Design & Development of Four-Wheel Steering Mechanism for Minimum Turning Radius: A Case Study of CM Transportation Trolley

Abstract

The main intent of this research is to discuss the benefits, applications, and implementation of four-wheel steering mechanism over two-wheel steering mechanism on CM Transportation trolley. Based on a review of the relevant academic journals, books, and textbooks investigation concludes that two-wheel steering is more commonly used than four-wheel steering because of its lower steering efficiency. Turning radius is decreased at low speeds, steering reaction is enhanced, and vehicle stability is maximized with four-wheel steering. Because of the limited space available in the magazines, the only feasible alternative for designing a trolley to transport canisterized missiles is to equip it with four-wheel steering. Explosion-proof prime movers are required for usage on the CM transportation trolley, which moves CM containers containing items from the magazine to the loading/unloading bay and back again. To accomplish this tighter turn, the rear wheels has to rotate counter to the front wheels which is arranged by a system composed of intermediate linkages and rotating components thus, transmits entire relative motion to the rear wheels. The design and development of the linkage mechanism and chassis frame was accomplished with the help of Creo v7, and Safety margins were determined by structural analysis performed in Ansys 21. The turning radius of the CM Transportation trolley was found to be reduced by roughly 48% when compared with a two-wheel steering system after which a prototype was built and tested with a constant radius.