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Objective: In recent years, the number of motorcycles in many countries has changed significantly. A particularly diverse situation has taken place in Europe. This diversification has been influenced by both economic and institutional conditions. The study aims to identify the main trends on the Powered Two or Three-Wheelers (PTW) market in the world. The study analyses the distribution of PTW in the world and tracks the changes in the PTW market in particular European countries between 2001 and 2014. Research Design & Methods: The article is based on the statistical data from the Eurostat and The ACEM. The analysis of the PTW market changes in Europe is based on graphical presentations and simple statistical methods. Due to the availability of data, the analysis refers to chosen European countries (UE+EFTA in 2014). As a result of the lack of availability of comparable data in the article, the data were presented according to the latest available summaries. Findings: In most countries, the PTW market has been affected by the financial crisis which has influenced the rise of motorcycles in the countries such as Greece and Spain, while the UK has suffered a decline. Economic factors have also been influenced by the factors such as legislative changes, the ageing of population, and the processes of urbanisation and increasing professional activity in developing countries. Implications & Recommendations: It is necessary to analyse changes in the market of PTW by size of a city, traffic intensity and the level of development of public transport. Contribution & Value Added: The study complements the topic of PTWs' role in the transportation across Europe (with East Europe) and the changes which have taken place in this vehicle market since the beginning of the 21st century. Additionally, this is a holistic approach combining technical, economic and sociological issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road traffic injury is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in Sri Lanka. In 2014, 35,967 crashes were reported of which 6% were fatal, causing 2,440 deaths. Motorcycles account for more than 50% of the vehicles registered in the country and have been involved in over 50% of the total fatalities in 2014. Three-wheelers, being the second highest registered vehicle category in the country, have been involved in 16% of the fatalities in the same year. An analysis of motorcycle and three-wheeler crashes was done using the Sri Lanka Police Accident Database, vehicle registration details, and population data. On average, four people died per day from motorcycle and three-wheeler crashes in 2013. Not having a valid driving license upon a crash, rear-end crashes, age group 21 to 25 years, and single-vehicle crashes were some of the significant risk factors associated with motorcycle crashes. Aggressive or negligent driving, crash being a rolled over crash, driver age group 26 to 30 years were some of the significant factors associated with three-wheeler crashes. Promotion of public transport, strict law enforcement on helmet usage, design change of three-wheelers to restrict narrow turns. and more road safety education are suggested to mitigate this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This research paper studies the ride behaviour of coupled vertical-lateral 9 degree of freedom model of a three wheel vehicle formulated using Lagrangian dynamics. The mathematical model is validated by simulating PSD vertical and lateral acceleration of three-wheel vehicle sprung mass and comparing the same obtained from actual testing results. The natural frequencies, i.e., eigenvalues of main rigid bodies, i.e., sprung mass, front wheel steering arm and rear unsprung mass of the system are determined through MATLAB simulations. Critical speed of the vehicle is also determined in order to investigate the dynamic stability, and parameters which influence the critical speed are analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automobile industries have prime importance to vibration testing. Sine vibration testing is performed when we have been given with only one frequency at given time instant. Trend to perform random vibration testing has been increased in recent times. As random vibration takes into account all excited frequencies in defined spectrum at known interval of time, it gives real-time data of vibration severities. The vibration severity is expressed in terms of Power Spectral Density (PSD). The consideration in the paper is based on the fact that we will be dealing with only random vibration. Aim of paper is to perform random vibration analysis for starter motor mounted on an engine and also find its transmissibility value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-wheeled vehicles are agile, less complex, but relatively more prone to rollover. The current study focuses on the rollover mitigation control design using active front steering for such vehicles. A lateral load transfer ratio (LLTR) adapted for a three-wheeled platform is presented. Sliding mode control design strategy has been devised which results in pseudo-direct control for roll dynamics of the vehicle. The lag in vehicle roll angle response has been managed using adaptive sliding surface. This concept can be extended for other vehicle configurations. The proposed control scheme is investigated for efficacy using a full vehicle simulation model of CarSim software and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s proposed Fishhook maneuver. The controller is able to limit the rollover propensity even with vehicle parameter uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of industrial sector income, improve the standard of living, build infrastructure and create balanced economy which ultimately increases GDP and tax revenue of the government. Hence, it is necessary to analyses the size, growth and profitability relationship in the industry. In this paper an attempt has been made to analyse the relationship between size and profitability and growth and profitability of the selected companies of two and three wheeler sector of Indian Automobile Industry. The study results showed that firm size affecting profitability. Among the selected companies, some companies showed positive relationships between size and profitability. While others did not. Similarly, the study also found that the positive effects of growth on profitability are greater than the negative effects. These findings should be useful to the management to decide on the extent to which firm size and growth needs to be monitored and controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a tracking control method for a three-wheeled omnidirectional manipulator system (OMMS) with disturbance and friction. The OMMS is separated into two subsystems, a three-wheeled omnidirectional mobile platform (OMP) and a selective compliant articulated robot for assembly (SCARA) type of manipulator. Therefore, two controllers are designed to control the OMP and the manipulator system. Firstly, based on a kinematic modeling of the manipulator, a kinematic controller (KC), combined with an integral sliding mode controller (ISMC), is designed for the end-effector of the manipulator to track a desired trajectory with the desired angular velocity vector of links. Secondly, a differential sliding mode controller (DSMC) based on a dynamic modeling of the OMP with force external disturbances is proposed to obtain control inputs moving the OMP so that the manipulator tracks the desired posture without singularity. The system stability is proven using Lyapunov stability theory. The simulation and