Control performance of an electrorheological valve based vehicle anti-lock brake system, considering the braking force distribution

This paper presents the braking control performance of a vehicle anti-lock brake system featuring an electrorheological (ER) fluid. As a first step, a cylindrical type of ER valve is devised and its pressure controllability is experimentally confirmed. Then, a hydraulic booster for amplifying the field-dependent pressure drop obtained from the ER valve is constructed and its pressure amplification is demonstrated by presenting the pressure tracking control performance. Subsequently, the governing equation of the rear wheel model is derived by considering the braking force distribution, and a sliding mode controller for achieving the desired slip rate is designed. The controller is then realized through the hardware-in-the-loop simulation method and controlled responses are presented in the time domain. In addition, computer animations for the braking performance under unladen and laden conditions are presented, and a comparison of the proportioning valve and the proposed ER valve pressure modulator is made.