Predicting the performance of cost-effective rollover protective structure designs

Agricultural tractor overturns kill more than 100 workers each year in the United States. Rollover protective structures (ROPS) can prevent most of these deaths but can be expensive in retrofit applications. Cost-effective ROPS (CROPS) have been designed and built at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, but performance must be evaluated. This study did the following: (1) evaluated CROPS performance, (2) developed a simulation model for probabilistic CROPS evaluation, and (3) evaluated exemplar prototype CROPS performance via simulation of testing requirements. The CROPS prototype evaluated in this study was a Ford-3000 CROPS prototype design. Simulations based on ROPS performance standard SAE J2194 (Society of Automotive Engineers) identified scenarios where the Ford-3000 CROPS might fail. No failure scenarios were identified during simulation of ROPS performance testing to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) test procedures and performance requirements. Despite passing experimental SAE J2194 testing, computer simulations found scenarios where the Ford-3000 CROPS prototype design might fail. Re-design of the Ford-3000 concept is necessary before field implementation.

• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925753511000944
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/09257535
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission by Elsevier
• Authors:
  • Harris, J R
  • Winn, G L
  • Ayers, P D
  • McKenzie Jr, E A
• Publication Date: 2011-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; Illustrations; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 1252-1261
• Serial:
  • Safety Science
  • Volume: 49
  • Issue Number: 8-9
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0925-7535
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09257535

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Farm tractors; Performance; Rollover crashes; Simulation
• Identifier Terms: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Uncontrolled Terms: Rollover protective structures
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01349914
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 19 2011 8:59AM