Evaluation of Alternative Quad Bike
Safety Systems
Shane Richardson, Andreas Sandvik, Chris Jones, Tia Orton-Gaffney, Nikola
Josevski, Wei Pei (Tandy) Pok and Thomas Emmett
FarmSafe Australia Symposium
31 October 2013
Background
Background
Background
Albert Einstein: “Insanity: doing the same
thing over and over again and expecting
different results.”
Background
• Heads of Workplace Health and Safety
“…reasonably practicable for a device to be developed
that when fitted to Quad Bike reduces the potential for
death and/or serious injury caused by entrapment
beneath an overturned vehicle?”
Anon. ‘Report of the Technical Engineering Group (TEG) to the Heads of Workplace Health and Safety Authorities
(HWSA)’, Trans Tasman Working Party on “Quad Bike Safety” Meeting, October 5-6, 2010, Australia.
Background
• Heads of Workplace Health and Safety
– To prevent entrapment
• Crush injury
• Traumatic or mechanical asphyxia
Anon. ‘Report of the Technical Engineering Group (TEG) to the Heads of Workplace Health and Safety Authorities
(HWSA)’, Trans Tasman Working Party on “Quad Bike Safety” Meeting, October 5-6, 2010, Australia.
Background
• Richardson
– Used PC-Crash to simulate Quad bike rollover
– 18 riderless tests to validate the models
– 400 simulations (4 x100)
– http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjYkHo7lOq
xUsjYA2A1dqKE2F3oMGZAvI&feature=mh_lolz
Richardson S. Orton T, Sandvik A. Jones C. Josevski N. and Pok W P., ‘Simulation of Quad Bike (ATV) Rollover Using PCCrash to Evaluate Alternative Safety Systems’, 13-0286, 23rd Enhnaced Safety of Vehicles, Seoul, South Korea,
Validation Data
• Snook
– Presented 42 Quad Bike rollover tests
• Used 18 tests
• MUARC
– Overturn angle 39⁰
Snook C., ‘An assessment of passive roll over protection for Quad Bikes’, University of Southern
Queensland, Australia
Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC)
Rechnitzer G., Day L., Grzebieta R., Zou R. and Richardson S. ‘All Terrain Vehicle Injuries and Deaths’
Monash University Accident Re-search Centre, 19 March 2003
Validation Models
PC-Crash Models
Simulation Scenarios
• 2000 (5 x 400)
• Ramped (side tilt) angles
– 20⁰ to 29⁰ (in 1⁰ intervals)
• Lateral speeds 6km/h to 15km/h
– 1 km/h intervals
• Longitudinal speeds 0km/h to 30km/h
– 10km/h intervals
Simulation Scenarios
• Torso impact force
– 1,500N approximates 6.9g
– 3,000N approximates 13.9g
• Traumatically or mechanical asphyxiated
– Torso resting force > 1,000N for greater than 7
minutes
– Used simulated average resting torso force
2000 Simulations
• Quad Bike
• First 1.5s
• 48 of 400
+1,500N
• 11 of 400
+3,000N
2000 Simulations
• Quad Bike
• Resting
torso
• 46 of 400
+1,000N
2000 Simulations
• Rider Torso impact force >1,500N
– 48 times Quad Bike
– 2 times Quadbar CPD
– 0 times LifeGuard CPD
– 0 times ROPS unrestrained
– 0 times ROPS restrained
2000 Simulations
• Rider Torso impact force >3,000N
– 11 times Quad Bike
– 0 times Quadbar CPD
– 0 times LifeGuard CPD
– 0 times ROPS unrestrained
– 0 times ROPS restrained
2000 Simulations
• Rider Torso resting force >1,000N
– 46 times Quad Bike
– 28 times Quadbar CPD
– 1 time LifeGuard CPD
– 0 times ROPS unrestrained
– 0 times ROPS restrained
Real World Crashes
• Example
– 105kg adult male riding across a side slope on a
quad bike with a spray tank
– Rolled laterally and ejected the rider
– The rider was found beneath the quad bike.
– Cause of death was traumatic asphyxiation
Example OEM
Example Quadbar
Conclusions
Where there is an identifiable risk of serious or
fatal injury from quad rollover, consideration
should be given to fitting either: CPD or ROPS to
mitigate the potential for serious and/or fatal
injury due to torso impact or entrapment during a
quad bike rollover.
Thank you
Delta-V Experts
835 Mt Alexander Road
Moonee Ponds
Victoria 3039
+61 (0)3 9481 2200
dve@dvexperts.net