AUTOMOBILE ENGINEERING

UNIT-V
Steering System:
Steering geometry –
camber, castor, king
pin rake, combined
angle toe-in, toe-out,
center point steering.
Steering gears –
types, steering
linkages, power
steering
Types of steering
mechanism –
Ackerman steering
mechanism, Davis
steering mechanism
 STEERING SYSTEMS
Steering System is a mechanism that enables the driver to control the
direction of the vehicle travel
Functions of Steering System
 To achieve angular motion of front wheels to negotiate a turn. It can be
done through steering linkage and steering gear, which convert rotary
motion of steering wheel into angular motion of the front road wheels.
 To provide directional stability of the vehicle when going straight ahead
 To provide perfect rolling motion of wheels at all times
 To provide straight ahead recovery after completing a turn
 To minimize the tires wear
Requirements of Steering System
 Steering system should be very accurate and easy to handle
 Effort required to steer should be minimal and must not be tiresome to
driver
 It should have good directional stability
 It should occupy less space
 Low cost
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 STEERING GEOMETRY
Steering geometry (front end geometry) refers to the angular relationship
between suspension, steering parts, front wheels and the road surface.
Steering Geometry Angles
 Camber
 Caster
 king pin inclination
 Toe-in and Toe-out on turns
Camber Angle
 Camber angle is the angle between the
vertical line and centreline of the tire when
viewed from the front of the wheel
 Camber angle is positive when this is out-
ward. This happens when wheels are further
apart at top than at bottom.
 Camber angle is negative when angle is
inward. This happens when wheels are further
apart at bottom than at top.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 STEERING GEOMETRY
 The camber, should not be more than 2
degree, because this causes the uneven or
more tire wear on one side than on other
side.
 Excessive positive camber causes the tire to
wear on its outside shoulder.
 Excessive negative camber causes the tire to
wear on its inside shoulder.
 Unequal camber in the front wheels also
can cause the steering to lead to the right or
left.
 The truck will lead to the side that has the
most positive camber.
 The main purpose of the camber is to bring
that the road contact of the wheel more
nearly under the point of the load and to
throw the weight on the inner wheel
bearings which are larger than the outer
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 STEERING GEOMETRY
Caster Angle
 Caster angle is the tilt of the
king pin centre line towards
front of back from the vertical
line.
 It is the angle between the
vertical line and king pin centre
line in the wheel plane when
looked at from side.

Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering

 STEERING GEOMETRY
 Caster angle is between 3- 5
degrees.
 Positive caster is when the
vehicle’s wheel (and lower
pivot point) is in front of the
upper pivot point.
 Vehicles with too much +ve
caster prone to under steer
 Positive caster increases negative camber when the wheels are turned
due to the geometry of the suspension components
 Negative caster has a lower pivot point behind the upper pivot point,
and zero caster means the steering axis is perpendicular to the ground.
 Caster affects the steering ease and the stability of the vehicle in a
straight line. Modern cars use positive caster in order to resist
unintentional turning of the vehicle and Reduces drive effort to turn the
vehicle. A car that pulls to one side when traveling in a straight line may
have negative caster.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 STEERING GEOMETRY
King Pin Inclination
 King pin inclination is the
angle between the king pin
centre line and vertical line
when seen from the front of
the vehicle.
 This also called steering axle
inclination.
 King pin inclination and caster are used to improve directional
stability in cars. This is also used to reduce steering effort
 It reduces tire wear
 This inclination varies from 4 to 8° in modern cars.
 The purpose of the KPI is to produce vertical displacement of the
vehicle in during steering in an upward direction. The larger the KPI,
the larger the effect.
 This helps in the self-centering of wheels after taking a turn.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 STEERING GEOMETRY
Toe-in and Toe-out
 In automotive engineering, toe also
known as tracking.
 This can be contrasted with steer,
which is the anti-symmetric angle
i.e. both wheel point to the left or
right in parallel (roughly).
 Positive toe or toe-in is the front of
the wheel pointing in towards the
centre line of the vehicle.
 Negative toe or toe-out, is the front
of the wheel pointing away from
the centre line of the vehicle.
 A toe in alignment of the wheels can help to reduce over steer
problems and can increase stability in vehicles that have front-wheel
drives. Toe out alignment can help to mitigate issues related to under
steering and improve the handling on a vehicle with rear-wheel drive
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 COMPONENTS OF STEERING SYSTEM

Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering

 COMPONENTS OF STEERING SYSTEM
Steering Wheel
 The steering wheel /driving wheel is the
control wheel to steer a vehicle by the
driver. It contains traffic indicator switch,
light switch, wiper switch etc.
 The steering wheel is responsible for taking steering input, while the
rest of the steering system responds accordingly to this input to
change the car’s trajectory.
 The larger the steering wheels, the easier to turn car.
Steering Column/Shaft
 The Steering column also known as the
shaft is fitted inside the hollow steering
column. When the steering wheel is
turned, the steering shaft will also be
rotated. Due to this, the motion is
transmitted to the steering gear box.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 COMPONENTS OF STEERING SYSTEM
Steering Column/Shaft
 Steering column has a collapsible mechanisms that collapses during
heavy frontal impact.
 An intermediate shaft is used to transfer the steering wheel rotations
to the steering rack/gear
Steering Gear
 Steering gear converts rotational
motion of the steering wheel to a
lateral motion
 The steering gearbox contains the
gears that transmit the driver’s
steering inputs to the steering linkage
that turns the wheels, and it multiplies
the driver’s steering changes so that
the front wheels move more than the
steering wheel.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 COMPONENTS OF STEERING SYSTEM
Drop arm or pitman arm
 When the steering wheel
is turned right or left the
pitman transmits the
motion it receives from
the steering gearbox to
the tie rod.
Center (Drag) Link
 It is the component
that links the steering
gear box to the pitman
arm so that the vehicle
can be steered and
maneuvered when the
steering wheel is
turned.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 COMPONENTS OF STEERING SYSTEM
Center (Drag) Link
 As it is the center component that links both of the wheels and tie rod
ends to the gearbox, it is a very important component that is critical to
the overall handling and safety characteristics of the vehicle.
 A bad center link may cause the vehicle to wander or pull to the left
or right when traveling down the road.
 A loose or worn drag link can develop play which will cause
vibrations in the steering wheel as the vehicle moves forward.
 Uneven tire wear is another symptom of problem with the center link
Idler Arm
 The idler arm is attached
between the opposite side of
the center link from the
Pitman arm and the vehicle's
frame to hold the center or
drag link at the proper height.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 COMPONENTS OF STEERING SYSTEM
Tie Rods
 The right- and left-side tie rods are
connected to each other by a centre
link, which is also mounted to the
Pitman’s arm on the steering
gear and the idler arm on the other
side of the vehicle.
Ball Joints
 The ball joints are spherical
bearings that connect the control
arms to the steering knuckles. The
bearing stud is tapered and threaded
and fits into a tapered hole in the
steering knuckle. A protective
encasing prevents dirt from getting
into the joint assembly.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 COMPONENTS OF STEERING SYSTEM
Control Arms
 A control arm connects the wheel hub and
steering knuckle to the frame of the vehicle.
They are typically equipped with bushings
on the frame side of the vehicle and a ball
joint on the wheel side of the vehicle that
allow flex and controlled movement
according to road conditions and steering
input from the driver
Stub axle
 When the steering wheel is rotated, the
motion is transmitted to pitman’s arm
through the gearbox. This motion is
transmitted to drag link.
 Drag link transfers this movement to stub
axle which rotates about kingpin. This turns
the right wheel.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 CENTER POINT STEERING

