STEERING WHEEL

Steering Mechanism, Hydraulic Power Steering &

Electric Power Steering

Amit Kumar
ACKERMANN STEERING GEOMETRY
Ackermann steering geometry is a geometric arrangement of linkages in the steering of
a car or other vehicle designed to solve the problem of wheels on the inside and outside of
a turn needing to trace out circles of different radii.
It was invented by the German carriage builder Georg Lankensperger in Munich in 1817,
then patented by his agent in England, Rudolph Ackermann (1764–1834) in 1818 for horse-
drawn carriages. Erasmus Darwin may have a prior claim as the inventor dating from 1758.
The intention of Ackermann geometry is to avoid the need for tyres to slip sideways when
following the path around a curve.[2] The geometrical solution to this is for all wheels to have
their axles arranged as radii of circles with a common centre point. As the rear wheels are
fixed, this center point must be on a line extended from the rear axle. Intersecting the axes
of the front wheels on this line as well requires that the inside front wheel be turned, when
steering, through a greater angle than the outside wheel.
STEERING MECHANISM & POWER STEERING
The steering system converts the rotation of the steering wheel into a swiveling
movement of the road wheels in such a way that the steering-wheel rim turns a
long way to move the road wheels a short way.
The system allows a driver to use only light forces to steer a heavy car. The rim of a
15 in. (380 mm) diameter steering wheel moving four turns from full left lock to full
right lock travels nearly 16 ft (5 m), while the edge of a road wheel moves a
distance of only slightly more than 12 in. (300 mm). If the driver swiveled the road
wheel directly, he or she would have to push nearly 16 times as hard.
The steering effort passes to the wheels through a system of pivoted joints. These
are designed to allow the wheels to move up and down with
the suspension without changing the steering angle.
STEERING MECHANISM & POWER STEERING

They also ensure that when cornering, the inner front wheel - which has to travel
round a tighter curve than the outer one - becomes more sharply angled.
The joints must be adjusted very precisely, and even a little looseness in them
makes the steering dangerously sloppy and inaccurate.
There are two steering systems in common use - the rack and pinion and the
steering box.
On large cars, either system may be power assisted to reduce further the effort
needed to move it, especially when the car is moving slowly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em1O8mz7sF0
A TYPICAL RACK-AND-PINION STEERING LAYOUT,
SHOWING HOW THE RACK ACTS DIRECTLY ON
THE ROAD-WHEEL STEERING ARMS.
 At the base of the steering column there is  Rack-and-pinion gear
a small pinion ( gear wheel) inside a
housing. Its teeth mesh with a straight row  The pinion is closely meshed with the rack,
of teeth on a rack - a long transverse bar. so that there is no backlash in the gears.
This gives very precise steering
 Turning the pinion makes the rack move
from side to side. The ends of the rack are
coupled to the road wheels by track rods.
 This system is simple, with few moving parts
to become worn or displaced, so its
action is precise.
 A universal joint in the steering column
allows it to connect with the rack without
angling the steering wheel awkwardly
sideways.

THE RACK-AND-PINION SYSTEM

THE STEERING-BOX SYSTEM
At the base of the steering column there is a worm gear inside a box. A worm is a
threaded cylinder like a short bolt. Imagine turning a bolt which holding a nut on it;
the nut would move along the bolt. In the same way, turning the worm moves
anything fitted into its thread.
Depending on the design, the moving part may be a sector (like a slice of a gear
wheel), a peg or a roller connected to a fork, or a large nut.
The nut system has hardened balls running inside the thread between the worm and
the nut. As the nut moves, the balls roll out into a tube that takes them back to the
start; it is called a recirculating-ball system.
The worm moves a drop arm linked by a track rod to a steering arm that moves the
nearest front wheel.
A central track rod reaches to the other side of the car, where it is linked to the other
front wheel by another track rod and steering arm. A pivoted idler arm holds the far
end of the central track rod level. Arm layouts vary.
The steering-box system has many moving parts, so is less precise than the rack
system, there being more room for wear and displacement .
  In worm-and-peg steering the worm
moves the drop arm by means of a
peg connected to a fork

