Preliminary investigation on the dynamics of motorcycle fall behavior: influence of a simple airbag jacket system on rider safety

Abstract

Airbag technology, predominantly developed for cars, is still in its first stages for motorcycles. Motorcyclists are more likely to experience falls due to front slippage, rear slippage or high-side phenomena, especially on tracks. The dynamic behavior of the motorcycle-rider system under different fall conditions is very complex, and the development of a rider protection safety system under such conditions is to be considered a challenge. It is necessary to identify an algorithm capable of predicting the fall, to test its robustness against misuse, and finally to design a proper airbag restraint for protecting the rider. In this paper an exploratory study on the dynamics of motorcycle fall behavior is carried out. First, an example of data recorded during an actual fall due to wheel slippage is presented, and experimental data recorded for both rider and motorcycle are analyzed. Some other typical falls are then simulated using MADYMO and the dynamic behavior of the motorcycle and the rider are analyzed. Both experimental and simulated falls are used for testing a fall-predictive algorithm, which is still under development. In the end, the effect of a simple airbag system, fitted on the rider and triggered by the aforementioned algorithm, is simulated and its influence on rider safety is discussed.