Adaptive second-order sliding mode direct yaw moment control for distributed in-wheel motor drive electric articulated heavy vehicles

Despite the fact that articulated heavy vehicles (AHVs) are deemed the backbone for road freight transportation in many countries, their complex multi-body structure, and large size contribute to their inferior lateral stability under high-speed manoeuvre. The electrification technology of commercial vehicles provides an innovative solution. A hierarchical control system architecture is devised by fully leveraging the advantages of electric drive technology and direct yaw moment control (DYC) technology for a distributed in-wheel motor drive electric articulated heavy vehicle (DIMDEAHV). For the control system upper layer, utilizing the super-twisting and backstepping techniques, an adaptive second-order sliding mode controller (ASOSMC) with adaptive boundary layer thickness is explored to obtain the required corrective yaw moment. Furthermore, to contrast and evaluate the ASOSMC performance, a first-order sliding mode controller (FOSMC) is devised. For the corrective yaw moment distribution, while in the lower layer, a yaw moment allocator is devised based on the tyre dynamic load. To evaluate the controller performance, co-simulations of two manoeuvres including fishhook and double lane change (DLC) manoeuvres are implemented. Simulation findings indicate that both the ASOSMC and the FOSMC effectively improve the DIMDEAHV's lateral stability. However, in comparison with the FOSMC, the ASOSMC demonstrates superior performance in the two controllers.