03.

802

Vehicle Dynamics (U)

3-1-0

4 Credits

MODULE-I
1. Performance of road vehicles: Power for propulsion, Air resistance, Rolling resistance, Grade
resistance, Traction and tractive effort, Relation between engine revolution and vehicle speed,
Road performance curves-(acceleration, gradiability and drawbar pull), calculation of
equivalent weight, Gear ratio for maximum acceleration, problems related to these terms.
2. Performance of cars and light trucks: max speed, acceleration time and elasticity, fuel
consumption and fuel economy, strategy for lowest fuel consumption. Driving schedules
EPA urban and highway cycles, European driving cycles.
MODULE-II

3. Road testing methods: Measurement of aerodynamic drag force in a coast down test, cross
wind tests, engine cooling road test, wind noise measurement on the road.

4. Vehicle handling: Steering angle, cornering force, self righting torque, slip angle, over steer,
under steer, steady state cornering, driving torques on steering, effect of camber, camber
thrust, transient effects in cornering,

5. Stability of vehicles: Distribution of weight (Three wheeled and four wheeled vehicles),
stability of a vehicle on a slope, Dynamics of vehicle running on a banked track, Stability of a
vehicle taking a turn, Braking requirements, comparison of disc and drum brakes.
MODULE III

6. Suspension: Vehicle dynamics and suspension requirements, choice of suspension spring rate,
chassis springs and theory of chassis springs, Gas & hydraulic dampers and choice of
damper, damper characteristics, mechanics of an independent suspension system, Roll axis
and the vehicle under the action of side forces.

7. Tyres: Tyre types, relative merits and demerits, tyre dimensions and specifications, Ride
characteristics of tyres, wheel hop, wheel wobble, wheel wander, wheel shimmy, behavior
while cornering, cornering force, power consumed by a tyre, effect of driving and braking
torque, factors affecting tyre life, tread design.
References:
1. W. Steeds- Mechanics of road vehicles- Wildlife book Ltd, London, 1990
2. Wolf- Heinrich Hucho Aerodynamics of road vehicles, SAE
3. J.G. Giles- steering, suspension and tyres, Wildlife books Ltd, London, 1968
4. P.M. Heldt- Automotive chassis, Chilton Co., New York, 1952
5. TY. Wong- Theory of ground vehicles, Johnwiley and sons Inc, New York
6. N.K. Giri- Automobile mechanics, Khanna Publishers, Delhi, 1986
7. Kripal singh- Automobile Engineering-Vol-I, Standard Publishers, Delhi
8. R.P.Sharma- A course in Automobile Engineering, Dhanpat Rai publications
Note: Question Paper consists of two parts.
Part A-10 compulsory short answer questions for 4 marks each, covering the entire syllabus (10 x
4=40)
Part B-2 questions of 20 marks each, from each module and student has to answer one from each
module (3 x 20=60)

VEHICLE DYNAMICS
MODULE-I
8. Performance of road vehicles: Power for propulsion, Air resistance, Rolling
resistance, Grade resistance, Traction and tractive effort, Relation between engine
revolution and vehicle speed, Road performance curves-(acceleration, gradiability and
drawbar pull), calculation of equivalent weight, Gear ratio for maximum acceleration,
problems related to these terms.
Power for Propulsion
The motion of a vehicle moving on a road is resisted by aerodynamic forces, known as wind
or air resistance, and road resistance which is generally termed as rolling resistance. In
addition to these two types of resistances, the vehicle has to overcome grade resistance when
it moves up on a gradient, because the weight of the vehicle is to be lifted through a vertical
distance. Hence, the power required to propel a vehicle is proportional to the total resistance
to its motion and the speed.
Let,

and

Pv = power required by the vehicle, kW

PR = engine power required, kW
V = speed of the vehicle, km/hr
t = transmission or drive line efficiency
R = total resistance, N
Ra = air resistance, N
Rr = rolling resistance, N
Rg = grade resistance, N.

Air Resistance
This is the resistance offered by air to the movement of a vehicle. The air resistance has an
influence on the performance, ride and stability of the vehicle and depends upon the size
and shape of the body of the vehicle, its speed and the wind velocity. The last term should be
taken into account when indicated, otherwise it can be neglected. Hence in general, air
resistance,
Ra = Ka AV2
Where, A = projected frontal area, m , V = speed of the vehicle, km/hr, and Ka = coefficient
of air resistance, N hr2/m2 km2
(Ka = 0.023 for best streamlined cars, 0.031 for average cars, 0.045 for trucks and lorries)
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Rolling Resistance
The magnitude of rolling resistance depends mainly on (a) the nature of road surface, (b) the
types of tyre viz. pneumatic or solid rubber type, (c) the weight of the vehicle, and (d) the
speed of the vehicle.
The rolling resistance is expressed as
Rr = KW
Where, W = total weight of the vehicle, N and K = constant of rolling resistance and depends
on the nature of road surface and types of tyres
(K = 0.0059 for good roads, 0.18 for loose sand roads and 0.015 is a representative value)
A more widely accepted expression for the rolling resistance is given by
Rr = (a + bV)
W where V = speed of the vehicle, km/hr.
(Mean values of a and b are 0.015 and 0.00016 respectively)
Grade Resistance
The component of the weight of the vehicle parallel to the gradient or the slope on which it
moves is termed as 'grade resistance'. Thus it depends upon the steepness of the grade. If the
gradient is expressed as 1 in 5, it means that for every 5 meters the vehicle moves, it is lifted
up by 1 meter. Hence, grade resistance is expressed as:
Rg = W sin
Where, W = total weight of the vehicle, N and = inclination of the slope to the horizontal.
Percentage grade = tan x 100, but for small values of , tan = sin .
Traction and Tractive Effort
The force available at the contact between the drive wheel tyres and road is known as
'tractive effort'. The ability of the drive wheels to transmit this effort without slipping is
known as 'traction'. Hence usable tractive effort never exceeds traction. The tractive effort
relate to engine power as follows.

