This study was conducted to determine whether adding in-vehicle technology to vehicles resulted in increased driver awareness of motorcycles. The specific technology tested consisted of a warning light which illuminated on the vehicle’s instrument panel when the vehicle was near a motorcycle. The effect of motorcycle color on driver awareness was also explored. Participants were recruited to drive a highidelity driving simulator in a city environment. Eye-tracker data was collected and used to determine how much attention drivers paid to the motorcycles in the simulation. Results showed that the in-vehicle technology significantly increased driver awareness of motorcycles, but the color of the motorcycles had no impact on driver awareness.

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This research focuses on the development of an eight degree of freedom vehicle model in the MATLAB computing language. Its purpose is to provide flexibility in the modeling and implementation of signal inputs and crash avoidance logic while maintaining accuracy in the physics of the vehicle’s motion. Firstly, the equations of motion for the bodies involved under a reasonable set of assumptions were developed. Next the model was translated to computer code. By writing the model in SimuLink with *.m files, the modularity of the code is enhanced. To validate the model, several well defined tests were simulated. To establish some form of credibility, the solutions from this model were compared against three independent solution sets. Three different visual correlates were noted: dynamic response, steady state accuracy, and tendency to oscillate in the high frequency domain. The dynamic response of the model was shown to agree with the empirically measured results. Some steady state accuracy arguments were presented, with focus on further development of the tire model. Future research into other finite difference methods were also given. Regarding three dimensional kinematics, it should be mentioned that this model uses the simplest approximation to a set of partial differential equations allowable, which gives it some form of presentability in the classroom. The method is comprehensible to even the most amateur computational physicist. For the tests presented, this approximation is convergent, and highlights the efficacy of residual methodologies.

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Yes / In the past it has been found that the maximum pass-by noise for the most noisy of vehicles can be 6-8 dB(A) above the average for the sample. It is therefore useful to consider the types of vehicle that make excessive noise and their condition and to reach some conclusions on how best to reduce the problem. Measurements of maximum noise, pass-by speed together with video footage were taken on a busy dual carriageway road (A34) in the UK carrying a high percentage of heavy vehicles. The intention was to collect sufficient information on light, medium heavy and heavy vehicles to enable typical characteristics of noisy vehicles to be identified. Peak noise levels produced by vehicles under normal operating conditions of steady speed were recorded and not of vehicle being driven in an aggressive manner e.g. under harsh acceleration. This paper reports on the characteristics of excessively noisy vehicles that were identified under these cruising conditions in free flow traffic conditions. / The work described in this report was carried out in the Noise and Vibration Team of TRL Limited under funding from the Transport Research Foundation.

A future limitation of autonomous ground vehicle technology is the inability of current algorithmic techniques to successfully predict the allowable dynamic operating ranges of unmanned ground vehicles. A further difficulty presented by real vehicles is that the payloads may and probably will change with unpredictably time as will the terrain on which it is expected to operate. To address this limitation, a methodology has been developed to generate real-time estimations of a vehicle's instantaneous Maneuvering Manifold. This approach uses force-moment method techniques to create an adaptive, parameterized vehicle model. A technique is developed for estimation of vehicle load state using internal sensors combined with low-magnitude maneuvers. An unscented Kalman filter based estimator is then used to estimate tire forces for use in determining the ground/tire coefficient of friction. Probabilistic techniques are then combined with a combined-slip pneumatic trail based estimator to estimate the coefficient of friction in real-time. This data is then combined to map out the instantaneous maneuvering manifold while applying techniques to account for dynamic rollover and stability limitations. The algorithms are implemented in MATLAB, simulated against TruckSim models, and results are shown to demonstrate the validity of the techniques. The developed methodology is shown to be a novel approach that is capable of addressing the problem of successfully estimating the available maneuvering manifold for autonomous ground vehicles. / Ph. D.

The tire is one of the most important components of the vehicle. It has many functions, such as supporting the load of the vehicle, transmitting the forces which drive, brake and guide the vehicle, and acting as the secondary suspension to absorb the effect of road irregularities before transmitting the forces to the vehicle suspension. A tire is a complex reinforced rubber composite air container. The structure of the tire is very complex. It consists of several layers of synthetic polymer, many flexible filaments of high modulus cord, and glass fiber, which are bonded to a matrix of low modulus polymeric material. As the tire is the only component of the vehicle which makes contact with the road surface, almost all forces and moments acting on the vehicle must be transferred by the tire. To predict the dynamics of the vehicle, we need to know these forces and moments generated at the tire contact patch. Therefore, tire models that accurately describe this dynamic behavior are needed for vehicle dynamic simulation. Many researchers developed tire models for vehicle dynamic simulations; however, most of the development in tire modeling has been limited to deterministic steady-state on-road tire models. The research conducted in this study is concerned with the development of semi-empirical transient tire models for on-road and off-road vehicle simulations. The semi-empirical transient tire model is developed based on existed tire models, analytical tire structure mechanics analysis, and experimental data collected by various researchers. The tire models were developed for vehicle traction, handling and ride analysis. The theoretical mechanics analysis of the tire model focused on the determination of tire and terrain deformation. Then, the results are used together with empirical data to calculate the force response and the moment response. Moreover, the influence of parametric uncertainties in tire parameters on the tire-terrain interaction is investigated. The parametric uncertainties are quantified and propagated through the tire models using a polynomial chaos theory with a collocation approach. To illustrate the capabilities of the tire models developed, both deterministic and stochastic tire models are simulated for various scenarios and maneuvers. Numerically simulated results are analyzed from the perspective of vehicle dynamics. Such an analysis can be used in tire and vehicle development and design. / Ph. D.