Citation

Wilson L, Godrick DA, Kildare S. Collision 2006; 1(2): 62-88.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Collision Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Rollover testing has typically been conducted with vehicles equipped with outriggers.  The outriggers serve two primary purposes: to insure the safety of the test driver and to prevent irreparable damage to the test vehicle. However, outrigger contact usually occurs shortly after two-wheel lift, subsequently affecting the vehicle’s pre-roll trajectory.

Within the last ten years, state-of-the-art technology has allowed for remote control operation of vehicles subject to rollover.  However, remote control operation of vehicles subjected to on-road untripped rollovers at highway speeds is costly endeavor. Therefore, very little test data exists, particularly at the point of roll, for vehicles that have experienced steering-induced on-road, untripped rollover. 

The purpose of this paper is to present vehicle dynamics data for Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) that have been involved in real world, on-road, untripped rollover accidents. This paper compiles and analyzes 34 SUV rollover accidents. The accidents were reconstructed with the pre-roll vehicle motion simulated using the Vehicle Dynamic Analysis Non-Linear (VDANL) computer program.  The vehicle dynamic characteristics that were analyzed include: vehicle speed, roll angle, roll rate, yaw angle, yaw rate, lateral acceleration, and sideslip angle.  These characteristics were analyzed at two distinct points: two-wheel lift and four-wheel lift.  Steer inputs, numbers of rolls, and rollover distances are also presented.

To reduce the occurrence of rollover and the high injury severity associated with these accidents, a better understanding of the vehicle dynamics that lead to rollover important design tools. Furthermore, the data presented in this paper provide valuable information for reconstructing rollover accidents.