The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that 3% of all light vehicle crashes in the United States involve rollover, yet are responsible for 1/3 of all passenger vehicle occupant fatalities. In 2002, there were 10,626 fatalities due to single vehicle rollovers in the United States alone. Therefore, an opportunity exists to save lives by designing vehicles that are less prone to roll over. However, the rollover testing of full-size vehicles is an expensive and somewhat dangerous endeavor.
Auburn is investigating a safer means to research rollover by utilizing simulations and scaled vehicles. The simulation models roll and yaw dynamics, including transient effects. It is able to reproduce dynamic effects that NHTSA captures in their full size testing. The scaled vehicle is instrumented with an IMU and GPS receiver, and performs various steering maneuvers to excite its dynamics. By using the simulation to validate the scaled car's data, it can be assumed that a scaled car is a reliable test bed for some rollover studies.
Currently, the scaled car is getting an upgraded IMU to improve testing. A controller will be developed to prevent rollover and will be implemented on the scaled car. Utilizing the scaled vehicle will be a safer method to test different control algorithms.
Research Assistants:
- Randy Whitehead
- William Travis
Sponsors
Publications
- A Study of the Effect of Various Vehicle Properties on Rollover Propensity
- Using Scaled Vehicles to Investigate the Influence of Various Properties on Rollover Propensity
- Scaled Vehicle Electronic Stability Control
Presentations
Links
- NHTSA
- Auburn selected as a finalist in the Collegiate Student Safety Technology Design Competition