Optimal Configuration, Design, and Control of Mixed Passive/Active Rollover Prevention Systems

Principal Investigator
Hosam K Fathy (U. of Michigan)

University Researchers
Jeffrey L. Stein (U. of Michigan)
Hemant Sardar (UMTRI)

Government
David Gunter (TARDEC)

This project is motivated by the need for vehicle stabilization systems, such as rollover prevention systems, that can either be implemented on new vehicles (e.g., Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV)) or retrofitted on existing vehicles (e.g., up-armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV)) to ensure their survivability despite increased loads. The project focuses on the design of such systems, and fits well with other projects in this proposal that focus on using them for stability control. It is important for these safety and stabilization systems to optimally mix active, semi-active, and passive technologies, thereby providing maximum safety without requiring excessive energy, online computation, or actuation.

With the above motivation in mind, this project has three main objectives. First, it will extend previous research by the investigators on combined plant and control optimization to furnish a fundamental framework for combined plant and control configuration and design optimization. Second, it will use this framework to optimally mix passive, semi-active, and active systems for rollover prevention in military trucks. Finally, it will validate these results using a multibody dynamics model of the HMMWV.

Our research will provide a fundamental framework for robust combined plant and control configuration and design optimization. Such a framework will be applicable to a wide variety of system optimization problems, both in the vehicle safety area and other areas. This research will also furnish a synergistic, system-optimal rollover safety system design for the HMMWV.