Influencing factors on steering wheel torque during the static parking manoeuvre

Abstract

The prediction of the maximum resistant torque of the steering wheel is an essential part of the vehicle development process. The reference benchmark for the evaluation of this maximum steering wheel torque is the static parking manoeuver. Numerical simulations and experimental measurements, which predict and verify this torque, show a nonnegligible deviance. The current static parking manoeuvre measurement procedure shows a high variability in the measurements and the cause of this deviation is difficult to identify. Therefore, the current static parking measurement procedure needs to be more precise and accurate. In order to achieve this target, the work presented here reveals the main sources of results uncertainty and evaluates the influence of the principal boundary condition parameters. Based on the investigations an optimized measurement procedure, which can be taken as absolute reference benchmark for the prediction of the steering wheel resistant torque, is derived. This new method is then used to analyse the influence of the vehicle parameters on steering wheel resistant torque.