Title: Development of a higher-order model for a roll simulator

Authors: Scott B. Zagorski; Dennis A. Guenther; Gary J. Heydinger

Addresses: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, 201 W. 19th Ave., Columbus, Ohio, USA ' Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, 201 W. 19th Ave., Columbus, Ohio, USA ' Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, 201 W. 19th Ave., Columbus, Ohio, USA

Abstract: A four degree-of-freedom model of a roll simulator is developed. The roll simulator consists of a sled-platform assembly, where a recreational off-highway vehicle (ROV) is mounted to the platform which has the freedom to rotate up to 90 degrees. The purpose of the roll simulator is to re-create rollover manoeuvres ascertained from in-field vehicle dynamic experiments. Previous studies developed a two degree-of-freedom model; one for translational and one for rotational motion. This study expands on that model and increases the number of degrees-of-freedom to more closely emulate the roll simulator. The model incorporates non-linear stiffness models of the wire ropes and enables the model to have three translational degrees-of-freedom and one rotational degree-of-freedom. The equations of motion (EOM) are numerically simulated using Matlab's Simulink. Comparisons are made with experimental data derived from the roll simulator to validate the model.

Keywords: roll simulator; Lagrange's energy equation; classical dynamics; vehicle rollover; wire rope stiffness; ROVs; recreational off-highway vehicles; higher-order models; modelling; numerical simulation; vehicle dynamics; vehicle design; equations of motion.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.2014.064373

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 2014 Vol.66 No.1, pp.69 - 86

Received: 13 Sep 2012
Accepted: 15 May 2013
Published online: 30 Oct 2014 *

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