H FRAME REAR AXLE

VEHICLE DYNAMICS
MASTER AESM

PRACTICAL WORK
ON
H-FRAME REAR AXLE

SUBMITTED BY: SUBMITTED TO:

Darshan Kailancha Nagaraj Brejaud Pascal
Presley Peter
Suraj Bhosle
Shubham Ugle
Tirumala Sai Ram Parvathaneni

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H FRAME REAR AXLE

CONTENTS

S.NO TITLE PAGE.NO

1 OBJECTIVE 3

2 INTRODUCTION 3

2.1 PROS OF H-FRAME AXLE 4

2.2 CONS OF H-FRAME AXLE 4

3 KINEMATIC SCHEME OF THE AXLE 4

3.1 CALCULATION OF DEGREES OF FREEDOM 5

3.2 AXIS OF ROTATION FOR THE AXLE 6

3.3 NATURAL POSITION OF ANTI ROLL BAR 7

3.4 BEHAVIOR OF ANTI ROLL BAR 7

4 MODELLING AND ANALYSIS ON BEHAVIOR OF 7

AXLE

4.1 EFFECT OF CORNERING ON STEERING AND 9

CAMBER OF THE WHEELS

5 EXPERIMENTAL SETUP 12

6 CONCLUSION 13

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H FRAME REAR AXLE

1. OBJECTIVE:
To make an analysis both theoretical and practical on H-Frame rear axle for the purpose of
understanding the behavior of axle in different conditions like pure pumping and pure rolling. And also, how
this axle effects camber and toe angles of the wheels during those conditions.

OUTCOMES:
By the end of the practical, the student must be able to:
• Describe the kinematics and behavior of a torsion beam axle which is the other name of the H-frame
axle.
• Depict the kinematic scheme of the axle in order to calculate the DOF (degree of freedom) of the axle.
• Perform the practical work for optical measurement of the geometry of an axle for comparison of the
results obtained theoretically and practically both.

2. INTRODUCTION:
The vehicle suspension system is a link that connects the wheel and the body of the vehicle. It allows
to move body relatively with respect to wheel with the use of some elements to take the load. For the vehicles
which have more wheels have some type of suspension.
The main function of the suspension system is
➢ To improve the stability of vehicle
➢ To react to the control forces like acceleration, torque and breaking etc.
➢ To carry the weight of the vehicle.
➢ To desperate the effects of road disturbance on vehicle body.
➢ To regulate the contact of road surface and the tire.
➢ To improve the comfort of the vehicle.
There are many different type of axles, in our experiment we study the Twist-beam rear suspension which
is based on H shape member.
The twist-beam rear suspension is a type of automobile suspension based on a large H or C shaped
member.
With cost and weight advantages, the twist beam rear axle has been increasingly used for vehicles in
low and middle classes. However, in comparison to multilink suspensions, more development efforts are
required to improve the stiffness under lateral force and the axle kinematics during cornering, which can cause
over-steering behaviours.
The main requirements for the concept design of the twist beam rear axle include the lateral, toe and
camber stiffness and the kinematic toe and camber.
On the other hand, the design and optimization of the twist beam axle become very difficult due to these
complex interactions between the different variables, since local improvements of one requirement may have
negative effects on the others. This fact is the main challenge for the concept design of the twist beam axle.
According to the state-of-the-art technology, the kinematics of the rigid axle and the independent suspension
are usually calculated using multi-body simulation (MBS) and then optimized with numerical optimization
tools.

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H FRAME REAR AXLE

Figure 1. Twist-beam rear suspension

2.1 PROS OF H FRAME AXLE
• It is low in cost.
• It is long-lasting.
• Each wheel has independent suspension.
• Greater ground clearance when compared to conventional axles.
• It requires less space compared to double wish bone and multi-link system.
• It requires less vertical space than MacPherson strut.
• It requires less horizontal space compared to multilink systems.
• It is easy to manufacture.
• It is easy to install and maintain.

