Muhoja Assignment

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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORT

DEPARMENT OF TRANSPORT AND ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

COURSE: HDAE II

MODULE: ADVANCED STEERING AND SUSPENSION SYSTEM

MODULE CODE: AEU 07408

LECTURER NAME: ENG.DR. SALUM HAMAD CHANG’ARO

STUDENT NAME: GEORGE MUHOJA J

REG.NO: NIT/BAE/2015/281

TASK: INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT I

SUBIMISSION DATE: 01/07/2020


Recirculating-Ball Steering Box
From about 1950 until sometime in the ’80s, recirculating-ball was the standard in steering
technology. Since we have already discussed the merits of power-assisted steering, we will
assume that is what you are going to run. Steering gearboxes are set up with different ratios that
affect how many times you have to turn the steering wheel to get the front wheels to turn lock-to-
lock. For example, in a wide-ratio box you may have to turn the steering wheel 4.5 revolutions to
get the front wheels to turn lock-to-lock. For a close-ratio steering box with a ratio of 12.7:1 it
will only take 3 revolutions of the steering wheel to go lock-to-lock. So, what difference does 1.5
revolutions make? The answer is a lot. You may not notice it that much driving to the grocery
store, but on a road or autocross track where you’re constantly throwing your car back and forth
through the turns, the wide-ratio box makes you work much harder than the close-ratio box.
More work will tire you out sooner and affect your performance. The close-ratio box will also
make your car feel more responsive since it will require less driver input to cause your car to
maneuver.
In addition to the ratio steering, gearboxes can also be adjusted for the amount of effort, or
resistance, you feel when turning the steering wheel. In a car set up with low or no effort, you
will have very little feedback through your steering wheel and the car will feel like it is floating
around on the road. You need to find a happy medium between low effort when you are moving
slow or sitting still and a higher effort setup that would be good at speed. Keep in mind that the
diameter of the steering wheel also affects this ratio, or at least how it’s perceived. A smaller
wheel will make the ratio seem even quicker, so a small wheel coupled with a fast 12.7:1
steering box might not be the best choice.
There are many companies that offer rebuilt Saginaw 600 gearboxes for your GM application.
They have generally been reworked to the close-ratio 12.7:1 and the efforts have been tweaked to
a good performance compromise. If you are on a budget you can sometimes find factory close-
ratio boxes used in performance models at salvage yards. For example, if you can find a used
gearbox from a later-model (late ’70s) Z28 it would bolt directly to your first-gen Camaro and
provide a significant improvement for very little cash. Companies like Detroit Speed Inc., CPP,
and Flaming River sell brand-new gearboxes in a wide array of choices to fit your Chevy. One
company often looked to by racers for their box rebuilds is AGR. AGR completely goes through
the box and beefs up the internal parts and seals. They even go so far as to add an additional
bearing for extra support. Many of the larger rebuilders also dyno check each gearbox for
pressure and balance, as well as being tested for leaks. With all the choices out there it is easy to
see why this steering system is so popular.
How does a recirculating gearbox work? The recirculating-ball steering box contains a worm
gear. You can imagine the gear in two sections. The first section is a block of metal with a
threaded hole in it. This block has gear teeth cut into the outside of it that engage a gear that
moves the pitman arm back and forth. The steering wheel connects to a threaded rod, similar to a
bolt, which sticks into a hole in the block, and when the steering wheel spins, it turns this bolt.
Instead of the rod twisting farther into the block the way a regular bolt would, this rod is held
fixed so that when it spins it moves the block, which moves the gear that turns the wheels. Rather
than have the bolt directly engage the threads in the block, all of the threads are filled with ball
bearings that recirculate through the gear as it turns and acts as rolling threads. The balls actually
serve two purposes. First, they reduce friction and wear in the gear, and second, they reduce play
in the gear. If it wasn’t for this ball bearing design, slop would be felt whenever you changed the
direction of the steering wheel. This is because without the bearings in the steering gear, the teeth
would come out of contact with each other for a moment, making the steering feel loose and
floaty.
There are several advantages to recirculating-ball systems. First, by varying pitman arm length
you can easily offer more or less steering travel than a rack-and-pinion system. Second, it is
typically less expensive than converting to a rack-and-pinion system, perfect for someone on a
budget. This time-tested steering system is very rugged and it is still preferred in racing
organizations like NASCAR. Third, this is a very easy-to-install upgrade to your car and is
generally a bolt-in deal that will keep your car with a factory look.
There are also several disadvantages to traditional gear boxes. First, since the box consists of
many moving parts, there is quite a bit of friction and many wear points. The design also makes
it less efficient than a rack-and-pinion system and it requires more effort. You also need to
consider that a gearbox steering system has quite a few more linkage wear points including the
inner and outer tie rods, the pitman arm, and the idler arm. Lastly would be weight, even when
using the lighter 600 gearbox, the recirculating gearbox-based steering system is quite a bit
heavier than the more compact rack-and-pinion system.
Rack-and-Pinion Steering
One of the biggest trends in the Pro Touring and g-Machine segment has been converting cars
over to modern rack-and-pinion systems. This is done by either retrofitting an aftermarket rack-
and-pinion to an OE subframe or by replacing the entire subframe with an aftermarket one
designed to hold a rack-and-pinion unit.
So how does a rack-and-pinion system work? A rack-and-pinion gearset is enclosed in a metal
tube with each end of the rack protruding from the tube. The gearset accomplishes two things.
First, it converts the rotational motion of the steering wheel into a linear motion needed to turn
the front wheels, and secondly, the gearset provides gear reduction, which lessens the effort
needed to turn the wheels. A rod called a tie rod connects to each end of the rack. The pinion
gear is attached to the steering shaft. When you turn the steering wheel, the pinion gear spins,
moving the rack. The tie rod at each end of the rack connects to the steering arm on the spindle.
On a power system, part of the rack contains a cylinder with a piston in the middle and this
piston is connected to the rack. There are two fluid ports on the rack; one on either side of the
piston. Supplying higher-pressure fluid to one side of the piston forces the piston to move, which
in turn moves the rack providing the power assist.
Advantages of the rack-and-pinion systems are many. First is its simplicity. With only two
moving parts there is not only less friction, but the positive engagement of the system gives a
very tight and responsive feel to the steering. Secondly, the complete system has only four wear
points in the linkage: the inner ball joints and outer tie-rod ends. This simplicity and lower
number of parts is one reason why most new cars use rack-and-pinion. Third, a rack-and-pinion
system is quite a bit lighter than a traditional box system. Less weight off the front of the car is
always a good thing to strive for. Fourth, because of its design you often gain added clearance
for headers and the rack-and-pinion is sometimes easier to package into the car.
Every option in life has drawbacks and rack-and-pinion is no exception. Due to the limitations on
the number of teeth that can be cut into the rack, there is typically less travel available compared
to a recirculating-ball system. Another thing to consider is that a rack-and-pinion system will
require quite a bit of work to retrofit into an older car. In some cases you will have to notch the
frame and relocate the sway bar. You will also have to calculate the geometry so that you don’t
end up with poor handling due to bumpsteer and a host of other issues. If you are buying an
aftermarket front subframe you may have no choice but to go with a rack-and-pinion setup,
especially if it was designed to accommodate it. Some companies, like Unisteer, offer rack-and-
pinion systems that have been re-engineered for specific retrofit applications onto stock
subframes. While more expensive than the do-it-yourself option, the Unisteer racks are much
easier to install and are more geometrically correct since they were designed to help limit issues
like bumpsteer. Lastly, a rack-and-pinion system, especially in kit form, will make your wallet
quite a bit lighter than tossing in a rebuilt close-ratio box.

