Abstract
This paper describes the stability of a tractor-semitrailer combination while braking. We first constructed nonlinear equations of motion for articulated vehicles with 8 degrees of freedom. Secondly, a simulation study was carried out to model vehicle performance in realistic situations. Jackknifing was recreated by simulation under conditions of traveling down a longitudinal road gradient. A study of the load rate of each tire showed that our model accurately describes the mechanism of jackknifing as well as the motion of limit performance conditions. Finally, the relationship between articulated vehicle, road gradient, and limit performance is shown.
