Development of a simulation model for analyzing vibrations of a double cabin fire truck and their effects on firefighters

Abstract

Various vibrations occur in vehicles, which are generated by the vehicle's equipment or by the road itself. Several studies have been carried out on the investigation of vibrations in passenger cars or different purpose trucks, but there is little literature available on the analysis of special superstructure vehicles such as fire trucks. During our research therefore a simulation model for analyzing the vibrations of a double-cabin special fire truck was created. The main purpose of our research is investigating their effects on people traveling in fire-fighting vehicles. In this paper the developed model and the computer simulation using it is presented. With our results we want to draw the attention to the importance of the topic and to help the safe operation of fire-fighting vehicles. V. CONCLUSIONSDuring our research a simulation model that is suitable for the examination of vibrations of persons traveling in double cabin vehicles with special superstructure was developed. The model was tested with sinusoidal road profiles of a motorway and an urban road. Based on computer simulation it can be concluded that the resulting vibrations are more harmful in case of urban roads. It was also found out that in case of normal condition roads the resulting vibrations in the examined time interval are not harmful, but are uncomfortable to people traveling in them. Next task in our research is to examine the effects of road failures on firefighters and using more precise road profiles. We have come to the conclusion that proper simulation models are essential for results that can be used in practice. We consider it important to develop appropriate models for accurate research on firefighting vehicles as they are essential for exploring the theoretical and practical phenomena and helping to identify further research directions.