Measurement and Analysis of Strains Developed on Tie-rods of a Steering System

Modern day manufacturers research and develop vehicles that are equipped
with steering assist to help drivers undertake manoeuvres. However the lack of
research for a situation where one tie-rod experiences different strains than the
opposite one leads to failure in the tie-rod assembly and misalignment in the wheels over time. The performance of the steering system would be improved if this information existed. This bachelor’s dissertation looks into this specific situation and conducts an examination on the tie-rods.
A simple kinematic model is used to determine how the steering system moves
when there is a steering input. An investigation has been conducted to determine how the system’s geometry affects the strains.
The experiment vehicle is a Formula Student car which is designed by the
students of Coventry University. The tests performed show the difference in situations where the two front tyres are on a single surface, two different surfaces – one with high friction, the other with low friction and a situation where there’s an obstacle in the way of one of the tyres.
The experiment results show a major difference in strain in the front tie-rods in
the different situations. Interesting conclusions can be made due to the results for the different surface situation where one of the tyres receives similar results in bothcompression and tension, but the other one receives results with great difference.
This results given in the report can be a starting ground and help with the
improvement in steering systems if more research is conducted.