Patent ID: 7054727

Claim:
A method of replicating a real-world vehicle rollover of a vehicle having wheels utilizing a vehicle testing apparatus having a support wherein the vehicle rollover is defined by at least one of the wheels lifting off of the support, said method comprising the steps of: positioning the vehicle on the vehicle testing apparatus such that each of the wheels of the vehicle are supported on the support; determining static properties of the vehicle; determining an initial set of forces and moments to be applied to the vehicle testing apparatus based upon the determined static properties; actuating the vehicle testing apparatus based upon the initial set of forces and moments to replicate the vehicle rollover; measuring an actual response of the vehicle to the initial actuating of the vehicle testing apparatus to determine dynamic properties of the vehicle; determining a second set of forces and moments to be applied to the vehicle testing apparatus so long as all of the wheels remained on the support during the initial actuating of the vehicle testing apparatus with the second set of forces and moments based upon the determined initial set of forces and moments, the measured actual response of the vehicle to the initial actuating of the vehicle testing apparatus, and the determined dynamic properties of the vehicle; and actuating the vehicle testing apparatus based upon the second set of forces and moments to further replicate the vehicle rollover.