Dynamic Modeling of a Two Wheeled Vehicle : Jourdain Formalism

This paper presents a motorcycle direct dynamic formulation by the Jourdain’s principle approach. This vehicle is considered as an assembly of six rigid bodies and the resulting equation of motion allows to simulate 11 Degrees of Freedom (DoF). The vehicle geometry is described and a step by step procedure is introduced to evaluate the kinematics and the generalized efforts of the considered vehicle. In addition, to simulate the equation of motion, a Lyapunov based stabilization is developed to assess the vehicle behavior in response to a propulsion/braking torque applied on the vehicle’s wheels and a rider torque exerted on the motorcycle’s handlebar. Simulation results reveal some dynamics features like load transfer and counter-steering phenomena. keywords Motorcycle modeling, motorcycle control, Jourdain’s dynamics principle.