The effect of total length of wire ropes on the torsional properties of Low-Stiffness-Resilient-Shaft

The effect of total length and presence of bearings towards torsional stiffness of Low Stiffness Resilience Shaft (LSRS) in Semi Active Steering (SAS) is discussed in this paper. LSRS, an integral component of the SAS is a flexible shaft that can replace the conventional rigid shaft of the steering system and allows active control to be performed. Static structural torsional test simulations using ANSYSTM were performed on arrangements of 4 wire rope strands with different lengths in order to select the best one for the optimum performance of the LSRS. With the total length of the wire ropes equal to their lay lengths being the defining factor, three different LSRS namely LSRS A, LSRS B and LSRS C were modeled and then analyzed. LSRS A was found out to be the stiffest with an average torsional stiffness of 12.30 N.m/rad and LSRS C the most torsionally flexible, having the least average stiffness of 4.93 N.m/rad. Furthermore, LSRS I, II and III were modelled based on the number of bearings along the total length of the LSRS. The total length was kept constant at 300mm. LSRS I with 2 bearings in between was found out to be the stiffest compared to LSRS II with 1 and LSRS III with no bearings in between. It can be concluded that the increase in the length of the wire rope shows a decrease in the torsional stiffness of the LSRS and the presence of bearings along the length of the LSRS increases its torsional stiffness. © 2006-2016 Asian Research Publishing Network (ARPN).