Describe the functions of Steering system.
Functions of Steering system are
1. To achieve angular motion of the front wheels to negotiate a turn.
2. To provide directional stability of the vehicle when going straight ahead.
3. To provide perfect steering condition, i.e., perfect rolling motion of the road wheels at all
times.
4. To facilitate straight ahead recovery after completing a turn.
5. To minimise tyre wear.
Define the requirements of a good steering system.
The requirements of a good steering system are:
1. The steering mechanism should be very accurate and easy to handle.
2. The effort required to steer should be minimal and must not be tiresome to the driver.
3. The steering mechanism should also provide directional stability. This implies that the
vehicle should tend to return to its straight-ahead position after turning.
Write short note on front axle.
The axle has to take bending loads due to weight of the vehicle and also torque loads due to
braking of the wheels. For this reason, front axle is made of I-section in the central portion,
while the ends are made either circular or elliptical. A downward sweep is given to the centre
portion to keep a low chassis height.
Camber
Camber is the tilt of the car wheels from the vertical. Camber is positive if the tilt is outward
at the top. Camber is also called 'wheel rake'.
• Castor Angle
The angle between the king pin centre line (or steering axis) and the vertical, in the plane
of the wheel is called the castor angle.
If the king pin centre line meets the ground at a point ahead of the vertical wheel centre
line, it is called positive castor while if it is behind the vertical wheel centre line, it is
called negative castor.
Toe in and Toe Out
Toe in is the amount by which the front wheels are closer at the front than the rear.
Toe out is the amount by which the front wheels are closer at the rear than the front.
King Pin Inclination (Steering Axis Inclination)
Inclination of the king pin from vertical is called the king pin inclination or king pin rake.
In modern cars where the king pin has been replaced by the ball joints, this term has also
been renamed as 'Steering Axis Inclination' and is defined as the inclination of the ball
joint-axis from the vertical. Steering axis is an imaginary line drawn through the lower and
the upper steering pivot points.
Worm and wheel steering gear
The movement of the steering wheel turns the worm, which in turn drives the worm wheel.
Attached to the wheel spindle rigidly is drop arm, so that a rotation of the steering wheel
corresponds to a linear motion of the drop arm end, which is connected to the link rod. In place
of worm wheel, only a sector is sometimes used, but the complete wheel has an advantage over
the later in that in this case back lash due to wearing out of the teeth of the worm and worn
wheel can be adjusted.
Recirculating Ball type steering gear
It consists of a worm at the end of steering rod. A nut is mounted on the worm with two sets
of balls in the grooves of the worm, in between nut and the worm. The balls reduce the friction
during the movement of the nut on the worm. The nut has a number of teeth on the outside,
which mesh with the teeth on a worm wheel sector, on which is further mounted the drop arm,
which steers the road wheels through the link rod and the steering arms.
When the steering wheel is turned, the balls in the worm roll in the grooves and cause the nut
to travel along the length of the worm. The balls, which are in 2 sets, are recirculated through
the guides, as shown in the figure. The movement of the nut causes the wheel sector to turn at
an angle and actuate the link rod through the drop arm, resulting in the desired steering of the
wheels.
Rack and Pinion Steering gear
It is simple, light and responsive. It occupies very small space and uses lesser number of linkage
components compared to the worm and wheel type of gear. The rotary motion of the steering
wheel is transmitted to the pinion of the steering gear through universal joints. The pinion is in
mesh with a rack. The circular motion of the pinion is transferred into the linear rack movement,
which is further relayed through the ball joints and tie rods to the stub axles for the wheels to
be steered.
POWER STEERING
The purpose of power steering is to reduce driver's effort at the steering column.
This system is employed for providing driving comfort.
Power steering has a hydraulic booster to reduce steering effort. This system is designed to
reduce steering effort when the vehicle is moving with low speeds. There are mainly 2 types
of power steering systems namely hydraulic power steering and electric/electronic power
steering. Electric/electronic power steering uses an electric motor to supply assistive torque.
Sensors detect the motion and torque of the steering column and a computer module applies
assistive torque via an electric motor coupled directly to the steering column/steering gear.
In hydraulic power steering effort is reduced by using hydraulic fluids. Figure shows a
hydraulic power steering mechanism fitted with modern vehicles. Components of hydraulic
power steering are Fluid reservoir, power steering pump, control valve, power cylinder, fluid
cooler and power steering fluid.
