Simulation and optimisation of the steering kickback performance

An application of nonlinear optimisation methods to select some parameters of a passenger car steering system is presented. A simplified planar model of the system as well as spatial multibody models are developed. The simplified model is used in the optimisation task, ensuring minimisation of vibrations of the steering wheel. The optimisation task is solved in two stages. The first one allow us to obtain optimal geometry of the system. In the second stage, nonlinear characteristics of some elements are obtained. The correctness of optimisation results is verified by the application of a more sophisticated spatial model. An own simulation programme has been worked out. It allowed us to perform dynamic analysis of the steering kickback using both simplified and complex structural models as well as to execute a built-in optimisation module.

Asymmetric input forces applied to the wheel centre have been used in the computer simulations. The excitations analysed are typical for a car moving over an obstacle. The work presented concentrates on the steering kickback phenomena, which may strongly influence discomfort perceived by the car driver.