This item is non-discoverable
Design of a rack and pinion Ackermann steering system to prevent carjacking
Date
2019
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Rack and pinion gears are used in small sized vehicles due to their small size, lightness and
ease of repair to produce steering systems. The main purpose of this paper is to design and
implement a rack and pinion steering system using Ackermann steering conditions, on a go
kart, to aid in preventing carjacking. With the use of Solidworks, a virtual rack and pinion
steering system is designed and simulated. Furthermore, the rack and pinion gears designed are
3D-printed and implemented onto an existing go-kart. Using Ackermann steering conditions,
quantities such as the turning radius, Ackermann angle, outer and inner wheel angle, steering
torque, etc. are calculated and practically tested on the go-kart. This is to help prevent the tyres
on the go-kart from slipping when taking a turn. Additionally, a GPS tracking system and
motors are installed onto the go-kart, with the motors being controlled via a mobile app. From
simulation in Solidworks, it was shown that there were minimal contact stresses between the
rack and pinion gears. It was observed that the structure would be void of failure as it had a factor of safety between 4.034 and 3.925×10)*. Lastly, from the practical verification of the Ackermann steering conditions calculated, all the angles measured with a protractor were
similar. This verification demonstrated that the steering system designed adhered to the Ackermann steering conditions.
Description
Capstone Project submitted to the Department of Engineering, Ashesi University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, April 2019
item.page.type
Capstone project
item.page.format
Keywords
mobile application, rack and pinion Ackerman steering system, vehicle theft, go-kart