 With a standard axle the point of intersection of the king pin axis with
ground is different from the centre point of the tire contact path as
shown in figure.
 This result in heavy steering because the wheel has to be moved along
the king pin axis in an arc of radius equal to the king pin off-set
(called the scrub radius).
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 CENTER POINT STEERING
 The action points of tractive force and the road resistance are shown in
the above figure. The tractive force FTr acts at a point A while the
road resistance RRO at the point B.
 The distance between these two points is called scrub radius. It is
expressed in mm.
 Moreover, this also results in larger bending stress on stub axle and
king pin
 To avoid this, the wheel and the king pin are arranged to reduce the
king pin off-set.
 When the king pin off-set is eliminated, i.e. outer line of the wheel
meets the centerline of the king pin at the road surface, the condition
is termed as center-point steering (Zero scrub radius, figure b).
 The tractive force and the road resistance act in the same line of
action, the torque is not produced. The effects of toe in and toe out are
also not experienced by the vehicle. The front wheels move straight in
this case, and the conditions of true centre point steering is achieved.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 CENTER POINT STEERING
 Center point steering results in much reduced steering effort and
seems to be ideal.
 However the spread effect of the pneumatic tires causes the wheels to
scrub and give hard steering and tire wear.
 Wheels are turned away from rolling straight due to the torque. The
torque is created on account of tractive force and the road resistance
acting in different lines of action and opposite directions.
 This torque is of opposite nature: clockwise and anti-clockwise in the
two cases shown in figure (a) and (c)
 On a rear-wheel drive vehicle with positive scrub radius, the vehicle’s
forward motion and the friction between the tire and the road cause a
force that tends to move the front wheels back. This causes the wheels
to toe-out.
 If it has negative scrub radius, the front wheels again tend to move
back and the wheels now toe-in.
 On front-wheel drive vehicles, the opposite occurs. Positive scrub
radius causes toe-in, and negative causes toe-out.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 STEERING GEARS
 Steering gear is a device for converting the rotary motion of the
steering wheel into straight/linear motion of the linkage.
 If the steering wheel is connected directly to the steering linkage it
would require a great effort to move the front wheels.
 Therefore, to assist the driver, a reduction system is used having
steering ratio (the ratio between the turn of the steering wheel in
degrees and the turn of the wheels in degrees) between 10:1 to 24:1
 The actual value of steering ratio depending upon the type and weight
of the vehicle.
 The highest steering ratio means, driver has to turn the steering wheel
more, to get the wheels turning, but it will be easier to turn the
steering wheel.
 Lower steering ratio means, driver has to turn the steering wheel less,
to get the wheels turning, but it will be harder to turn steering wheel.
 Larger and heavier vehicles like trucks will often have a higher
steering ratio, which will make the steering wheel easier to turn
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 STEERING GEARS
 In normal and light motor vehicles, the wheels become easier to turn
so the steering ratio doesn’t have to be as high.
 In race cars the ratio becomes really low, because vehicle to respond a
lot quicker than in normal cars.
 A steering gear is often referred to as a steering gear box.
 Manual steering gears have lubricant within the gear box housing.
Types of steering gears
 Rack and Pinion Steering
 Worm and Sector steering gear
 Worm and Roller steering gear
 Cam and Lever steering gear
 Worm and nut steering gear
 Cam and roller steering gear
 Cam and peg steering gear
 Re-circulating (Worm and)ball bearing nut steering gear
 Worm and wheel steering gear
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 STEERING GEARS
Rack and pinion steering
 Rack and pinion steering is the most