Where, Pe = engine b.p, kW, Te = mean engine torque, Nm, t = overall transmission
efficiency, g.r = gearbox ratio, a.r = axle ratio, G = overall gear ratio = (g.r. x a.r.), r = radius
of tyre, m, N = r.p.m of crankshaft and F = tractive effort, N
When the tractive effort F > R, the total resistance on level road, the surplus tractive effort
is utilized for acceleration, hill climbing and draw-bar pull.
Relation Between Engine Revolutions (N) and Vehicle Speed (V)

Thus, N / V ratio depends upon the overall gear ratio and wheel diameter. A vehicle with
four different gears has four different values of N / V ratio. The N / V ratio increases as the
wheel diameter increases, the overall gear ratio remaining constant.
Road Performance Curves: Acceleration, Gradability and Drawbar Pull
Passenger car performance is based on acceleration, ability to go up a slope, top speed, fuel
economy, noise level, and durability. Transmission gearing is designed to provide maximum
acceleration at low speed by holding the driving wheel torque output at the point of
impending wheel spin. As wheel spin occurs, the acceleration decreases from the maximum.
Also the gear is designed for maximum fuel economy when the engine is developing 80% of
its maximum torque as the automobile is moving at a constant speed. This gives 20%
additional torque for acceleration. The power required to drive an automobile increases as
the cube of the speed i.e. it takes eight times the power to double the speed. When the power
available matches the power required to push the vehicle, the speed becomes constant.
Excess power is required for acceleration and hill climbing. Maximum speed is reached when
there is no excess power remaining.

Figure above illustrates the variation of full-throttle power available at the wheels for four
gear ratios with road speed. A curve, showing the power required by vehicle at various road
speeds is also presented.

At any speed, the difference of ordinates of power available and power required by vehicle
gives the surplus power, which can be utilized either for acceleration or for drawbar pull or
for hill climbing. Or else the surplus power may be shared by all the three items as and when
required.
By using the formula, the power available as indicated in first fig. can be converted into
tractive effort. Hence tractive effort performance curves for four gear ratios can be plotted
against road speed as in the second figure. In this figure a road resistance curve is also
presented. The difference between the ordinates of tractive effort and road resistance at any
road speed gives the surplus tractive effort, which is utilized for acceleration, drawbar pull
and hill climbing.
Acceleration
When the vehicle is accelerated, its rotating parts are also accelerated depending upon their
moments of inertia and the gear ratio in the drive line. Due to this, weight of vehicle is
increased from W to We. This increased weight, We, is called the 'effective weight' of the
vehicle. When surplus power, i.e. surplus tractive effort is fully utilized to acceleration, then

Gradability
The maximum percentage grade, which a vehicle can negotiate with full rated condition, is
known as 'gradability'. Hence,

Drawbar Pull
When the excess power is fully utilized for pulling extra load attached to vehicle then,
Maximum drawbar pull = Tractive effort -Road resistance = (F- R).
Road resistance in this section is made up of rolling resistance and air resistance. Above two
Figures show that maximum surplus power and hence maximum surplus tractive effort are
provided at very low speeds of the vehicle. Therefore, for acceleration from start, for
climbing steeper gradient and for large drawbar pull, first gear is best suited.
Maximum road speed is achieved in the gear when power available equals to power required
(first Fig) and tractive effort becomes equal to level road resistance (second Fig). If the
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vehicle is desired to run at a lower speed, the throttle is adjusted accordingly so that the part
throttle power available curve intersects the power required curve at the desired road speed.
This is shown in first Fig.
Calculation of Equivalent Weight (We)
Let,

Te = engine torque, Nm
If = moment of inertia of faster rotating parts, Nm2
Is = moment of inertia of slower rotating parts, Nm 2
R = total resistance, N
W = weight of vehicle, N
t = transmission efficiency
G = overall gear ratio
r = radius of the road wheels, m
f = acceleration, m/s2
g = acceleration due to gravity, m/s2
f = angular acceleration of faster rotating parts
s = angular acceleration of slower rotating parts.

Now, tractive effort available at the road wheels = Tractive effort to overcome road resistance
+ Tractive effort for acceleration.

Gear Ratio for Maximum Acceleration:

Considering the expression of above section

Substituting this value of 'G' in the expression for f above, the maximum acceleration can
calculate.