Steering Systems

Any mode of transportation used by people must have some means of control. For the automobile, two primary control systems are at the driver's disposal: (1) the steering system, and (2) the braking system. The steering mechanism converts the driver's rotational input at the steering wheel into a change in the steering angle of the vehicle's steering road wheels. For a car to turn smoothly, each wheel must follow a different circle. Since the inside wheel is following a circle with a smaller radius, it is actually making a tighter turn than the outside wheel. If you draw a line perpendicular to each wheel, the lines will intersect at the center point of the turn. The geometry of the steering linkage makes the inside wheel turn more than the outside wheel.

Steering behavior The requirements in terms of steering behavior can be summarized as follows: 1. Jolts from irregularities in the road surface must be damped as much as possible during transmission to the steering wheel. However, such damping must not cause the driver to lose contact with the road. 2. The basic design of the steering kinematics must satisfy the Ackermann conditions: the extensions of the wheel axes of the left and right front wheels, when at an angle, intersect on an extension of the rear axle.

 3. When the steering wheel is released, the wheels must return automatically to the straight-ahead position and must remain stable in this position. 4. The steering should have as low ratio as possible (number of steeringwheel turns from lock to lock) in order to obtain ease of handling. The steering forces involved are determined not only by the steering ratio but also by the front suspension load, the turning circle, the suspension geometry (caster angle, kingpin angle, kingpin offset), the properties of the tire tread and the road surface. The steering ratio is the ratio of how far you turn the steering wheel to how far the wheels turn. For instance, if one complete revolution (360 degrees) of the steering wheel results in the wheels of the car turning 20 degrees, then the steering ratio is 360 divided by 20, or 18:1. A higher ratio means that you have to turn the steering wheel more to get the wheels to turn a given distance. However, less effort is required because of the higher gear ratio.

 Generally, lighter, sportier cars have lower steering ratios than larger cars and trucks. The lower ratio gives the steering a quicker response -- you don't have to turn the steering wheel as much to get the wheels to turn a given distance -- which is a desirable trait in sports cars. These smaller cars are light enough that even with the lower ratio, the effort required to turn the steering wheel is not excessive. Some cars have variable-ratio steering, which uses a rack-andpinion gear set that has a different tooth pitch (number of teeth per inch) in the center than it has on the outside. This makes the car respond quickly when starting a turn (the rack is near the center), and also reduces effort near the wheel's turning limits.

Steering System
Linkage Steering System (Worm Gear) Parts
Steering Wheel used by the driver to rotate a steering shaft that passes through the steering column.

Steering Shaft transfers turning motion from the steering wheel to the steering gearbox.

Steering Column supports the steering column and steering shaft.

Steering gears are enclosed in a casing known as steering gear box. A steering box must have the following qualities: - no play in the straight-ahead position, -low friction, resulting in high efficiency, - high rigidity, - readjustability. For these reasons, two types have become established:

Rack-and-pinion Steering
Basically, as the name implies, the rack-and-pinion steering consists of a rack and a pinion, The steering ratio is defined by the ratio of pinion revolutions (steering-wheel revolutions) to rack travel. Suitable toothing of the rack allows the ratio to be made variable over the travel. This lowers the actuating force or reduces the travel for steering corrections. Rack-and-pinion steering is quickly becoming the most common type of steering on cars, small trucks. It is actually a pretty simple mechanism. A rack-and-pinion gear set is enclosed in a metal tube, with each end of the rack protruding from the tube. A rod, called a tie rod, connects to each end of the rack. The pinion gear is attached to the steering shaft. When you turn the steering wheel, the gear spins, moving the rack.

