Thursday, July 3, 2008

Your friend Ackermann - or how turning happens

Ackermann Angles
So, you wanna go around corners do you? Well, if you've got 4 wheels and you've ever driven around in grass, mud, or wet pavement you've clearly seen what looks to be 4 tires going in different directions or arcs as you turn. Go ahead, check it out. The reason for this is that in order to complete a turn the inside and outside of the tires have to take different arcs - inside turning tighter than the outside. To achieve this your front wheels need to turn in different radii and to achieve that, you need Mr Rudolph Ackermann (before RA horse drawn cars kinda plowed through turns).

Technically what needs to happen is the wheels' steering pivot points need to be arranged both inboard and off the centerline of the steered axle... imagine a small hockey stick shape connected to the center of your wheel.






Many forms of racing however use anti-ackermann for different reasons. Dirt track cars may use it because they use the throttle to turn the car into the corner then balance the car with throttle attitude and counter steering - where you'd be on opposite lock and turning right through a left-hand corner. Formula One cars will use anti-ackermann on tight street courses, like Monaco, because their peak lateral forces happen at higher slip angles as the tire increases load. Roll and camber may also play a part if the inside tire is not heavily weighted in transition.

No comments: