Design aspects of reducing the generated dynamic tyre loads of the articulated tanker vehicles

The investigation of the dynamic tyre loads generated due to the liquid slosh in a tanker vehicle is an important research topic because of their harmful effect on both vehicle and road surfaces. In this paper, a comprehensive study concerning the ride behaviour of an articulated tanker vehicle, equipped with a cylindrical container, has been made. The road surface irregularities and a step deceleration in the longitudinal direction have been used to excite the vehicle system. A 7-DOF mathematical model has been constructed to represent an articulated tanker vehicle and simulate its dynamic behaviour. A computer program using the PC MATLAB software has been designed to solve the differential equations of motion of the, vehicle system. The nonlinearity generated by the dynamic interaction between the vehicle structure and the moving liquid cargo is included in the vehicle model considering different filling ratios. An experimental investigation has been carried out to validate the modelling and numerical techniques that are used to simulate the dynamic motions of the tanker vehicle. For this purpose, an experimental model has been designed, constructed and utilised. The trends of the theoretical model results are compared with the experimental results, and good agreement between them has been found. The possibility of reducing the dynamic tyre loads is examined by tuning the following design parameters: (a) distance between the centres of gravity of both the empty tank/semi-trailer unit and the liquid cargo, (b) damping coefficient of the semi-trailer suspension, (c) use of anti surge (kinetic energy) safety baffles. Specific values for these parameters are recommended considering a 3-axle articulated tanker vehicle as a case study. Results analysis, conclusions and suggestions for further work are given.