VEHICLE ROLLOVER TESTING, METHODOLOGIES IN RECREATING ROLLOVER COLLISIONS. IN: OCCUPANT AND VEHICLE RESPONSES IN ROLLOVERS

Abstract

Rollover crashes are complex events with many factors influencing the initiation of the rollover and the subsequent motion of the vehicle. There exists a need for testing methods that can accurately replicate conditions that happen in real-world rollovers. This chapter, from a comprehensive text on occupant and vehicle responses in rollovers, presents two testing methodologies that consider how to create rollover tests that closely mimic a specific accident scenario and thus that are useful in accident reconstruction and evaluation of vehicle performance in specific situations. The authors describe the development of the Roller Coaster Dolly (RCD), a text fixture that can release a vehicle at speed onto flat or sloping terrain with any desired initial roll, pitch, and yaw angle. The authors also describe a test methodology that utilizes a crashworthy steering controller. This method can replicate and study the entire crash sequence of an on-road maneuver-induced rollover. The authors describe and illustrate (photographs) the use of both tests, concluding that these tests expand the realm of rollover collision scenarios that can be recreated by testing.