Gain scheduling of state feedback in articulated vehicles for jackknife avoidance

The suitability of gain scheduled state feedback is considered for reducing the chances of a tractor trailer jackknifing. This is due to the need for reducing the loss of human and material loss when jackknifings occur, given the high volume of freight traffic on the road transportation system delivered by tractor-trailers. A model of the tractor-trailer system is implemented in Simulink to allow for control system design and testing. The control system is designed so as to provide varying control effort in order to provide improved tractor-trailer response. This research examines the suitability of a gain scheduled state feedback control mechanism which modifies the tractor-trailer response so as to minimize the effect of the control at low driving velocities while reducing the possibility of a jackknifing. From the results it is seen that the control scheme considered is suitable for jackknifing avoidance at high speeds while maintaining open loop characteristics of the tractor-trailer at lower speeds.