Suitable Load Case for Structural Analysis of Outriggers Applied for Vehicle Handling and Stability Field Test 2014-01-0840

An outrigger is the device that is mounted on a test vehicle to protect it and/or its driver during handling test maneuvers, such as double lane change, constant radius cornering, J-turn, etc. The design of the outrigger is challenged by the constraints associated with its size, installation flexibility, strength, weight, and moment of inertia for a minimum or negligible impact on the test vehicle dynamics. To achieve an appropriate design of an outrigger for a specific vehicle, it is essential to determine the appropriate dynamic loads that the outrigger needs to support after its geometry and installation scheme have been determined. In this study, a flexible representation of an outrigger is mounted on a military vehicle that is simulated on a NATO double lane change maneuver at the given forward speeds. With the closed-loop driver/vehicle system simulation scheme, various drivers' choices of previewed paths are potentially applied by the ones with different levels of driving experiences and skills, which may further affect the vehicle dynamics and the outrigger contact forces. The most severe contact loads of the outrigger can be finally determined to design the outrigger for its reliable structure with minimum possible weight.