Design of the Vehicle Cornering Response Based on the Map of Achievable Performance: Preliminary Assessment

Abstract

The possibility of designing the vehicle cornering response has gained plenty of interest lately, due to its importance in terms of vehicle safety and driveability, and to the progressive vehicle electrification. A number of methods has been so far proposed to define the desired cornering response, normally based on a reference yaw rate that is function of vehicle speed and steering input. Torque vectoring techniques (based e.g. on brakes or electric motors) are then used to enforce the desired vehicle behaviour. This paper proposes a methodology to define the vehicle cornering behaviour by means of the Maps of Achievable Performance (MAPs). In particular a curvature-steering wheel angle MAP is selected, allowing the designer to directly intervene on certain aspects of vehicle driveability which are only indirectly affected by existing methods. A formal design procedure is provided, along with a numerical example. Simulations allow to compare the proposed approach with existing ones, also in terms of practical feasibility (related to the amount of required yaw moment). Although this is a preliminary study, results are encouraging, thus endorsing further investigation.