Kippmoment

Kippmoment, literally “tipping moment” in German, is a term used in statics and structural engineering to denote the overturning moment that tends to rotate a body about a support edge. It is a key concept for assessing the stability of objects resting on a base, such as blocks, containers, vehicles, or foundations, under lateral loads or moments.

In essence, a Kippmoment is the moment about the edge of the support base that acts to tip the body away from its stable position. The overturning moment can arise from lateral forces (wind, earthquake, hydraulic or maneuvering forces) or from forces applied at height, creating a moment arm relative to the tipping edge. The resisting moment, caused by gravity, acts to keep the body flat on its base.

For a simple rigid body with base width B in the direction of tipping and weight W, tipping occurs when the line of action of the resultant force reaches the tipping edge. The overturning moment about that edge is M_over = F × h (for a lateral force F at height h) or M_over = W × e (where e is the horizontal distance from the base center to the line of action of W). The resisting moment is often approximated as M_resist = W × (B/2) for a symmetric base.

A common stability check uses the factor of safety against tipping: FS = M_resist / M_over. If FS ≤ 1 tipping is imminent; values above 1 indicate stability. Applications are found in foundations, crane and vehicle design, and any structure or object where tipping must be prevented.

Limitations include assumptions of rigidity, static loading, and sufficient friction; dynamic effects and nonuniform bases may alter outcomes.