An inclinometer was fitted to the asphalt plant stock loading shovel following an incident where an artic truck overturned at Dene Quarry. The artic trucks discharge their loads adjacent to the shovel, and when doing so need to drive slowly forward with the body fully raised to completely empty the load. It is vital that the ground is even. If it is not the artic trailer can become unstable and cause the vehicle to overturn.
The asphalt plant shovel drivers are instructed to ensure that the tipping areas are kept level and clean. Although the ground can appear to be level, even slight undulations can lead to an overturn. The inclinometers fitted to some vehicles were able to detect uneven ground not visible to the naked eye. Inclinometers were attached to the shovels and consisted of a sensor fitted to the front frame of the loading shovel and an indicator inside the cab.
Small inclines can lead to an overturn – especially when combined with windy weather and damp material sticking inside the lorry body. The display on the device indicates the extent (in degrees) and direction of any crossfall measured by a sensor. If required the driver can level the surface until there is no cross gradient in the tipping area. |