THE STEERING-BOX SYSTEM

POWER-ASSISTED STEERING
On a heavy car, either the steering is heavy or it is inconveniently low geared - the
steering wheel requiring many turns from lock to lock.
Heavy gearing can be troublesome when parking in confined spaces. Power-assisted
steering overcomes the problem. The engine drives a pump that supplies oil under
high pressure to the rack or the steering box.
Valves in the steering rack or box open whenever the driver turns the wheel, allowing oil
into the cylinder. The oil works a piston that helps to push the steering in the appropriate
direction.
As soon as the driver stops turning the wheel, the valve shuts and the pushing action of
the piston stops.
The power only assists the steering - the steering wheel is still linked to the road wheels in
the usual way.

In recirculating-ball steering, the thread between the worm and nut is filled with balls.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=225&v=Fkgp64e-
nNQ&feature=emb_logo
 The caster angle or castor angle is the angular displacement of
the steering axis from the vertical axis of a steered wheel in
a car, motorcycle, bicycle, other vehicle or a vessel, measured in
the longitudinal direction. It is the angle between the pivot line (in
a car an imaginary line that runs through the center of the
upper ball joint to the center of the lower ball joint) and vertical.
In automobile racing, the caster angle may be adjusted to
optimize handling characteristics for a particular venue.
 θ is the caster angle, the red line is the pivot line, and the grey
area is the tire.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLbs8kBXgrw

STEERING WHEEL CASTER ANGLE

HYDRAULIC POWER STEERING
The steering gear's internal cavity is divided into two chambers by a sealed piston
attached to the rack. Applying pressurized hydraulic fluid to one side of the piston
while allowing fluid to return from the other side to a reservoir provides steering
assistance. A valve attached to the pinion shaft controls the hydraulic-fluid flow.
1. Hydraulic Control Valve
2. Pinion Gear
3. Hydraulic Pressure/Return Lines
4. Hydraulic Piston
5. Rack Housing
ELECTRIC POWER STEERING
To provide steering assistance, an electric motor mounted to the side of the rack
housing drives a ball-screw mechanism via a toothed rubber belt. The screw engages
a spiral cut in the outside of the steering rack. A torque sensor attached to the pinion
shaft signals a control computer when to provide assistance.
1. Pinion Shaft
2. Steering Torque Sensor
3. Rack-and-Pinion Housing
4. Electric Motor
5. Ball-Screw Mechanism
6. Steering Rack
7. Drive Belt
HYDRAULIC POWER STEERING V/S ELECTRIC POWER STEERING
Hydraulic power steering is a primitive technology used for decades and has improved a lot with time.
Earlier, it did not have any difference in steering response with speed of the car, but the new age of
hydraulic power steering are speed sensitive and work better than the older hydraulic power steering.
Electric power steering are comparatively new technology with less complicated build and
mechanism, takes less space and are more durable. Electric power steering use sensors to sense the
car speed and will take care of the different steering response required for different speeds.
Some of the main differences are as below:
1. Hydraulic Power Steering System is complicated compared with Electric Power Steering
2. Hydraulic Power Steering System usually weighs more than Electric Power Steering
3. Hydraulic Power Steering uses hydraulic fluids for operation whereas there is no such fluid needed
for Electric Power Steering, thus Electric Power Steering needs less maintenance compared to
hydraulic power steering.
4. Electric Power Steering gives better response at different speeds as compared to Hydraulic Power
Steering
5. Eclectic Power Steering is less prone to problems and faults and are more durable as compared to
Hydraulic power steering.
6. Hydraulic power steering extracts power from engine, so it reduces the fuel mileage of the engine.
Electric power steering consumes power from battery which is also charged by engine, but it
consumes less power compared to Hydraulic power steering. So a car having Electric power steering
will give more mileage than one with Hydraulic power steering.
ELECTRIC POWER STEERING ADVANTAGE
ELECTRIC POWER STEERING PROVIDES BETTER FUEL ECONOMY
Cars with EPS systems do not come with hydraulic pumps or pistons. However, they
come with a more simplified electric motor designed to augment the steering
commands made by drivers. This method reduces the amount of weight in the
vehicle. Also, the EPS system doesn’t use power from the engine as the hydraulic
systems do. Overall, the electric
LESS MAINTENANCE IS NEEDED FOR ELECTRIC POWER STEERING SYSTEMS
It‘s obvious that cars containing hydraulic power steering need fluid to operate. The
vehicles with EPS have one less type of fluid to be concerned about. In addition to
that, it’s easier to calibrate cars with electric systems. Typically, all it needs is a small
tweak in the programming.
WHICH SYSTEM HANDLES BETTER?
The system that offers the best handling to drivers is still a topic that’s often debated.
Some feel that the hydraulic system provides a better feel for the road and that the
EPS system has a tendency to make the driving experience somewhat dull. Since
these opinions are subjective, you should get behind the wheel of an EPS vehicle and
try it out for yourself
ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING
Basic Description
Power steering systems supplement the torque that the driver applies to the steering
wheel. Traditional power steering systems are hydraulic systems, but electric power
steering (EPS) is becoming much more common. EPS eliminates many HPS
components such as the pump, hoses, fluid, drive belt, and pulley. For this reason,
electric steering systems tend to be smaller and lighter than hydraulic systems.
EPS systems have variable power assist, which provides more assistance at lower
vehicle speeds and less assistance at higher speeds. They do not require any
significant power to operate when no steering assistance is required. For this reason,
they are more energy efficient than hydraulic systems.

