Trailer Instability Demonstration Model

In the mechanical engineering subject of kinematics, there is a concept that teaches about the stability of trailers and how a greater tongue weight is desirable. This project is designed to physically demonstrate that by changing only the speed or center of gravity, the system can have drastically different outcomes. This project had three phases. The first phase was to produce a numerical simulation for a cart on a treadmill. The second phase was to build a treadmill that has a variable speed control. The third phase was to build a trailer that has a variable center of gravity and produces results that match the modeled simulation results. The project was successful in creating a treadmill and trailer system that allowed for a variety of stability scenarios to be explored in real time and in the physical world, which could be compared to theoretical outputs produced from equations and software. This project will provide a demonstration tool that can be used in the classroom to reinforce the kinematic concept of trailer instability