Review of Stability Assessment and Active Control Methods for Articulated Vehicles

Abstract

Articulated vehicles exhibit strongly nonlinear, multi-body coupled dynamics and are susceptible to yaw instability, jackknifing, rollover, and rearward amplification under demanding operating conditions. Stability assessment and active control of such vehicles have accordingly become a central research topic in vehicle safety. This paper reviews the state of the art in stability assessment and active control for articulated vehicles. Stability assessment approaches are categorized into threshold-based, phase-plane, and dynamics-model-based methods, with their applicability and limitations critically examined. Active control strategies, including active steering, braking and yaw moment control, rollover prevention, and multi-actuator coordination, are surveyed along with their underlying mechanisms. The analysis reveals that the coupling among instability modes, combined with actuator interactions, renders any single approach insufficient under complex conditions. Future research should pursue the integration of physics-based and data-driven modeling and develop coordinated multi-actuator control frameworks to enhance both robustness and stability.