Design and Analysis of Counter-Phase Four Wheel Steering System to Reduce the Turning Radius

Nowadays, a variety of vehicles are designed and developed in the market, still steering systems are common among them. Most conventional road vehicles utilize a two-wheel steering system to regulate their movement, irrespective of whether they are front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive. However, in light of the growing emphasis on safety, the adoption of four-wheel steering vehicles is on the rise due to their capacity to deliver superior performance and stability. Four-wheel steering represents a substantial undertaking by automotive design engineers aimed at providing nearly neutral steering. Furthermore, in scenarios such as low-speed cornering, parking, and navigating congested city streets with limited space, operating a vehicle becomes challenging owing to the vehicle’s extended wheelbase and track width. As a result, there is a demand for a mechanism that can reduce the turning radius, a feat that can be accomplished by implementing a four-wheel steering system in place of the traditional two-wheel steering setup. The main objective of the study is to develop a common formula for two-wheel and four-wheel steering systems to find the turning radius at any given turning angle. This includes study of steering systems for various light and heavy vehicles. Five vehicles namely Maruti ALTO 800, BMW G16 M8, Range Rover LWB, FORD F550, and Mahindra Bolero are selected for analysis. Calculations were done to find the turning radius for two-wheel steering system (2WSS) and four-wheel steering system (4WSS).