Title: A tool for downhill accident analysis and brake design evaluation

Authors: Tyler Kress, Reid Kress

Addresses: Department of Industrial Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA. ' Department of Industrial Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.

Abstract: Vehicle design, accident analyses, vehicle system design (e.g. braking systems), and road design often require computer modelling of vehicles moving downhill. This paper describes the development of a simple computer model that can provide users with a general tool for the analysis of the energy terms associated with ground-based vehicles moving downhill. The tool is general in that it is applicable to various vehicles (trains, tractor-trailer trucks, small trucks, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, etc.) but under restricted conditions it is also applicable (via minor changes) to particular objects (e.g. skiers and rolling objects). The model uses an energy-balance approach to determine downhill speed and simulation results can be presented in a number of forms. The model is applied in this paper to evaluate a trucking accident.

Keywords: accident reconstruction; brakes; downhill; energy balance; runaway; tractor-trailer; trucks; vehicles; velocity; energy modeling; simulation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.2001.005211

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 2001 Vol.26 No.4, pp.361 - 373

Published online: 11 Sep 2004 *

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