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In this simplified drawing of a recirculating-ball steering system you can see how the rotational
energy of the steering column is turned into the linear movement of the pitman arm. – Drawing
by Kris Horton.

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Here are the common steering parts used with a recirculating-ball steering gearbox-based system.
The number of parts is one reason this system is heavier than a rack-and-pinion steering system.
However, it is also stronger. You can also see that there are more wear points compared to a
rack-and-pinion steering system. Note that this diagram does not even include the gearbox.
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Here you can see how a power rack-and-pinion system works internally. Turning the steering
wheel activates a rotary valve and sends high-pressure fluid to the appropriate side of the piston
to assist in turning. – Drawing by Kris Horton.
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Behold the simplicity of the rack-and-pinion system. While not as sturdy as a traditional steering
system, it is light and responsive. In this configuration there are four wear points. This picture is
of a manual rack, whereas a power-assisted rack would have fittings for the fluid lines. When
retrofitting this into an older car you must be careful to end up with proper steering geometry.
The Bottom Line
According to Tristan Statler at Unisteer, “In general, when considering the option of a steering
box versus a rack-and-pinion, one must always remember that either system will only perform as
well as it is designed and built for its particular application. A poorly designed steering box setup
may not function as well as a rack-and-pinion setup, and vice versa.” You need to think about
how you plan on using your car. If your car will never see the track, then you might not need to
run a power steering cooler or have to worry about using the older soldered pumps. If you plan
on serious track time, then a company like AGR should be able to set you up with some higher-
end “race grade” steering parts, which is their specialty.
Whichever way you go, it is important that you ask the right questions of the various vendors and
explain to them how you will be using your car. Through proper parts selection you will end up
with a steering system that will make your ride much nicer to drive.

REFERENCES

1. http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/chassis-suspension/1505-steering-systems-101-rack-
and-pinion-vs-recirculating-ball/

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