Vehicle testing apparatus for measuring a propensity of a vehicle to roll over

DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND ADVANTAGES The subject invention provides a vehicle testing apparatus for subjecting a vehicle to a compound force.
The apparatus includes a support disposed in a horizontal plane for supporting the vehicle.
The apparatus also includes a mechanism coupled to the support for moving the support along three axes.
The three axes are perpendicular to one another.
The mechanism subjects the vehicle to the compound force that is the result of simultaneous movements along any combination of the axes.
The mechanism includes a first member constrained for rectilinear movement along a first axis of the axes.
The mechanism also includes a second member constrained for rectilinear movement along a second axis of the axes.
The vehicle testing apparatus of the subject invention produces compound forces on vehicles in a controlled environment similar to real-world forces exerted on vehicles during rollover situations.
Furthermore, the vehicle testing apparatus provides test repeatability by applying accurately controlled forces to the vehicle in combination with real world variables, such as the presence of tripping obstacles in a path of the vehicle to induce rollover of the vehicle.