Steady-State Cornering Equilibria and Stabilization for a Vehicle During Extreme Operating Conditions

In this work we study steady-state cornering conditions for a single-track vehicle model without imposing restrictive (i.e., linearized) conditions on the tire slip. For each steadystate cornering condition we calculate the corresponding tire friction forces at the front and rear tires, as well as the required front steering angle and front and rear wheel slip ratios, to maintain constant velocity, turning rate and vehicle sideslip angle. Inspired by recent progress in the understanding of advanced driving techniques, we design a slidingmode control scheme stabilizing steady-state cornering conditions, using only longitudinal control inputs, i.e, accelerating/braking torques applied at the front and/or rear wheels. The effectiveness of the control scheme is demonstrated by implementing it in a variety of simulation scenarios, including cornering at extreme sideslip angles, similar to the operating regimes encountered in competitive race driving. Simulation results are presented using both the baseline model, and an increased-fidelity model taking into account the suspension dynamics.