APPLICATION OF THE PARAMETER PLANE METHOD TO THE HANDLING OF A VEHICLE UNDER EMERGENCY CONDITIONS.

This paper presents a new approach to the problem of handling a vehicle under emergency conditions, showing that the parameter plane method gives a clearer insight into the handling characteristics of vehicles under emergency braking conditions. The effect of wheel locking on the handling characteristics of the vehicle is studied; the degree of instability is redefined as a nondimensional number, and its utility is indicated. If a specified degree of stability is to be achieved, the roots of the characteristic equation of the system must lie within specified boundaries of the complex s-plane. These boundaries may be mapped on the parameter plane. An adaptive brake control system may be designed to confine the movement of the operating point to the region thus specified.