 The rack-and-pinion gearset does two things: It converts the rotational motion of the steering wheel into the linear motion needed to turn the wheels. It provides a gear reduction, making it easier to turn the wheels. On most cars, it takes three to four complete revolutions of the steering wheel to make the wheels turn from lock to lock (from far left to far right). The primary components of the rack and pinion steering system are: Rubber bellows Pinion Rack Inner ball joint or socket Tie-rod

Rubber bellows
This rubber bellows is attached to the Rack and Pinion housing. It protects the inner joints from dirt and contaminants. In addition, it retains the grease lubricant inside the rack and pinion housing. There is an identical bellows on the other end of the rack for the opposite side connection.

Pinion
The pinion is connected to the steering column. As the driver turns the steering wheel, the forces are transferred to the pinion and it then causes the rack to move in either direction. This is achieved by having the pinion in constant mesh with the rack.

Rack
The rack slides in the housing and is moved by the action of the meshed pinion into the teeth of the rack. It normally has an adjustable bush opposite the pinion to control their meshing, and a nylon bush at the other end.

Tie-rod
A tie rod end is attached to the tie-rod shaft. These pivot as the rack is extended or retracted when the vehicle is negotiating turns. Some tie-rods and tie-rod ends are left or right hand threaded. This allows toe-in or toeout to be adjusted to the manufacturer's specifications.

Recirculating-ball steering
The forces generated between steering worm and steering nut are transmitted via a low-friction recirculating row of balls. The steering nut acts on the steering shaft via gear teeth. A variable ratio is possible with this steering box,

 Recirculating-ball steering is used on many trucks and SUVs today. The linkage that turns the wheels is slightly different than on a rack-and-pinion system. The recirculating-ball steering gear contains a worm gear. The first part is a block of metal with a threaded hole in it. This block has gear teeth cut into the outside of it, which engage a gear that moves the pitman arm (see diagram above). The steering wheel connects to a threaded rod, similar to a bolt, that sticks into the hole in the block. When the steering wheel turns, it turns the bolt. Instead of twisting further into the block the way a regular bolt would, this bolt is held fixed so that when it spins, it moves the block, which moves the gear that turns the wheels.

 Instead of the bolt directly engaging the threads in the block, all of the threads are filled with ball bearings that recirculate through the gear as it turns. The balls actually serve two purposes: First, they reduce friction and wear in the gear; second, they reduce slop in the gear. Slop would be felt when you change the direction of the steering wheel -- without the balls in the steering gear, the teeth would come out of contact with each other for a moment, making the steering wheel feel loose. Power steering in a recirculating-ball system works similarly to a rack-andpinion system. Assist is provided by supplying higher-pressure fluid to one side of the block.

 From the 1950s to the 1980s, the conventional recirculating ball steering gear was the dominant system. The 1980s saw the introduction of the front-wheel-drive passenger car with rack and pinion steering. Rack and pinion systems weigh less and use fewer parts. Also, the manufacturers were able to bring the cost of rack and pinion systems down due to increased automation in the final machining process. Today, most passenger cars and light trucks are equipped with rack and pinion steering.

Power Steering
Power steering helps drivers steer vehicles by increasing steering effort of the steering wheel. Hydraulic or electric actuators add controlled energy to the steering mechanism, so the driver needs to provide only slight effort regardless of conditions. Power steering helps considerably when a vehicle is stopped or moving slowly. As well, power steering provides some feedback of forces acting on the front wheels to give an ongoing sense of how the wheels are interacting with the road; this is typically called "rad feel"

 Representative power steering systems for cars increase steering effort via an actuator, a hydraulic cylinder, which is part of a servo system. These systems have a direct mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the linkage that steers the wheels. This means that power-steering system failure still permits the vehicle to be steered using manual effort alone. In other power steering systems, electric motors provide the assistance instead of hydraulic systems. As with hydraulic types, power to the actuator (motor, in this case) is controlled by the rest of the powersteering system. Some construction vehicles have a two-part frame with a rugged hinge in the middle; this hinge allows the front and rear axles to become nonparallel to steer the vehicle. Opposing hydraulic cylinders move the halves of the frame relative to each other to steer.

