Research subject code
2108
Research subject group en
Mechanical engineering
Research subject group fr
Génie mécanique
Research subject en
Aerospace, aeronautical and automotive engineering
Research subject fr
Génie aérospatial, aéronautique et automobile
Partie
3
Nb partie
3
Application title
Development of an adaptive active trailer steering system for long combination vehicles
Keyword
NSERC
Application summary
Long combination vehicles (LCVs) are increasingly used on highways across Canada. An LCV consists of a tractor and two trailers, the length of each trailer is 16.2 m, and the total length of the vehicle can be 40 m. Two main configurations of LCVs are A- and B-train. Compared with a tractor/semi-trailer combination, the use of an LCV can result in 45% reduction in mileage travelled, 30% drop in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and 40% decrease in road wear. However, A-trains exhibit low lateral stability, B-trains show poor maneuverability, and the unsatisfactory directional performance of LCVs may lead to traffic accidents. The geometric features of existing highway ramps/interchanges were designed during the 1950s-70s without adequately considering the performance measures of LCVs. Due to the poor directional performance, LCVs are only allowed to travel on designated Ontario highway sections. Canada's long and severe winter patterns further degrade LCV safety. We believe that developing an adaptive active trailer steering (AATS) system for LCVs will have a multifold impact on Canadians by allowing the trucking industry and road systems to benefit from the positive effects of these vehicles, e.g., lower shipping costs, lighter environmental impact, and reduced road damage, while mitigating the adverse risks of increased traffic accidents and congestion.* The proposed project aims at developing the AATS technology to improve the low-speed maneuverability of B-trains and enhance the high-speed lateral stability of A-trains. Built upon our previous investigations on active trailer steering, the AATS system will be developed with distinguished features in terms of high reliability, adaptability to operating condition variation, and fault-tolerant design. We will develop the innovative AATS technology by performing interrelated investigations: 1) exploring adaptive and fault-tolerant control of active trailer steering; and 2) fabricating AATS prototypes and validating the technology based on driver-hardware-in-the-loop real-time simulation. The research will resolve the problems that are impeding the AATS technology from becoming a marketable product. *
