Volpe Center: Volpe Center Highlights

Information Resources

Volpe Center Highlights - January 2000

Safety

Promote public health and safety by working toward the elimination of transportation-related deaths, injuries, and property damage.

Volpe's TMS Team On Site New Year's Eve to Support Y2K Transition (FAA)

In the spirit of One DOT, the Volpe Center supported the delicate Y2K transition of critical aviation computer systems during the New Year's weekend. On New Year's Eve, members of the Automation Applications Division, Telecommunications Division, and contractor staff along with Dr. Richard R. John, Director of the Volpe Center, and Dr. Frank Tung, Deputy Director of the Volpe Center, were on site in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to support the Department's high visibility Y2K transition of the Traffic Management System (TMS).

To demonstrate their confidence in the safety of the U.S. aviation system, DOT Secretary Rodney E. Slater, on-site at the Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) in Herndon, Virginia, spoke via cell phone at the critical Y2K transition moment to Ms. Jane Garvey, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in the sky on a flight from Washington, D.C., to the West Coast. The video of their conversation, featuring Secretary Slater near a TMS computer, was broadcast live to a worldwide television audience. FAA managers reported to Dr. John afterward that they were "ecstatic" with the performance of the Volpe Center's TMS support team during the critical operations.

The Volpe Center developed, and houses and operates the TMS, the principal computer system used at the ATCSCC. FAA uses TMS to predict, detect, and handle airspace congestion problems. The Volpe Center and the ATCSCC are connected via high-speed telecommunications.

Volpe Provides Y2K Support to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)

During New Year's weekend, the Automation Technology Division, in support of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), operated a Y2K Support Center that was established at the Volpe Center using computer networking, video conferencing, and voice communications. The Support Center included on-line information databases (via a secure intranet web connection) on cutter equipment including Y2K status, and a problem tracking and reporting system to support any emergency response actions that might be required. Mr. Paul Bushueff and Mr. Paul Kudarauskas of the Automation Technology Division were on call and staffed the Support Center during the Y2K changeover. The transition went very smoothly and no emergency response actions were required. In preparation for this effort, the Division had supplied the Coast Guard with Y2K reports for six classes of cutters. Approximately 150 reports customized to each ship's unique configuration were sent to the cutters, detailing the status and corrective action of all potentially Y2K sensitive equipment. The Coast Guard was appreciative of the Volpe Center's support and ability to respond in a timely way to inquiries as they arose.

Technical Document Supports NHTSA Biomechanics Research (NHTSA)

A Volpe Center Technical Information Exchange (TIE) Document recently was completed in support of the Volpe Center's research activities to model anthropomorphic crash dummies. Dr. David Jeong, Mr. Peter Kwok, and Mr. Joseph Canha of the Vehicle Crashworthiness Division wrote the TIE document, entitled "Characterization of Viscoelastic Material Behavior from Dynamic Compression Test Data."

The TIE document presents a methodology to describe the mechanical behavior of urethane and neoprene rubber materials under impact conditions. This information was combined with regression analyses to determine material constants, which will be used in finite element models for biomechanics research.

This work and the work described in the next highlight contribute to the Volpe Center's focus on developing anthropomorphic models that can project the extent of injury to the human body from forces that are representative of those that take place in a motor vehicle crash. The overall goal of this work is to reduce injuries and fatalities.

Technical Document Supports NHTSA Crashworthiness Research (NHTSA)

Mr. Larry Simeone of the Vehicle Crashworthiness Division recently issued a Technical Information Exchange (TIE) document outlining the results of a parametric study using the MADYMO software package to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Office of Research and Development. MADYMO initially was developed to evaluate the collision-related characteristics of automobile interiors. The study, entitled "Parametric MADYMO Simulations of a 1995 Lumina Driver and Passenger during Full Frontal Impacts," involved the simulation of a driver and passenger occupant during a full frontal crash.

Three different sized occupants (a 5th percentile female, a 50th percentile male, and a 95th percentile male) were considered and crash speeds of 10, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 50 miles-per-hour were investigated. Two restraint configurations were studied: occupants restrained by seat belts and air bags, and occupants restrained by air bags only (no seat belts).

Results indicated that slightly lower head and chest injuries occurred when the occupants did not wear seat belts. These results, however, came at the cost of significantly higher injuries to the lower extremities. The implication of these results is that overall harm to the occupant is increased when seat belts are not used.

