Development of an inexpensive rollover energy dissipation device to improve safety provided by ROPS

Abstract

Tractor overturn is the most common cause fatal accidents in agriculture. Installing rollover protective structures (ROPS), in combination with the use of a safety seat belt, is the best way to avoid fatalities. A ROPS must be able to absorb the rollover energy without collapsing or suffering such a deformation that infringes the safety zone, where the tractor operator must remain. Therefore, any device able to absorb rollover energy, prevent ROPS collapse or infringement of the safety zone, increases the safety provided. An energy dissipation device was developed and tested. It contained a metal piece placed in each one of the four anchoring points to attach the ROPS to the tractor frame such that the piece began to deform and dissipate energy when the ROPS reached a deformation that could compromise the safety of the driver. At deformation the piece raised the closest anchoring point of the ROPS, forcing the ROPS to pivot around the opposite anchor point while it absorbed large amounts of energy, preventing the ROPS approaching the safety zone. The device designed and constructed specifically to be mounted on a Daedong D85 tractor model and has been tested to calculate the safety increase provided by its installation. The results demonstrated that the developed device, costing less than € 20, increased the safety margin by more than 50%.