The article presents the concept of a modular research system designed for testing the driving characteristics of fire trucks characterized by a high center of gravity. The system consists of a set of sensors for measuring vehicle motion parameters during driving, an electronic measurement and control system, and dedicated computer software. The obtained measurement results, characterizing the vehicle’s behavior in motion during standard road tests, allow for the assessment of its safety and suitability for special applications.Fire department vehicles and other emergency services fulfill their tasks during various incidents, dangerous situations, or natural disasters. Therefore, they should exhibit very good driving characteristics not only on high-quality roads but also on damaged or flooded roads, and safely overcome certain terrain and road obstacles.
The tasks performed by emergency and firefighting vehicles indicate requirements regarding their design and operation. Specifying these tasks forms the basis for defining these requirements, among which one can distinguish:
− general requirements regarding the vehicle’s construction, − specific requirements, directed primarily at the equipment of these vehicles.
Among the important requirements is the ability to achieve high acceleration and driving speeds, as well as higher than average ground clearance, permissible tilt, maneuverability, and a smaller than average minimum turning radius or corridor width in curvilinear motion and when turning in a confined space [1-4]. (…)
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Source: Logistyka Magazine 6/2011