common type of steering on cars,
small trucks and SUVs.
 On most cars, it takes 3 to 4 complete
revolutions of steering wheel to make
the wheels turn from lock to lock
(from far left it too far right).
 The rack and pinion gear converts the
rotational motion of the steering wheel
into the linear motion needed to turn
the wheels.
 The rack and pinion gear provides a gear reduction, making it easier to
turn the wheels.
 A rack and pinion gear set is enclosed in a metal tube, with each end
of the rack protruding from the tube.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 STEERING GEARS
Rack and pinion steering
 A Tie rod connects to each
end of the rack.
 The pinion gear is attached to
the steering shaft.
 When the steering wheel is
turn, the gear spins, moving
the rack.
 The tie rod at each end of the
rack connects to the steering
arm on the spindle.
 Some cars have variable ratio steering, which uses the rack and pinion
gear set that has a different tooth pitch in the centre than it has on the
outside.
 This makes the car respond quickly when starting a turn, and also
reduces the effort near the wheels turning limits.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 STEERING GEARS
Worm and Sector steering gear
 The steering shaft has a worm gear
attached to it at its end.
 It meshes directly with a sector gear. It
is called ‘sector’ gear because it's only
a section of the full gear.
 When turn the steering wheel, the
steering shaft turns the worm gear.
 The sector gear rotates around its axis
as its teeth move along the worm gear
and moves the Pitman arm.
 The sector gear is mounted on the cross shaft which passes through
the steering box and out the bottom where it is splined, and the pitman
arm is attached to the splines.
 When the sector gear turns, in turns the cross shaft, which turns
pitman arm, giving the output motion that is fed in to the linkage.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 STEERING GEARS
Worm and Roller steering gear
 Worm and roller is similar to the
worm and sector type of steering
mechanism.
 A toothed roller is mounted on a roller
shaft and worm gear is mounted on a
steering shaft. Gear tooth of worm
gear meshes with that of the roller and
motion is transmitted.
 The roller is mounted on a ball
bearing.
 This mechanism has low friction compared to Worm and Sector
mechanism and is widely used on American passenger cars
 The worm has an hourglass shape, smaller in the center than at the
ends. The hourglass shape makes the roller stay in better contact with
the worm teeth at the ends of the worm
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 STEERING GEARS
Cam and Lever steering gear
 In the cam and lever steering gear, in
which the worm is known as a cam
and the sector as the lever.
 The lever carries two studs that are
mounted in bearings and engage the
cam.
 As the steering wheel is turned, the
studs move up and down on the cam.
This action causes the lever and pit
man arm shaft to rotate.
 The lever moves more rapidly as it nears either end of the cam. This
action is caused by the increased angle of the lever in relation to the
cam.
 Like the worm and roller, this design allows for a variable steering
ratio
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 STEERING GEARS
Worm and nut steering gear
 Steering rod end have worm and
worm is connected with a nut
arrangement
 As the steering wheel is turned,
the worm rotates, the nut is able to
move.
 Movement is along the axis of
steering column either up or
down.
 This up and down movement of
nut causes the pit man arm shaft
to rotate.
 This causes the pit man arm end to move linearly, further moving the
center link, tie rods and control arms, and thus the steering wheels of
the vehicle .
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 STEERING GEARS
Cam and roller steering gear
 In the cam and roller steering gear, a cam meshes with the roller.
 As the cam rotates, the roller is compelled to follow the cam and in
doing so causes the rocker shaft to rotate, thus moving the drop arm.
 The contour of the cam is designed to mesh with the arc made by the
roller so maintaining a constant depth of mesh and evenly distributing
the load and wear on the mating parts.

Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering

 STEERING GEARS
Cam and peg steering gear
 The steering gear has a tapered peg in the rocker arm engaged with a
special cam provided on the steering column.
 When the cam is rotated the peg moves with the groove cause the
rocker shaft to rotate.
 An adjusting screw on the side cover is connected for governing the
backlash and end float of the rocker shaft.

Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering

 STEERING GEARS
Re-circulating (Worm and)ball bearing nut steering gear
 In this type of steering gear, the end of the worm shaft is machined
with a continuous helical groove.
 Precision finished helical grooves inside the ball nut match the helical
grooves on the worm shaft which are filled with ball bearings.
 These ball bearings move the ball nut assembly up or down the worm
shaft when the steering wheel is turned.

Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering

 STEERING GEARS
Re-circulating (Worm and) ball bearing nut steering gear
 There are two complete ball bearing circuits within the ball nut.
 To keep the ball bearings from running out of the end of either
circuit, the ball nut has two tubular ball guides which allow the ball
bearings to constantly re-circulate, distributing wear evenly among
them.
 The ball bearings circulate in one direction for a right hand turn
and in the other direction for a left hand turn.
 The outside of the ball nut has gear teeth cut into it which engage
with the Pitman shaft to move the Pitman arm.
 The Pitman arm in turn transmits the desired directional movement
to the front wheels through the steering linkage.
 In vehicles with the collapsible style steering column the worm
shaft in sector gear worm gear shortened and protrudes out pitman
shaft of the steering pitman arm box as a stub shaft.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 STEERING GEARS
Worm and wheel steering gear
 Worm wheel is carried in bearings
in a cast iron casing.
 Worm wheel is connected to a pit
man arm
 The worm which is keyed on to
steering shaft meshes with the
worm wheel.
 Steering wheel is mounted at the
upper end of the steering shaft.
 When driver rotates the steering
wheel, pitman arm or drop arm
moves in forward or forward
direction
 This results the motion of the stub axles viz. center link, tie rods and
control arms
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 STEERING LINKAGES
 Steering linkage is the linkage between wheels and steering gear and it
consists of pitman arm, center link, idler arm, tie rods, steering arms,
steering knuckle/stub axle and ball joints.
 There are many possible arrangements of steering linkage depending
on the location of the steering gear box and front suspension layout.
 The different types of layouts commonly in use are shown below.

Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering

 POWER STEERING
Need of power steering:
 Quick response: With the increase in number of vehicles the danger
of accidents on road is also increased, so to avoid this danger and to
take quick turns required by the road conditions a quick response
steering system is required in a 4 wheel vehicle.
 Steering effort: The steering wheel of the car feels very hard to rotate
when the vehicle is going below 40 km/hr and causes fatigue to the
driver while going on a long ride. The steering effort required to steer
the front wheels can be reduced with power steering.
 Bump steer: steering system is directly attached to the wheel’s hub
some amount of bumps force is also transferred to the steering system,
due to which a vehicle can lose its stability, though the bump steer can
be controlled mechanically by providing optimum scrub radius but the
power steering controls it in a more effective manner.
 Return ability: A vehicle equipped with a power steering system
provides better return ability to the steering system after taking turn.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 POWER STEERING
Types of power steering:
 Hydraulic power steering system: The hydraulic system having
hydraulic pump driven by the engine and hydraulic cylinders, is used
to multiply the steering wheel input force which in turn reduces the
efforts required to steer the front wheels of the vehicle. A highly
compressed hydraulic fluid is used inside the hydraulic cylinder that
applies pressure on the steering gear.
 Electro-hydraulic power steering system: It is the modified version
of the hydraulic system in which the rotary hydraulic pump which is
driven by the engine in hydraulic power steering system is replaced
with the hydraulic pump which is driven by the electric motor.
 Electronic/Electrical power steering system: It is the latest type of
power steering system in which the hydraulic system is completely
replaced with electric motors and electric sensors. A motor driven by
the vehicle’s battery is used to apply force on the steering gear and
torque provided by the motor is controlled by the sensors that detects
the position of the steering column.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 POWER STEERING
Hydraulic Power Steering System
 In this system a hydraulic force is used to multiply the steering input
force in order to smoothen the steering of the front wheels. The
hydraulic force is generated by a series of components that includes
hydraulic cylinder, rotary hydraulic pump, hydraulic lines, highly
compressed hydraulic fluid and a coupling mechanism that can couple
this hydraulic system with rack any other) of the steering system.

Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering

 POWER STEERING
Hydraulic Power Steering System
 When the driver provides input by rotating the steering wheel,
the hydraulic pump driven by the engine starts pumping the
highly compressed hydraulic fluid through lines.
 The hydraulic pressure produced by the pump enters the
hydraulic cylinder which in turn applies pressure over the
cylinder’s piston.
 The piston which is under high pressure starts moving from one
end to the another which in turn pushes the further fluid through
lines, with this movement of piston the input force applied by
the driver is multiplied several times.
 This high pressure fluid sent by the hydraulic cylinder then
applies the pressure to the attached pinion through the coupling
mechanism which in turn applies high force to the rack gear and
the steering action in the front wheels takes place.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 POWER STEERING
Hybrid or Semi Hydraulic Power Steering System
 In this type of power steering system the hydraulic pump driven by the
engine from the hydraulic power steering system is replaced with
electric pump which makes it more reliable, this is the only
modification made rest the working of this system is same as the
hydraulic power steering system mentioned above.

Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering

 POWER STEERING
Electric Power Steering System
 Electric power steering system
is the latest of all the power
steering systems.
 In this type of steering system,
the force multiplication is the
function of the electric
motor instead of hydraulic
fluid.
 When the driver gives input
through the steering wheel the
electronic sensors attached to
the steering column reads the
input and sent them to the
electric control unit of the
vehicle.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 POWER STEERING
Electric Power Steering System
 The ECU of the vehicle analyses these inputs and sent the
voltage signal to the electric motor placed at the end of the
steering column whose gear is in constant mesh with the pinion
gear.
 Due to these voltage signals sent by the ECU the motor which
is driven by the battery of the vehicle starts and provides the
particular torque according to the value of the voltage signals
received
 After the motor starts the gear which is in constant mesh with
the pinion gear starts transmitting the multiplied torque to the
pinion gear which in turn applies this torque to the rack through
which it is attached.
 With this torque applied by the pinion over rack, rack moves
which in turn steer the front wheels as per the requirement.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 HYDRAULIC Vs. ELECTRICAL POWER STEERING
 Electric power steering gives better response at different speeds as
compare to hydraulic power steering.
 Hydraulic power steering system is complicated compared with
electrical power steering.
 Hydraulic power steering system weighs more than electric power
steering system.
 Hydraulic power steering uses hydraulic fluids for operation whereas
there is no such fluid needed for electric power steering, thus electric
power steering needs less maintenance.
 Electric power steering is less prone to problems and faults and are
more durable as compare to hydraulic power steering.
 Hydraulic power steering gets power from engine, so it reduces the
fuel efficiency of the engine. Electric power steering consumes power
from battery which is also charged by engine, but it consumes less
power compared to hydraulic power steering. So a vehicle having
electric power steering will have more mileage.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 CONDITION FOR CORRECT STEERING
 In most automobiles, steering is achieved by turning the axes of
rotation of the two front wheels relative to the vehicle body.
 The ideal relative motion between the wheels and the surface of the
road should be pure rolling motion (no lateral wheel slip).
 In order to accomplish this condition on a curved road surface, the
steering gear mechanism should be designed in such a way that the
paths of the points of contact of each wheel with the road road surface
are concentric circular arcs.
Condition for correct steering
 The condition for correct
steering that all the four
wheels should turn about the
same instantaneous centre ‘I’.
 In figure, AB and CD are the
two axles with pivots at A and
C respectively
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 CONDITION FOR CORRECT STEERING
Condition for correct steering
 They intersect the common axis EF of the rear wheels at the point
‘I’, so that the path of contact of each wheel with the ground is a
circular arc with centre ‘I’
 From the figure,
AC = EF
EF = EI – FI
EI = AE cot Φ (or) cot Φ = EI/AE = (FI + a)/b
FI = CF cot θ (or) cot θ = FI/CF = FI/b
cot Φ – cot θ = (FI +a)/b – FI/b
cot Φ – cot θ = a/b
 The above equation represents the
condition for correct steering of a vehicle,
with the front axles operated by a suitable
steering gear mechanism for any radius
of curvature of the road surface.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 ACKERMAN STEERING MECHANISM
 Ackerman steering mechanism is based on a simple four bar
mechanism as shown in figure
 The two opposite links AC and MN are unequal; AC being longer
than MN. The other two opposite links AM and CN are equal in
length.
 When the vehicle is moving on a
straight path link AC and MN are
parallel to each other.
 The shorter links AM and CN are
inclined at angle α to the longitudinal
axis of the vehicle as shown. AB and
CD are stub axles but integral part of
AM and CN such that BAM and DCN
are bell-crank levers pivoted at A and C.
 Link AM and CN are known as track
arms and the link MN as track rod.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 ACKERMAN STEERING MECHANISM
 The track rod is moved towards left or right hand sides for steering.
 For steering a vehicle on right hand side, link NM is moved towards
left hand side with the result that the link CN turns clockwise.
 Thus, the angle α is increased and that on the other side, it is
decreased.
 From the arrangement of the links it is clear that the link CN or the
inner wheel will turn by an angle θ which is more than the angle of
turn of the outer wheel or the link AM.
 The links AM and MN
are suitably proportioned
and the angle α is
suitable selected. In a
given automobile, with
known dimensions of the
four-bar links, angle α is
known.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 ACKERMAN STEERING MECHANISM
 For different angle of turn θ, the corresponding value of ϕ are noted.
 This is done by actually drawing the mechanism to a scale. Thus, for
different values of θ, the corresponding value of ϕ and (cotθ - cotϕ)
are tabulated.
 For correct steering, cot ϕ – cot θ = a / b
 In the neutral or central position of
the Ackerman steering mechanism,
when the vehicle is travelling along
a straight road surface, it was found
that the distance of the point ‘J’
from the line AC should be about
0.7 of the wheelbase for best
steering results.
 A further increase in this distance
causes an increase in θ at which
correct steering will be obtained.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering
 DAVIS STEERING MECHANISM
 Davis steering gear mechanism is shown in the figure given below. It
consists of the main axle AC having a parallel bar MN at a distance h.
 The steering is accomplished by sliding bar MN within the guides
either to left or to the right hand side. KAB and LCD are two bell-
crank levers pivoted with the main axle at A and C respectively such
that ∠BAK and ∠DCL remain always constant.
 Arms AK and CL have been provided with slots and these house die-
blocks M and N. With the movement of bar MN at the fixed height, it
is the slotted arms AK and CL which side relative to the die-blocks M
and N.

Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering

 DAVIS STEERING MECHANISM
 In the figure, the vehicle has been shown as moving in a straight path
and both the slotted arms are inclined at an angle α as shown.
 Now suppose, for giving a turn to the right hand side, the base MN is
moved to the right side by distance x. The bell-crank levers will
change to the positions shown by dotted lines in Figure (b). The angle
turned by the inner wheel and the outer wheels are θ and ϕ
respectively. The arms BA and CD when produced will meet say at I,
which will be the instantaneous centre.

Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering

 DAVIS STEERING MECHANISM

Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering

 DAVIS STEERING MECHANISM

Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering

 ACKERMAN Vs. DAVIS STEERING MECHANISM
 The whole mechanism of the Ackerman steering gear is on the
back of the front wheels; whereas in Davis steering gear, it is in
front of the wheels.
 The Ackerman steering gear consists of turning pairs, where as
Davis steering gear consists of sliding members.
 The demerits of the Davis steering mechanism are that due to
number of sliding pairs, friction is high and this causes wear and
tear at contact surfaces rapidly, resulting in in-accuracy of its
working.
 The Ackerman steering mechanism is mostly used because the true
rolling is achieved by the instantaneous center
 The correct positions of Ackerman steering mechanism are; when
the vehicle moves straight and when the vehicle moves a correct
angle to the right and left. In other positions slippage occurs.
 Davis steering Mechanism is an exact steering gear mechanism and
fulfills the equation of gearing in all the positions.
Dr. V. Murali Krishna Department of Mechanical Engineering