Keywords: road tankers, design load distribution design, vehicle specification, fixed-tank vehicles, suspension systems, vehicle dynamics, rollover stability.

Tank vehicles design for load distribution results in proper loading influencing stability, steerability, braking dynamics, fuel cost, operational efficiency and road wear. Lateral stability requirements imposed by the Regulation for the Transportation of Dangerous Goods (ADR) for road tankers add restrictions in the tank's centre-of-gravity (CG) height positioning. Rollover accidents of commercial vehicles are especially violent and cause greater damage and injury than other accidents [1]. The relatively low roll stability of commercial trucks promotes rollover and contributes to the number of truck accidents. Roll plane models of heavy vehicles are proposed by Rakheja et al. [2] to study their dynamic rollover properties. The problem of maximizing payloads has been studied from the seventies. Most work in heavy truck load distribution design has been based around fairly simple static and dynamic models to avoid these modes [3].

In this paper an algorithm for load distribution in road tankers design is developed. A detailed vehicle design characteristics specification meeting the ADR and R-111 requirements [4] is obtained during the data input. Through the use of the algorithm the superstructures' CG position is determined in both the longitudinal and the vertical plane, with the vehicle and superstructure in its standard complete form. The parameters affecting the tank's CG position are dimensional constraints that yield from chassis manufacturers recommendations, and the Regulations ADR and R-111 requirements. A Monte Carlo simulation method was utilized to investigate the suspension design characteristics variations influencing the vehicles' dynamic behaviour. The proposed algorithm can be used as a design and evaluation tool from tank manufacturers, for the determination of the optimum chassis selection for a given tank type design and the road tanker's dynamic response for various road excitation types and typical SAE maneuvers.

1

T.G. Chondros, G. Michalos, P. Michaelides, E. Fainekos, "An approximate method for the evaluation of the roll stiffness of road tankers", Proceedings of the I MECH E Part D, Journal of Automobile Engineering, 221(12), 1499-1512, 2007. doi:10.1243/09544070JAUTO446

2

P.J. Liu, S. Rakheja, A.K.W. Ahmed, "Dynamic roll instability analysis of heavy vehicles using energy approach", International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems, 8(2), 177-195, 2001. doi:10.1504/IJHVS.2001.001159

3

J.C. Gerdes, P. Yih, K. Satyan, "Safety Performance and Robustness of Heavy Vehicle AVCS", California PATH Program Year One Report for MOU 390, Department of Mechanical Engineering - Design Division Stanford University, 2002.

4

ADR 2007 EU Directive 94/55/EC, "The transportation of dangerous goods by road.ECE/TRANS/175, Vol. I and II European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road", 2007.

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