Multibody Models and Simulations to Assess the Stability of Counterbalance Forklift Trucks

Assessing the stability of counterbalance forklift trucks is a problem of primary interest, since critical safety issues related to their operation are involved. Indeed, forklifts are the most common vehicles for material handling in industry. The stability limit is typically verified through experimental tests, which are costly and time consuming. This study aims at developing numerical tools to reliably predict the stability limit through simulations. Such tools should permit, on one hand, to partially reduce the amount of experimental tests necessarily required and, on the other hand, to support the design phase of new products since the early stages. A multibody model taking into account the compliance of the tires and of the mast assembly is developed. An experimental campaign to validate the model is ongoing. The preliminary numerical results confirm the model as a promising tool to estimate the stability limit of the forklift with satisfactory accuracy.