RELATIONSHIPS OF CERTAIN VEHICLE HANDLING PARAMETERS TO SUBJECTIVE RATINGS OF "EASE OF VEHICLE CONTROL"

This paper describes measurements and analysis of vehicle handling behaviour in transient steer manoeuvres. The paper relates measured vehicle response parameters to "ease of vehicle control" as determined by eight driver evaluators selected on the basis of an analytical determination of their rating reliabilities. Ease of vehicle control is a subjective concept which is intended to express the harmony between the vehicle and the driver in terms of his attention, stress, and skill requirements. Measured vehicle response parameters that correlated with the judged ease of vehicle control were (1) sideslip response time and (2) lateral acceleration gain. Understeer, yaw velocity overshoot and yaw damping showed no correlation with the evaluators' judgements of ease of vehicle control within the range of values found in the production vehicles used for this study. Only outside this range did their effects become noticeable. Tests conducted on twelve foreign and domestic passenger cars showed an excellent correlation of 98 per-cent between subjective evaluation ratings and the measured vehicle responses, namely (a) sideslip response time, and (b) lateral acceleration gain. By using a normalization technique, the relationship between each individual parameter and a normalized subjective rating was established. It was found that subjective evaluation ratings improved with decreases in sideslip response time and increases in lateral acceleration gain up to a certain point, where maximum ratings were reached, and thereafter declined. A method for determination of potential margins for improvement in controllability and stability of an individual vehicle in terms of its subjective ratings is introduced. By using existing vehicle mathematical models, values of vehicle response parameters can be utilized or considered when developing vehicle design specifications. /Author/TRRL/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This report was presented at the 16th International Automobile Technical Congress.
• Corporate Authors:

  International Federation of Auto Techniques Engs

  3 Avenue du President Wilson
  F 75116 Paris,   France 
• Authors:
  • Bergman, W
• Publication Date: 0

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 1 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Acceleration (Mechanics); Alertness; Attitudes; Automated vehicle control; Conferences; Damping (Physics); Drivers; Driving; Emergency response time; Evaluation and assessment; Handling characteristics; Maneuverability; Mathematical models; Measurement; Motor reactions; Motor skills; Reaction time; Skidding; Specifications; Speed; Steering; Stress (Psychology); Testing; Vehicle design
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver reaction
• ITRD Terms: 5405: Acceleration; 2238: Attention; 2267: Attitude (psychol); 8525: Conference; 5559: Damping; 1772: Driver; 9020: Evaluation (assessment); 6136: Measurement; 2247: Reaction (human); 1645: Skidding; 2205: Skill (road user); 5408: Speed; 1834: Steering (process); 2234: Stress (psychol); 1646: Vehicle handling
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00165668
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Report/Paper Numbers: Analytic
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: May 3 1978 12:00AM