Photo by V. Miller
March 30, 2005
Rollover in Passenger Vans
Project COG: Static Rollover Reduction in 15-Passenger Vans
Nicholas Samir Ekladyous, 12, Imlay City, Mich.
Finalist, Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, 2004
Project background: After reading about several rollover accidents, Nicholas discovered that 15-passenger vans are at the highest risk and loopholes in federal regulations discouraged manufacturers from solving the problem. He wanted to find a practical way to reduce rollover risk.
Tactics and results: Nicholas built a one-eleventh scale model of a 15-passenger van fitted with five rows of removable seats to simulate different loading scenarios. He mounted the model on a tilt table to measure body roll and tilt. He tested the model with single and dual rear wheels, hypothesizing that the dual wheels would decrease rollover tendencies.
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| Photo by V. Miller |
The dual rear wheels did stabilize the model, decreasing body roll by 40 percent, lowering the center of gravity, and increasing the minimum sideways velocity needed to roll the van.
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