2.2 CONS OF H FRAME AXLE

• Very Less Chamber is provided.
• Basic toe vs lateral force characteristic is over steer
• Very difficult on adjusting the roll stiffness.
• The wheel alignment cannot be redressed since, alignment geometry is factory-reset and it is not
adjustable.
• The wheel rises up when it moves, which leads to poor impact harshness.
• Camber compliance may be high.
• It cannot provide progressive spring rate

3. KINEMATIC SCHEME OF THE AXLE:

Kinematic scheme is the representation of axle with links included in it. It is diagram where original
parts are represented by lines, triangles, etc, other than with their dimensions. The joints represent the
mechanism constituted by them. H-frame axle is a rigid axle. So, we need to sketch full axle for calculating
DOF of the axle. We made some assumptions for calculations which are stated below.

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H FRAME REAR AXLE

Figure 2. Schematic representation of H-frame axle

3.1 CALCULATION OF DEGREES OF FREEDOM:
The degrees of freedom can be determined by the analysis of motion of the body or by determining
the number of coordinates required to specify the motion of the body. The degrees of freedom of an axle can
be calculated by the following relation:

𝐷𝑂𝐹 = 6(𝑘 + 𝑙 − 𝑔) − 𝑟 + ∑ 𝑓𝑖

Where,
k = number of independent hub carriers
l = number of solid parts except hub carrier and chassis
g = number of kinematic joints
r = number of individual rod rotations without effect on the hub carrier
fi = sum of the DOF for the kinematic joints.
Therefore, from the above H frame figure, we can clearly say that there are 2 independent hub carriers
and 3 kinematic joints. We assumed that H-Frame is mounted to chassis with one ball joint and the other as
ball and socket joint. We also considered the torsion bar as turning joint. Other than hub carrier there are no
solid parts.
So,
k=2
l=0
g=3
r=0

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H FRAME REAR AXLE

To calculate fi, first we need to know the DOF of each joint

DOF of 1 turning joint fi = 1,
DOF of 1 Ball joint fi = 3,
DOF OF 1 Ball & socket joint fi = 4.
Fi = 8

𝑫𝑶𝑭 = 𝟔(𝟐 + 𝟎 − 𝟑) − 𝟎 + 𝟖 = 𝟐
Therefore, we obtained 2 degrees of freedom for H frame axle which is correct since it is rigid axle having
two wheels.
3.2 AXIS OF ROTATION FOR THE AXLE:
• During pure pumping which means the wheels are moving up and down at same rate due to bump and
rebound, then the axis of rotation of the axle is the axis of ball joint, ball and socket joint of the axle.

Figure 3a. Representation of axis of rotation on axle

• During pure rolling that means two wheels are moving in opposite directions at same rate, then the
axis of rotation is the axis of the anti roll bar included in the axle.

Figure 3b. Representation of axis of rotation on axle

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H FRAME REAR AXLE

3.3 NATURAL POSITION OF ANTI-ROLL BAR:

To achieve an ideal case for obtaining zero camber and toe changes the position of anti roll bar should
be shifted. That means the axis of anti roll bar should be coaxial with the axis of ball joint, ball and socket
joint of the axle.

3.4 BEHAVIOUR OF ANTI -ROLL BAR:

Other than the natural position, the axle has only two positions depending pumping and rolling. In case
of pumping two wheels have same displacement in direction either compression or expansion. During this
case the anti-roll bar will be in normal position as it is being before. There is no camber change in wheels as
well as toe change. But in case of pure rolling the anti-roll bar subjected to torsional moment due to opposite
movement of the wheels, outer wheel in compression and inner wheel in expansion. Generally, this case comes
to action during cornering of vehicle. As the resisting force created by anti-roll bar against twist to be in
original position causes the variation of camber and toe angle change in wheels. We are going to study this
changes in detail.