Hydraulic power-assisted steering

Energy source The energy source consists of a vane pump (generally driven by the engine) with an integral oil-flow regulator, an oil reservoir and connecting hoses and pipes. The pump must be dimensioned so that it generates sufficient pressure to enable rotation of the steering wheel at a speed of at least 15 m/s even when the engine is only idling. The compulsory pressure-limiting valve required on hydraulic systems is usually integrated. . The pump and the system components must be designed such that the operating temperature of the hydraulic fluid does not rise to an excessive level (<100C) and such that no noise is generated and the oil does not foam.

Control valve

All power steering pumps have a flow-control valve to vary fluid flow and power steering system pressures. A pressure relief valve prevents excessive pressures developing when the steering is on full-lock, and held against its stops. The flow control valve is located at the outlet fitting of the pump. During slow cornering, or when parking, pump speeds are normally low. There is less demand for fluid flow, but to provide the required assistance, high pressure is needed. Discharge ports direct the fluid to the outlet, and then to the steering gear. The outlet fluid pressure is slightly lower than the internal high pressure coming from the pump.

Pump
The hydraulic power for the steering is provided by a rotary-vane pump. This pump is driven by the car's engine with a belt and pulley. It contains a set of retractable vanes that spin inside an oval chamber. As the vanes spin, they pull hydraulic fluid from the return line at low pressure and force it into the outlet at high pressure. The amount of flow provided by the pump depends on the car's engine speed. The pump must be designed to provide adequate flow when the engine is idling. As a result, the pump moves much more fluid than necessary when the engine is running at faster speeds. The pump contains a pressure-relief valve to make sure that the pressure does not get too high, especially at high engine speeds when so much fluid is being pumped.

Toe

Toe is defined as the difference of the distance between the leading edge of the wheels and the distance between the trailing edge of the wheels when viewed from above. Toe-in means the front of the wheels are closer than the rear; toe-out implies the opposite. Figure 7.20 shows both cases. For a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, the front wheels normally have a slight amount of toe-in.. When the vehicle begins to roll, rolling resistance produces a force through the tire contact patch perpendicular to the rolling axis. This force produces a torque around the steering axis that tends to cause the wheels to toe-out. The slight toe-in allows for this, and when rolling, the wheels align along the axis of the vehicle. Conversely, front-wheeldrive vehicles require slight toe out. In this case, the reactive force of the front wheels produces a moment about the steering axis that tends to toe the wheels inward. In this case, proper toe-out absorbs this motion and allows the wheels to parallel the direction of motion of the vehicle.

Rotary Valve
A power-steering system should assist the driver only when he is exerting force on the steering wheel (such as when starting a turn). When the driver is not exerting force (such as when driving in a straight line), the system shouldn't provide any assist. The device that senses the force on the steering wheel is called the rotary valve.

Electric Power Assist Steering (EPAS) with Pull-Drift Compensation

Pull-Drift Compensation starts with EPAS technology, which replaces the traditional hydraulic-assist powersteering pump with an electric motor. This increases fuel economy because the electric motor operates only when steering assistance is required. Sensors constantly measure steering wheel torque applied by the driver to maintain the vehicles path. Continuous adjustments are made as the system resets to adapt to changing road conditions or maneuvers, such as the vehicle turning a corner. When the system detects a pulling or drifting condition, such as a crowned road surface, it provides torque assistance to help make steering easier. For drivers, this assistance is seamless and imperceptible. EPAS technology can be fine-tuned by engineers to fit the driving characteristics of varying products, whether its a luxury sedan or sporty compact SUV.

A steering mechanism as a machine

The force required to steer a vehicle is often considerably larger than a driver can comfortably exert. The steering mechanism is a machine that allows the driver of a vehicle to operate the steering without having to exert a large force at the steering wheel. The rack and pinion steering mechanism that is widely used on light vehicles is a convenient example of such a machine