Abstract
ABSTRACT
The UN-ECE Regulation 66. and Regulation 107/Rev.1. being in force give requirements and test methods for buses to avoid the rollover accident and to have a certain strength of the superstructure if the bus rolls over. But these regulations are not consistent, they do not cover certain bus categories (e.g. small buses, double decker) and the described test method is not applicable for high decker tourist coaches. A world-wide accident statistics is shown (more than 200 rollovers) and analysed which proves that the small and high buses – from different reasons – are over represented in the rollover accidents. To develop a new, consistent regulation, the following problems should be solved:
• specification of a unified standard accident (and belonging approval test) covering all kind of bus categories
• definition of a survival space applicable to all kind of bus categories, their different seats and seat positions,
• description of simple, cheep approval tests, applicable and equivalent for all kind of bus categories. One of the basic question to be answered, related to the unified approval test: what kind of technical parameter( s) shall equal to all bus categories: the kinetic energy as input to the deformation process of the superstructure; the relative kinetic energy, or the direction and magnitude of the impact force, or the shape of the ditch in which the bus is rolling down? These questions will be discussed on the basis of different rollover full scale rollover tests and as conclusions some proposals will be made.
This paper could be a good technical basis to the international effort and work carried out in Geneva, in GRSG (group of safety experts, working on this subject)