Design for an automobile steering gear as a spherical four-bar linkage

The paper presents a derivation of the equation of kinematics of the steering linkage trapezium considered as a spatial four-bar linkage. The possibility of the ball-and-socket joints being replaced by simple turning pivots in either the presence (the ideal case) or absence (the real mechanism) of symmetry in the elements of the steering linkage is proved. It is assumed that the small errors in the dimensions of the trapezium might be compensated by the allowable clearances in the tie-rod joints. The sequential computational techniques suitable for the high speed digital computer are presented.