Research on Vehicle Course Stability on Mountain Roads

his study aims to develop a generalized indicator of vehicle course stability for mountain roads that simultaneously accounts for longitudinal and transverse road slopes, small-radius horizontal curves, the tire–road adhesion coefficient, vehicle dynamic parameters, and road transport and operational characteristics. Based on experimental investigations, a force-based calculation scheme describing vehicle motion under mountainous road conditions was developed. On this basis, a dimensionless course stability indicator was formulated, which characterizes vehicle stability as a function of road geometric parameters. For mountain roads with large longitudinal gradients and small-radius horizontal curves, an integral indicator combining road geometry and vehicle dynamics was obtained to assess vehicle motion stability on typical mountainous road sections.