MODELING OF MULTIBODY SYSTEMS AND ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF TILTING MECHANISM ON TADPOLE THREE-WHEEL STEERING SYSTEM

• Main Author: Fitrah Idham, Muhammad
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/85372
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Three-wheeled vehicles have several characteristics that complicate their design and adoption as personal vehicles, one of which is the tendency to roll over when turning. One method to improve the cornering stability of three-wheeled vehicles is the tilt-wheel mechanism. Stability improvements are achieved by modifying the steering system so that the tilt of the front wheels can be manually actuated by the steering system. The Tadpole vehicle with this tilting steering system needs to be dynamically tested to determine the impact of adding the tilting mechanism on the vehicle's dynamic characteristics. The dynamic testing is conducted by modeling the vehicle as a multi-body system using the Universal Mechanism (UM) application. The dynamic characteristics under review are cornering performance and steering torque. The multi-body model of the Tadpole vehicle is obtained by modeling the vehicle components and the joints that connect these components. The multi-body model of the Tadpole vehicle is then validated until a usable model for simulation testing is obtained. The simulation is then conducted by applying the predetermined simulation variables. The simulation results indicate that adding the tilting mechanism leads to an increase in steering torque and a decrease in the vehicle's cornering performance, making it more understeer-prone. These simulation results are then analyzed by the author and used as a basis for evaluation and suggestions for improvements in the next Tadpole vehicle design.