DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF SWITCHABLE STEERING MECHANISM

In modem era, almost every vehicle is still using the two wheel steering system to control the direction of the vehicle whether it is front wheel drive or rear wheel drive. The problem with two wheel steering is that two wheel steering doesn't provide complete vehicle stability during lane changing or cornering at high speeds. Since safety is given the first priority, four wheel steering vehicles are being used increasingly due to high performance and stability that they bring to the vehicles. In this report, the performance of switchable four wheels steering model is considered which can be optimally controlled during a lane change manoeuvre or tight cornering.Coordinated four wheel steering help in parking and low-speed manoeuvres efficiently due to the rear wheels turning contradictory to front wheels and this helps in achieving a smaller radius of turning. At higher speeds, all the four wheels steer in the same direction in order to achieve more stability and less body lean during fast lane changing.By combining the three modes of steering and selecting the required mode of steering for the specific conditions, stability and safety can be ensured.