Abstract
It is well known that a prime essential in bringing about unstable motion in any elastic system is the presence of at least two degrees of freedom. A trailer and its towing vehicle constitute a mechanical system with a number of degrees of freedom, and a main feature of the present problem is the necessity for deciding which are essential factors in the unstable motion and which are trivial or merely incidental. The idea of including all the possible degrees of freedom in the dynamical equations, thereby obtaining a general solution in which the part played by the several parameters can be seen, is quite impracticable.
In Part I of the paper the results obtained from the mathematical analysis of the problem are given and discussed. There is a general agreement with practical experience. Part II contains the detailed analysis on which the conclusions in Part I are based.
It is emphasized that the main purpose of the analysis is not to enable calculations to be made of the precise critical speed at which snaking begins for any particular combination of tractor and trailer, but to discover what factors make for stability and for instability, and how to design for immunity from snaking at all speeds.
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