Experimental Research on Directional Stability of Articulated Tractors

Abstract

Articulated tractors are wide available on the construction equipment market and have a lot of unique advantages not accessible in case of Ackerman steering system or truck-mounted tools. The only unsolved problem is their poor directional stability which significantly limits the speed of operation and work efficiency. This paper investigates the phenomenon of directional stability loss and indicates main reasons for its appearance by means of experimental research. Moreover, conducted tests, acquired results and their analysis could be a basis for future works on stabilizing system supporting the driver of an articulated tractor or enabling operation in remote control mode.