Dynamics of Tank-Vehicle Rollover and the Implications for Rollover-Protection211 Devices. Final Report

摘要

Federal regulations DOT 406, 407, and 412 require that cargo tank motor vehicles211u001eused on U.S. highways be equipped with rollover-protection devices to protect 211u001emanhole covers, valves, vents, and other top-mounted hardware from damage and to 211u001eprevent leakage of product during rollover accidents. In its 1992 Special 211u001eInvestigation Report entitled 'Cargo Tank Rollover Protection,' the National 211u001eTransportation Safety Board was critical of existing rollover-protection devices 211u001eand found that 'insufficient guidance...(exists) about the factors and 211u001eassumptions that a cargo tank manufacturer must consider when calculating loads 211u001eon the rollover-protection devices...' and that 'there is inadequate information 211u001eabout the forces that can be encountered in a rollover accident and the extent to 211u001ewhich rollover-protection devices for cargo tanks can reasonably be designed to 211u001ewithstand these forces.' This study has attempted to expand the knowledge base on 211u001ethe dynamics of tank vehicle rollover events in order that such guidance and 211u001einformation can be improved. The primary contribution of this study is a broad-211u001eranging examination of the dynamics of tank-vehicle rollover accomplished through 211u001ecomputer simulation. Seven cargo tank motor vehicles, two tank trucks, and five 211u001etractor semitrailer combinations were simulated. Each was subjected to 126 211u001esimulated maneuvers intended to result in rollover. Test maneuvers included mild, 211u001elow-speed turns that just barely produced rollover, more dynamic maneuvers on 211u001esmooth surfaces, and high-speed impacts with curbs and guardrails that result in 211u001erapid rollover combined with substantial pitch and yaw.