ROLLOVER STABILITY INDEX INCLUDING EFFECTS OF SUSPENSION DESIGN. IN: OCCUPANT AND VEHICLE RESPONSES IN ROLLOVERS

Abstract

With the growing popularity of vehicles with high centers of gravity, the evaluation of rollover propensity of these vehicles becomes an issue of increasing importance. This chapter on a rollover stability index is from a comprehensive textbook on occupant and vehicle responses in rollovers. The author proposes a simple model to predict vehicle propensity to rollover; the model includes the effects of suspension and tire compliance. The model uses only a few parameters, most of which are known at the design stage. The author compares the lateral accelerations at the rollover threshold that are predicted by the model to the results of simulations. In the simulations, vehicles with the same static stability factor, but with different suspension characteristics and payloads, are subjected to roll-inducing handling maneuvers. The results of simulations correlate well with the predictions based on the proposed model. An analytical expression for the optimal roll center height from the viewpoint of rollover resistance was developed.