Repeatable Dynamic Rollover Test Procedure with Controlled Roof Impact

Rollover crash and accident studies identify significant roof-to-ground impacts adjacent to the vehicle occupant as a potential cause of severe injuries. It is not possible with existing dynamic rollover test methods to specifically repeat or recreate a particular roof-to-ground impact in a controlled fashion. Variations associated with tire-to-dolly, tire/wheel-to-ground, and vehicle-to-ground interactions early in current rollover test methods tend to produce unpredictable and unrepeatable roof-to-ground impacts later in the test.

A new test device now enables researchers to bypass the uncertainty of these first ground interactions by beginning each test with the desired roof-to-ground impact conditions as a test input. The new rollover test method releases a rotating vehicle onto the ground from the back of a moving semi-trailer. The roll, pitch and yaw angles, translational and vertical velocities, and roll velocity of the vehicle for the first roof-to-ground interaction is repeatable from test to test. However, the subsequent vehicle dynamics are not repeatable as the vehicle rolls to rest. In addition to the onboard and off-board vehicle documentation, unique, close camera coverage is provided from the rear of the trailer.