The Control of the Handling of a Front Wheel Drive Vehicle by Means of a Magnetorheological Differential

This paper presents a semi-active differential, called MRF LSD (MagnetoRheological Fluid Limited Slip Differential) that allows to bias torque between the driving wheels. It is based on the magnetorheological (MR) fluid employment, that allows to change, in a controlled manner, the differential locking torque and, consequently, the torque bias ratio. The device is an adaptive one and allows to obtain an asymmetric torque distribution in order to improve vehicle handling. The device modelling and the control algorithm, realized for this activity, are described. The illustrated results highlight the advantages that are attainable regarding directional behaviour, stability and traction for a front wheel drive (FWD) vehicle. A comparison with a traditional passive limited slip differential has been conducted.