Heavy vehicles used for road transport are essentially rigid trucks, rigid trucks with trailer and articulated trucks. Collision of such vehicles against safety barriers may have different outcome depending on the vehicle characteristics, even when impact energy is the same. The present paper is aimed at finding the factors responsible for the different behaviour of rigid and articulated trucks during collision. The study, carried out by computer simulation, has been divided into three parts. The first part compares the overall behaviour of the two types of vehicles during collisions, in order to detect the most responsible factors. In the second phase, the single features that characterize each type of vehicle are tested. The third phase tries to define some relationship between the two type of vehicles. Another important subject of the study has been the comparison of the tests TB81 and TB71 established by the European Standard EN1317 The results obtained show that collision of articulated trucks is less severe than the one of rigid trucks and this happens because of the greater length, suspension stiffness and inertia. However the difference in the behaviour depends on kinetic impact energy and side friction coefficient. With reference to the relationships, four analytical expression have been found that relate the impact energies producing the same maximum transversal displacements or vehicle roll angle for the two type of vehicle. The study concerning the European tests on safety barriers shows that a hierarchy exists between them and it depends on side friction coefficient.

Comparison of the Collision of Rigid Trucks and Articulated Trucks against Road Safety Barriers

PERNETTI, Mariano
2001

Abstract

Heavy vehicles used for road transport are essentially rigid trucks, rigid trucks with trailer and articulated trucks. Collision of such vehicles against safety barriers may have different outcome depending on the vehicle characteristics, even when impact energy is the same. The present paper is aimed at finding the factors responsible for the different behaviour of rigid and articulated trucks during collision. The study, carried out by computer simulation, has been divided into three parts. The first part compares the overall behaviour of the two types of vehicles during collisions, in order to detect the most responsible factors. In the second phase, the single features that characterize each type of vehicle are tested. The third phase tries to define some relationship between the two type of vehicles. Another important subject of the study has been the comparison of the tests TB81 and TB71 established by the European Standard EN1317 The results obtained show that collision of articulated trucks is less severe than the one of rigid trucks and this happens because of the greater length, suspension stiffness and inertia. However the difference in the behaviour depends on kinetic impact energy and side friction coefficient. With reference to the relationships, four analytical expression have been found that relate the impact energies producing the same maximum transversal displacements or vehicle roll angle for the two type of vehicle. The study concerning the European tests on safety barriers shows that a hierarchy exists between them and it depends on side friction coefficient.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11591/226863
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