How the system works:

The EPS electronic control unit (ECU) calculates the assisting power needed based on
the torque being applied to the steering wheel by the driver, the steering wheel
position and the vehicle’s speed.
The EPS motor rotates a steering gear with an applied force that reduces the torque
required from the driver.
ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING
ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING
There are four forms of EPS based on the position of the assist motor. They are the
column assist type (C-EPS), the pinion assist type (P-EPS), the direct drive type (D-EPS)
and the rack assist type (R-EPS). The C-EPS type has a power assist unit, torque sensor,
and controller all connected to the steering column. In the P-EPS system, the power
assist unit is connected to the steering gear's pinion shaft. This type of system works
well in small cars. The D-EPS system has low inertia and friction because the steering
gear and assist unit are a single unit. The R-EPS type has the assist unit connected to
the steering gear. R-EPS systems can be used on mid- to full-sized vehicles due to their
relatively low inertia from high reduction gear ratios.
Unlike a hydraulic power steering system that continuously drives a hydraulic pump,
the efficiency advantage of an EPS system is that it powers the EPS motor only when
necessary. This results in reduced vehicle fuel consumption compared to the same
vehicle with an HPS system. These systems can be tuned by simply modifying the
software controlling the ECU. This provides a unique and cost effective opportunity to
adjust the steering "feel" to suit the automotive model class. An additional advantage
of EPS is its ability to compensate for one-sided forces such as a flat tire. It is also
capable of steering in emergency maneuvers in conjunction with the electronic
stability control.
ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING
In current-day systems, there is always a mechanical connection between the
steering wheel and the steering gear. For safety reasons, it is important that a failure in
the electronics never result in a situation where the motor prevents the driver from
steering the vehicle. EPS systems incorporate fail-safe mechanisms that disconnect
power from the motor in the event that a problem with the ECU is detected.
The next step in electronic steering is to remove the mechanical linkage to the
steering wheel and convert to pure electronically controlled steering, which is
referred to as steer-by-wire. This functions by transmitting digital signals to one or more
remote electric motors instead of a rack and pinion assembly, which in-turn steers the
vehicle. While it has been used in electric forklifts and some tractors, as well as a
handful of concept cars, the 2014 Infinity Q50 was the first commercial vehicle to
implement steer-by-wire. Although there is normally no direct mechanical linkage,
the Q50 has a mechanical back-up. In the event that a problem is detected with the
electronic controls, a clutch engages to restore the driver's mechanical control. As
with throttle control systems, it is likely that steer-by-wire will become the standard
once the electronic controls prove to be safer and more reliable than the current
hybrid systems.