Design and system analysis of electro-hydraulic controlled steerable tag axle

This study is about design of a steerable tag axle that steers the tag axle wheels by applying external force according to front axle angle with respect to Ackerman principle for improving the turning radius and also prevent the tyre wear during cornering and manouvering of heavy commercial vehicles. The study also covers working principle of the system. At first section was given an information about the varieties of tag axles depending on their usage. At second and third section was given an information about the vehicle cornering movement and characteristics, reduction in the turning radius of the vehicle and rolling resistance force, electro-hydraulic steering and control system. At fourth and other sections design of steerable tag axle was carried out considering the axle load capacity. The necessary calculations and FEA studies have been made and completed with ANSYS Workbench finite element analysis program. During the design of the systems, simplicity of production, safety of structure, ease of assembly and maintenance were of main concern.