Operational compliance of the of the SEC was examined along the corridor Venlo-Rotterdam-Venlo. Along the corridor there were 25 critical sections identified of which 15 are negotiated at low-speed and 10 at high-speed. To examine the compliance of SEC, a multibody model of was built in accordance with available technical specification of all vehicle units. For the low-speed sections the paths of the tyre outer walls and the vehicle unit envelopes were used as KPI’s in overlay with the images form the Google Earth. By the visual inspection, it was concluded that SEC is capable to successfully negotiate all 15 critical sections. To successfully negotiate every section the path of the leading vehicle unit (Tractor) is decisive, therefore it is essential to ensure the drivers are acquainted with the optimal paths per section.As for the high-speed critical sections assessment, the section #23 was examined because it manifests the highest curvature and thus it is considered as the worst-case scenario. The longitudinal speed and the height of the centre of gravity were varied in the range 70±5km/h, and 1.3m±0.4m, respectively. In none of the permutations of the operational conditions, the SEC vehicle exhibits directional instability nor rollover, which were assessed through the maxima of articulation angles and the lateral accelerations. This confirms the vehicle combination complies with all identified high-speed critical sections in aforementioned operational ranges. (Author/publisher)
Abstract