Ackermann's steering principle behind the optimization of six-bar steering linkages having a rectilinear translating rack and having an infinite to the third number of function-cognates

Many times a pinion-wheel meshing with a rectilinear moving rack steers the front-wheels of a car having a fixed axis in the rear. The rack then normally translates in its own direction parallel to the fixed line which connects the two fusées. Also the wheelarms, being rigidly attached to the frontwheels, are each time linked to the rack by a coupier; whereas all links together form a hexagonal loop with the frame. The paper deals with the optimization of this symmetrical six-bar steering mechanism based on Ackermann's Principle. For cars for which Lid = 2 , it appears possible to obtain a maximum wheel-turning of about 48°. It is further shown that an infinite to the third number of unsymmetrical function cognates is available, generating the same functional relationship between the two turning-angles of the wheels at the front. Apart from having two different wheelarms of arbitrarily chosen lengths, they may have a raek rectilinearly moving along an arbitrarily chosen direction. Thus, an optimized six-bar steering mechanism of this type still has three independent design degrees of freedom, everyone of them always available to change the design with