Dynamics of articulated vehicles by means of multibody methods.

The paper presents modelling of an articulated vehicle by means of joint coordinates, which enable us to describe the motion of the system with a minimal number of generalised coordinates. We consider a model of a semi-trailer formulated using joint coordinates and homogenous transformations. Such an approach enables us to treat the vehicle as a kinematic chain consisting of three single units with an even number of wheels. This means that a single unit vehicle has a structure of an open kinematic chain in a tree form. The contact of wheels with the road is modelled by the Dugoff-Uffelman model. The model is validated by comparing the simulation results with those obtained from experimental measurements. Friction in the fifth wheel is one of the important parameters influencing the motion of a tractor with a semi-trailer. The model presented enables us to analyse different models of friction in the fifth wheel. The influence of those friction models on the results is presented and discussed