Study on Tractor Semi-Trailer Roll Stability Control

ABSTRACT

The rollover accidents in the tractor semi-trailer are often fatal and many factors could cause the tractor semi-trailer rollover. In this paper, a rollover prevention control method was proposed based on real-time calculation of rollover index. The vehicle Center of Gravity (CG) height from the ground is an important parameter in the rollover index and it is estimated through lateral acceleration sensor and suspension deflection sensors. Comparing the rollover index with the preset threshold, the differential braking will be applied to corresponding wheels once the trigger conditions are met. A roll stability control simulation was performed on the dynamic model based on virtual prototyping. The results show that the rollover prevention control proposed in this paper can stabilize the tractor semi-trailer and prevent from rollover on high speed curve driving.

Keywords:

Curve driving, differential braking, roll stability, tractor semi-trailer, Center of Gravity, Rollover index.