4. MODELLING AND ANALYSIS ON BEHAVIOUR OF AXLE:

The variable joints used to attach the axle to sprung mass are main reasons for camber and toe changes
in wheels. Our assumption is that the outer wheel is connected to sprung mass by ball and socket but the inner
wheel is by ball joint. The inner wheel due to ball joint experiences only camber being in geometry of axle
during rolling. This is different in outer wheel, because of the ball and socket joint the wheel not only
experiences camber change but also Toe change due to translation movement of joint creating new geometrical
axis of wheel other than the existing axis. The toe change is also known as steering angle change. Therefore,
to get back the wheel to its original axis steering angle is needed.
Now, we are going to prove CHASLES relation O1O2 = O1T1 + T1T2 + T2O2

Figure 4. Pure rolling

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H FRAME REAR AXLE

Consider a vehicle consisting of H-frame rear axle taking left turn. During this turn the rear axle is
subjected to pure rolling. Because of this the left arm connected to sprung mass by joint O1 is subjected to
expansion with an angle of rotation of -θ to the normal axis of axle. The negative sign indicates that wheel is
moving downward. Whereas the right arm connected by joint O2 is subjected to compression with an angle of
rotation of +θ to the normal axis of axle.
Angle β is made by the axis of axle and the line joining the axis of joints O1O2 and the axis of anti-roll
bar.
Proof:
By using mathematical relations:

Figure 5. Axle in normal position.

At relax position : O1O2 = O1T1 + T1T2 + T2O2

0
= d
0

At roll position:
• For inner wheel angle β becomes (β + θ)
• For outer wheel angle β becomes (β - θ)
O1O2 = O1T1 + T1T2 + T2O2

 aCos(    ) 0  aCos(    )
= 0  d  0
 aSin(    ) 0  aSin(    )
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H FRAME REAR AXLE

By addition of these three vectors,

First component: = -a Cos (β+θ) + a Cos (β-θ)
= a (Cos (β-θ) - Cos (β+θ))
(𝛽−𝜃)+(𝛽+𝜃) (𝛽+𝜃)−(𝛽+𝜃)
= a [2Sin . Sin ]
2 2

= 2a [Sin (β) Sin (θ)]

Second component: =0–d–0
=-d
Third component: = -a Sin (β+θ) + a Sin (β-θ)
= a (Sin (β-θ) - Sin (β+θ))
(𝛽−𝜃)−(𝛽−𝜃) (𝛽−𝜃)+(𝛽+𝜃)
= a [2Sin . Cos ]
2 2

= a [2 Cos (β) Sin (-θ)]

= -2a [Cos (β) Sin (θ)]
Therefore, from the above three components we can say that

Hence CHASLES relation is proved.

4.1 EFFECT OF CORNERING ON STEERING AND CAMBER OF THE WHEELS:

During pure rolling, the outer wheel is in compression and inner wheel is in expansion due to that the
position of joint O2 displays in both X and Z directions of vehicle axis. To bring back O2 to original place it
should be displaced in both directions as mentioned earlier. This displace leads to cause steering angle and
camber change in the wheels. Steering angle is going to affect due to displacement in X direction of the joint.
Similarly, camber of the wheel is going to change because of the joint movement in Z direction.
Let us assume that O2 joint has moved ΔX along the X-axis of the vehicle. So, the movement is positive.
To bring back the joint O2 to normal position the tires have to steer with angle of δ. Which can be computed
using the formula obtained from the figure.

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H FRAME REAR AXLE

Figure 6a. Effect of rolling on steering and camber

∆𝑥
tan 𝛿 ≈ 𝛿 = , δ is a steering angle in radians
𝑡

As this causes the steering in rear wheels the help in easy turn of the vehicle by reducing cornering
radius of the vehicle. This results in oversteer of the vehicle. So, the driver needs to steer the front wheels very
slightly than usual.
Similarly, to bring back O2 to normal position which has displaced in negative direction with
magnitude of ΔZ along Z-axis of the vehicle, the outer wheel should tilt inward of the vehicle creating negative
camber whereas the inner wheel will be tilt outward to create positive camber.

