Benchmark Investigation of Dynamics Models for Design Optimization of Articulated Heavy Vehicles

This paper represents validation of yaw plane and yaw-roll models of a tractor/semitrailer combination with TruckSim software package. A linear 3 degree-of-freedom (DOF) yaw-plane model and a linear 5 DOF yaw-roll model of tractor/semitrailer have been generated, compared and evaluated. This paper investigates the applicability of vehicle models with linear tire model. The models of the articulated heavy vehicle (AHV) yield excellent simulation results which are validated by comparing the simulation results obtained from TruckSim. This paper also includes eigenvalue analysis of the models to estimate their unstable motion modes. Benchmark comparison of the models has been performed to investigate the fidelity, complexity and applicability