Additionally, the smaller occupants regularly recorded lower injury levels than the larger occupants. These lower injury levels were partially a result of the seating position of the occupants. The smaller occupants were seated closer to the vehicle impact surfaces thereby engaging the safety restraints sooner (and at a lower velocity) than the larger occupants. In addition, the larger occupants had a higher kinetic energy because of their larger mass. The results of this parametric analysis are being used in systems studies to evaluate techniques for reducing injuries and fatalities in automobile accidents in the future.

Study Completed on Highway Vehicle Crossing Path Collisions (NHTSA)

Dr. Wassim Najm, Mr. Marco daSilva, and Mr. John Smith of the Accident Prevention Division, in conjunction with Dr. David Smith of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Office of Vehicle Safety Research, recently completed a preliminary study of highway vehicle crossing path collisions entitled "Analysis of Crossing Path Crashes." The study provides a better understanding of crash avoidance opportunities using intelligent vehicle safety systems. The results of this study will help guide DOT in setting research priorities for vehicle-based crash countermeasures under the Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI) Program.

Crossing path collisions involve one vehicle cutting across the path of another, both initially traveling from either perpendicular or opposite directions. Using the 1998 General Estimates System (GES) crash database, this study determined the frequency, manner, and location of the 1.72 million police-reported crossing path collisions that occurred in the United States in 1998. The collisions then were divided into five major scenarios based on vehicle movements prior to the collision. In addition, the study identifies the primary causes of these collisions by analyzing a total of 498 crashes from the Crashworthiness Data System database, and statistically describes major crash contributing factors using the 1998 GES. Crossing path collision statistics were obtained for the following four vehicle platforms: light/passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, and emergency vehicles.

Volpe Staff Attend Rail Safety Meetings in Beijing, China, and Contribute to International Rail Defect Research Effort (FRA)

Mr. Robert Ricci, Director of the Office of Safety and Security, and Dr. David Jeong of the Vehicle Crashworthiness Division represented the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) at the 5th Meeting of the UIC/WEC (Union Internationale des Chemis de Fer/World Executive Council) Joint Research Projects' Rail Defect Management Steering Group. This meeting was held in Beijing, China, from December 13 to 14, 1999. As a result of this meeting, the FRA and the Volpe Center will have a more active role in joint research projects with this international group.

The objective of the Steering Group's Rail Defect Management Program is to implement and develop technologies and management techniques to manage rail flows. The focus of the conference was to develop closer interaction between rail operators (users of the technology) and the rail industry (producers of the technology). Dr. Jeong briefed the steering group on the FRA/Volpe Center Rail Integrity Research Program, which includes an analytical model developed to predict the growth rate of a type of internal rail defect commonly encountered in North America. The steering group requested that the FRA and the Volpe Center assist in this project, specifically with regard to the modeling of rail defects. The Center will conduct analyses correlating the laboratory tests with analytical and/or computational models.

In addition, Mr. Ricci and Dr. Jeong attended a three-day technical conference on track technology that was held after the steering group meeting. The conference was sponsored by the UIC and the Chinese Railways, and was attended by more than 130 representatives from various railway organizations throughout the world. Their Chinese colleagues also hosted Mr. Ricci and Dr. Jeong for a visit to the Chinese Academy of Railway Sciences Test Center, which provides a similar function to that provided in the United States by the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colorado.

Study Completed in Support of Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (FHWA)

As part of the Volpe Center's technical support to the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI) Program, Mr. Larry Barr, Dr. Wassim Najm, and Mr. John Smith of the Accident Prevention Division recently completed a comprehensive study of highway vehicle run-off-road crashes, rear-end collisions, lane change collisions, and crossing path collisions. Statistics were obtained for light/passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, and emergency vehicles. The study, entitled "Crash Problem Definition for the Intelligent Vehicle Initiative," is the first study in which detailed statistical descriptions of the major crash types have been provided for each of the four vehicle platforms defined in the IVI Program. The study provides a better understanding of crash avoidance opportunities using intelligent vehicle safety systems.

The study used the 1998 General Estimates System (GES) crash database to determine the frequency and location of each major crash type, describe the vehicle platform involvement in each crash scenario, and identify the dominant contributing factors by vehicle platform in each crash type. In addition, vehicle pre-crash movements are statistically described for each of the four major crash scenarios. In 1998, approximately 1.79 million rear-end collisions (accounting for 28 percent of all police-reported crashes), 1.72 million crossing path collisions (27 percent), 0.94 million run-off-road crashes (15 percent), and 0.61 million lane change collisions (10 percent) occurred in the United States.

This study provides valuable information for defining the functional requirements of potential collision avoidance system concepts and for estimating countermeasure effectiveness and safety benefits. Finally, the results of this study will help guide DOT in prioritizing future research efforts on vehicle-based crash countermeasures under the IVI Program.

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