Abstract
There are some problems in the vehicles overturning due to strong crosswinds. For road managers who decide a traffic regulation, designing an algorithm to give a warning signal in advance is an important issue. The purpose of this research is to obtain aerodynamic knowledge and wind condition when running vehicles overturn. In this paper, the following items are discussed: (1) To derive two components of static aerodynamic force: aerodynamic force coefficients in a boundary layer and gust response factor taking into account a probability of up-crossing the overturning wind speed level. (2) To obtain an on-site wind condition when overturning occurs by solving the equation of angular motion. (3) To examine the running vehicles aerodynamic characteristics caused by sudden strong crosswind using wind tunnel tests and onsite observation tests. As a result, the aerodynamic force acting on running vehicles can be estimated by static force. Finally, a risk curve to indicate critical on-site average wind speed and wind direction is to be obtained. It is also investigated whether this method is applicable to strong wind area.
