Energy Absorption in Actual Tractor Rollovers with Different Tire Configurations

Enrico Capacci, Bruno Franceschetti, Andrew Guzzomi and Valda Rondelli
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Enrico Capacci: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale G. Fanin 50, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Bruno Franceschetti: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale G. Fanin 50, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Andrew Guzzomi: School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
Valda Rondelli: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale G. Fanin 50, 40127 Bologna, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 12, 1-16

Abstract: In order to better understand the complexities of modern tractor rollover, this paper investigates the energy absorbed by a Roll-Over Protective Structure (ROPS) cab during controlled lateral rollover testing carried out on a modern narrow-track tractor with a silent-block suspended ROPS cab. To investigate how different tractor set-ups may influence ROPS and energy partitioning, tests were conducted with two different wheel configurations, wide (equivalent to normal ‘open field’ operation) and narrow (equivalent to ‘orchard/vineyard’ operation), and refer to both the width of the tires and the corresponding track. Dynamic load cells and displacement transducers located at the ROPS-ground impact points provided a direct measurement of the energy absorbed by the ROPS cab frame. A trilateration method was developed and mounted onboard to measure load cell trajectory with respect to the cab floor in real-time. The associated video record of each rollover event provided further information and opportunity to explain the acquired data. The narrow tire configuration consistently subjected the ROPS cab frame to more energy than the wide tire arrangement. To better evaluate the influence of the ROPS cab silent-blocks in lateral rollover, static and dynamic tests were performed. The results confirm that tires influence the energy partition significantly and that further understanding of silent-blocks’ dynamic performance is warranted.

Keywords: operator safety; ROPS; OECD; available energy; agriculture; silent-block (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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