MEASURING THE LATERAL IMPACT ON ROPS DURING SIDEWAYS OVERTURN

摘要

Safety is an important design for tractor and rollover protection structure (ROPS) has gradually been equipped on tractor. The purpose of this study is to investigate the dynamic behaviour of a commercially available tractor in China with ROPS during its lateral rolling over accident. The object vehicle is a small-size tractor which weights near 1200 kg and was widely used in orchard and terrace field. Two cases of sideways overturning accident were considered: no travelling speed and idling speed with first gear. Two gyroscopes were attached to the left and right fender to record the dynamic of this tractor. The ROPS for the object tractor has been redesigned to impact the ground ahead of any other parts on this tractor, and a dynamometer was assembled at the lateral contact point of the ROPS. The result of no traveling speed case has similar overturning dynamic to the result of idling speed case. And the measurement result of impact force might contribute to the ROPS design for a small-size commercially available tractor in China.