Indoor Experimental Validation of a Force Based ABS System

Abstract The aim of this paper is to compare an innovative force based Antilock Brake System (ABS) with a conventional rule based ABS. The force-based ABS is controlled by a Sliding Mode law. The comparison is conducted in an indoor testing facility that includes a rotating drum. The rig is fitted with a real sports car suspension subsystem, which includes the wheel, the suspension arms, the spring damper and the brake system. The suspension has been modified with an instrumented hub carrier in place of the original, allowing the measurement of wheel forces and moments in all the three spatial dimensions. This work validates a previous study in which the comparison was made using a fourteen degrees of freedom model simulation. The tests have been performed on two surfaces, the first simulating dry tarmac road and the second simulating gravel. The two ABS have been compared on an emergency braking maneuver. The results from the real suspension tests confirmed the findings of the earlier simulations. The force-based ABS demonstrated a shorter brake distance compared to the rule-based ABS on both dry tarmac and gravel, highlighting the potential of the force sensor integrated into the suspension to improve emergency braking performance in different driving situations.