Gladys Abapo
Advancements in automotive technologies have led to enhancements in vehicle ride and handling performance. There are a number of configurations of actuators, sensors, and control methods that have been researched and implemented in vehicles in recent years. This thesis focuses on the roles of the anti-roll bar in vehicle dynamics and aims to broaden its overall effects to address handling objectives. A model of an electric anti-roll bar is formulated and simulated to be compared to the conventional passive anti-roll bar. This model is then embedded into full vehicle models that exhibit the complex rigid body dynamics experienced by real vehicles. Along with simple automatic control strategies, the vehicle system is simulated to achieve the following: 1) Yaw and Roll Control, 2) Skyhook Roll Control, and 3) Split-mu Yaw Control. As with any actuator, there are practical limitations regarding power consumption that require consideration; these limitations are addressed in this thesis. The shortcomings of the studies presented here indicate that research efforts should continue in the area of enhancing vehicle dynamics performance.