Figure 6b. Effect of rolling on steering and camber

∆𝑧
tan 𝜑 ≈ 𝜑 = , φ is camber angle in radians
𝑡

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H FRAME REAR AXLE

The negative camber produced in the outer wheel is compensated by the roll angle of the vehicle. Due to this
the effect of camber is nullified. This will be proved in experiment performed below.
CASE EFFECT ON CAMBER EFFECT ON STEERING
If a = 0 No No
If a ≠ 0, β = 0 Negative No
If a ≠ 0, β > 0 Negative Over steer
If a ≠ 0, β < 0 Negative Under steer
If ‘a’ increases Effects increase Effects increase
If ‘β’ increases Effects diminish Effects increase to some extent
If the torsional stiffness of the Effects decrease Effects decrease
anti-roll bar increases

Using excel sheet we have calculated the camber and steer changes for various values of θ from -15o
to +15o. The values of a and β are obtained from experiment we have done. One can easily notice that both
steering and camber changes are decreasing as the angle θ is varying from -15o to +15o. Both change of steer
and camber tends to become negative from positive as the wheel starts moving from compression to expansion.
This also proves the Chasles relations by showing the camber change is negative and steer change is also
negative due to position of antiroll bar below the axis of axle making angle β negative which leads to under
steer of the vehicle in cornering of vehicle due to lateral load transfer of vehicle. This is desired characteristic
of the axle.
a = 0.14 metres
β=-0.101o
Steering change is calculated in X direction using formula 2a [Sin (β) Sin (θ)]

STEER VS θ
0.01
0.008
0.006
0.004
0.002
0
-0.002
-0.004
-0.006
-0.008
-0.01
-20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20
θ (in deg)

Figure 7a. Graph of steer change against values of θ

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H FRAME REAR AXLE

Camber change is calculated in Z direction using formula -2a [Cos (β) Sin (θ)]

CAMBER VS θ
0.08

0.06

0.04

0.02

-0.02

-0.04

-0.06

-0.08
-20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20
θ (in deg)

Figure 7b. Graph of camber change against values of θ

5. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE:
• To determine the roll angle of H-frame axle, we use projected light mounted to outer wheel of the H-
frame test rig and also using the calibrated board placed at a particular distance.
• Now in normal position, the projected light is pointed on to the board to measure the camber angle.
• Then to obtain pure roll condition, both wheels are raised and lowered equally on either side with the
help of handles provided to the frame.
• Now again the project the light on the board and camber is measured because of the toe change due to
the roll.
• Then the β and θ angles are calculated in the axle.
• Then roll angle is calculated using formula and compared with the obtained camber angles during pure
roll.
• Measurements are taken using the tape.
• Normal condition is adjusted by overlapping the projected light on to the calibrated board with the
arrow symbol present on it. This is done by adjusting the position of the board. Then initial readings
were taken.
• Then axle is positioned in pure rolling condition and corresponding readings were taken.

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H FRAME REAR AXLE

Figure 8. Axle in pure rolling condition.

2∗∆𝑧
tan 𝛷 ≈ 𝛷 = , 𝛷 is roll angle in radians
𝑡

β=5.80 degrees
camber angle at rest φ=-1.8o
Measured distance between the light and calibrated board is 1.4 metres.
In pure rolling condition, the camber angle measured is -3.9o.
To compute the steering angle, we measured the offset distance of light from the original position on the
calibrated board which helps to find the steering angle.
Offset distance measured is 0.014 metres.
0.014
tan 𝛿 =
1.4
δ = 0.57o
We also calculated the roll angle of the axle to check whether the roll is compensated by the negative
camber appearing in the outer wheel during cornering.
2∗∆𝑧
tan 𝛷 = ,
𝑡

Where,
t is the wheel track found by measurement as 1.45 metres.
ΔZ is the amount of outer wheel displacement found by measurement as 4.5cms.
4.5∗2
tan 𝛷 = 145

Φ = 3.55o

This proves that camber change induced in outer wheel is compensating the roll produced due to lateral load
transfer during cornering of the vehicle. This is the main reason to incorporate H-frame axle in the vehicles.

6. CONCLUSION:
• Practical work on H-frame is conducted and its modelling and behavior is well studied.
• It is proved that H-frame axle is producing negative camber on the outer wheel while vehicle taking
turn which will compensate the roll created due to lateral load transfer.
• The position of antiroll bar plays major role in over steer and under steer of the vehicle. Though
under steer is required for the passenger cars the position of antiroll bar is below the axle axis.

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