experimental results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed controllers in the presence of disturbance and friction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auto-rickshaws in India use different fuels and engine technologies, with varying emissions and implications for air quality and climate change. Chassis dynamometer emission testing was conducted on 30 in-use auto-rickshaws to quantify the impact of switching from gasoline to compressed natural gas (CNG) in spark-ignition engines. Thirteen test vehicles had two-stroke CNG engines (CNG-2S) and 17 had four-stroke CNG engines (CNG-4S), of which 11 were dual-fuel and operable on a back-up gasoline (petrol) system (PET-4S). Fuel-based emission factors were determined for gaseous pollutants (CO2, CH4, NOx, THC, and CO) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Intervehicle variability was high, and for most pollutants there was no significant difference (95% confidence level) between "old" (1998-2001) and "new" (2007-2009) age-groups within a given fuel-technology class. Mean fuel-based PM2.5 emission factor (mean (95% confidence interval)) for CNG-2S (14.2 g kg-1 (6.2-26.7)) was almost 30 times higher than for CNG-4S (0.5 g kg-1 (0.3-0.9)) and 12 times higher than for PET-4S (1.2 g kg-1 (0.8-1.7)). Global warming commitment associated with emissions from CNG-2S was more than twice that from CNG-4S or PET-4S, due mostly to CH4 emissions. Comprehensive measurements and data should drive policy interventions rather than assumptions about the impacts of clean fuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of a narrow-track enclosed vehicle for urban transport was the subject of the CLEVER project. Due to its narrow track and requirement for car-like controls, an actively controlled tilting system was integrated into the chassis to allow for high lateral accelerations without rolling over. The cornering behaviour of this unique vehicle concept is investigated and compared with the ideal Ackermann response. The steer kinematics of this 1F1T (one front wheel, one wheel tilting) configuration are assessed through the use of a steady-state steering model, with attention focused on how steer parameters such as tilt axis height and inclination can be tuned to provide the required response. A prototype vehicle was designed and built and the results of experimental testing are presented to illustrate the real balancing performance of the combined steering and tilting approach used for the CLEVER vehicle. The experimental results follow the trends demonstrated in the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Sri Lanka has an extensive Three-Wheeler Taxi service comprised of around 300,000 vehicles. These vehicles, which first made an entry to Sri Lanka’s roads in the early 1980s, account for around 15% of the active motor vehicle fleet at present. Three-Wheelers Taxis also account for around 6% of the passenger kilometres. These vehicles are mostly individually operated with some owned by the operator and others hired on a monthly or daily basis. The industry is unregulated with vehicle registration and driving licenses being the only instruments of regulation. Fares are unregulated. However, most operators belong to associations which are loose collections of operators found in a given locality. These associations impose a degree of self regulation with respect to fares. They also tend to demonstrate oligapolistic behaviour. The paper is based on a survey of 200 operators and 100 passengers from a Divisional Secretariat area in Colombo District. The survey covered a number of details pertaining to ownership, management and fare structures, as well as opinions on the service attributes by users. The survey also covered perceptions of operators to determine the social, economic and transport implications of the services provided. Details were also obtained on the profiles of the operators and their expectations. The paper provides the results of the analysis of this data and draws a number of conclusions on the economics of the industry as well as the social aspects associated with it. It also discusses the characteristics of the users of these three wheelers as well as their typical use. The analysis also investigates complementarily of service provision between three wheelers as an access mode to buses and railways. This analysis has been used to develop an understanding of the manner in which the industry has grown over the last two decades and how it is being operated today. It also identifies areas wherein the industry has become inefficient and assesses the degree of over pricing that exists due to this. The data also helps to determine the relationship between unemployment and provision of self-employed transport services. The paper concludes with a synopsis of the profile of the industry and its role within the wider transport sector and with respect to ownership. It also discusses the positive and negative impacts of the lack of regulation on the industry. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The rollover propensity of a three-wheeled scooter taxi used extensively on SE Asian roads is analysed in this report. A rigid body mathematical model was used to simulate increasing steer, NHTSA J-turn, and Road Edge Recovery maneuvers. The anomaly between public perception of the rollover susceptibility and available crash data has been resolved through finite element (FE) simulation. The optimum configuration of the vehicle and seating arrangement for varying numbers of passengers was determined. The safety of occupants and pedestrians in impact events was analysed through simulation in MADYMO™, and cost effective solutions to improve safety were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two electric wheel motors are used to propel the rear-driven three-wheeled (3W) electric welfare vehicle independently. Due to the lack of the traditional mechanical differential, the right/left rear tractive forces and the corresponding rotational speeds cannot coordinate with each other automatically while cornering, which might increase the required steering angle and torque. An electric differential system is proposed in this paper to solve this problem. The proposed system controls the rotational speeds of both wheel motors according to different vehicle speeds and steering angles. A 12-degree-of-freedom 3W vehicle model, which is established in AutoSim and verified using the experimental data of the prototype vehicle, is used for the driver-in-the-loop verification in Matlab/Simulink. The preliminary result shows that the proposed system can effectively reduce the steering torques and roll angles during cornering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A spatial six-degree-of-freedom mathematical model of a three-wheeled vehicle used in Asian countries is developed. The governing equations are derived and integrated explicitly without linearization to yield a large displacement model that can be used for parametric studies. The model includes suspension model, tyre compliance, lateral force due to cornering stiffness, and rolling resistance at the tyre. The model is validated against vertical accelerations measured when passing over a road bump. The lateral steady state response is validated through a steady state circular test procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, two simple dynamical models are derived for the motion of a three-wheeled car. In the models derived here, the motion of the car is controlled by four torques, three pedalling torques, acting on each of the wheels, and a steering torque acting on the front wheel. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]