DEVELOPMENT OF A ROLL DYNAMICS MODEL OF A LIQUID TANK VEHICLE

The roll dynamics model of a liquid tank vehicle is developed by integ rating an equivalent mechanical analogy model of the liquid cargo to t he roll plane model of a heavy commercial vehicle. The mechanical anal ogy model of the fluid slosh is represented through an equivalent pend ulum system derived from the potential flow theory for a cylindrical t ank. The non-linear vehicle model equations are derived in the roll pl ane of the tank vehicle by the use of Lagrang's equations. The fluid-v ehicle interaction is hence dynamically coupled in order to investigat e the directional behavior of the tank vehicle during typical highway maneuvers. Computer simulations are performed on the dynamic roll mode l of the tank vehicle under various fill conditions and dynamic maneuv er conditions. The roll response of the tank vehicle is then compared to that of an equivalent rigid cargo vehicle to study the impact of fl uid slosh behavior. The influence of fluid fill level, loading conditi ons and vehicle characteristics on the dynamic roll performance of the vehicle is also investigated.