Available energy during the rollover of narrow-track wheeled agricultural tractors

Because in some applications the potential exists for tractors to rollover, to reduce the danger to the driver Roll-Over Protective Structures (ROPS) and their corresponding international testing procedures were introduced some time ago. However, some fatalities and serious injuries resulting from rollover accidents still occur. This has led to continuing interest in gaining further understanding of the parameters influencing rollover. The different initial conditions for rollover were analysed and the energy available at the start of rollover evaluated. In particular, the theoretical difference in available energy for lateral rollover on different planes, together with the inclusion of forward velocity, was analysed. Data pertaining to 102 narrow-track tractors fitted with front ROPS, with masses in the range 780–2380 kg were used to calculate the available energy. The results support the hypothesis that there is a non-linear relationship between tractor mass and available energy.