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Volpe Center Highlights - August/September 2001FocusDirector's Notes |
Focus |
Safety |
Mobility |
Human and Natural Environment 
Reducing Injuries and Deaths in Motor Vehicle Crashes (NHTSA)Motor vehicle accidents result in more than 40,000 fatalities and three million injuries each year in the United States. To reduce deaths and serious injuries to motor vehicle occupants, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigates ways to increase vehicle safety. This investigation requires an understanding of how bodies physically respond in motor vehicle collisions, as well as the mechanisms that generate the forces that injure vehicle occupants during crashes. The Volpe Center supports NHTSA in both these areas. 
Volpe researchers have developed a complex computational model of NHTSA's THOR crash test dummy. The model is a cost-effective tool that complements crash test results and helps evaluate injury mitigation techniques. The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards specify vehicle crash tests that measure occupant safety; automobile manufacturers are motivated to develop vehicles that perform well on these crash tests. Crash test dummies are used to examine how bodies physically respond to motor vehicle collisions. During testing, instrumented crash test dummies in the test vehicles collect data that can be converted into injury criteria. NHTSA performs research to improve crash tests that will result in better injury criteria and, ultimately, vehicle designs with an increased probability of occupant survival and less severe injuries. Recently, a more biofidelic crash test dummy with a more comprehensive instrumentation system was developed by NHTSA's National Transportation Biomechanics Research Center. This dummy, called THOR, could become an international standard as the global community attempts to harmonize safety standards. At the very least, the THOR design will strongly influence an eventual definition of a standard international crash test dummy. For nearly two decades, the Volpe Center's Vehicle Crashworthiness Division has provided analytical, modeling, and simulation support for NHTSA's research programs in both biomechanics and crashworthiness. Biomechanics -- Studying how bodies respond to and are injured in collisions Computer simulations of crash scenarios using mathematical models of crash test dummies are a cost-effective way to carry out meaningful research. Such simulations complement crash test results and are used to better evaluate injury mitigation techniques being assessed by the government and other research organizations in industry and academia. Computational models also are used to improve instrumentation and biofidelity of the dummy hardware and to prioritize crash scenarios for physical testing. In turn, crash tests help validate the modeling. To develop such models, Volpe experts use the latest modeling and simulation technology. The Vehicle Crashworthiness Division has developed a mathematical model of the THOR crash dummy. Dr. David Jeong provided analytical support for material modeling that was essential for the THOR model development. Currently, the THOR model is complete except for validation, and the major components have already been validated with test data. In June 2001, four Technical Information Exchanges documenting the results of these validation studies were submitted to NHTSA by the THOR model development team. The lead authors of these reports were Mr. Peter Kwok of the Division and Dr. Marisol Medri and Dr. Hailing Yu of EG&G Technical Services (a Volpe Center contractor). When validation is complete, the mathematical model can be made available to other research organizations. On July 30 and 31, 2001, a Neck Research Meeting was held at NHTSA Headquarters. Mr. George Neat, Chief of the Division, and Dr. Medri, Dr. Yu, and Dr. Calvin Zhou also of EG&G participated in the meeting. Dr. Medri and Dr. Yu presented results of the THOR mathematical neck modeling project. Test results were presented by Harborview Hospital, the Japanese Automotive Research Institute, the Medical College of Wisconsin, Duke University, and GESAC, Inc.
Volpe experts also have developed human models, which, unlike dummies or models of dummies, simulate bodily injury. The majority of fatalities and serious injuries that occur in motor vehicle accidents result from damage to the head and chest of the occupants; the Division has developed internationally recognized mathematical models of the human head and thorax. The head model, developed by Mr. Frank DiMasi, provides the basis for a new standardized analytical tool called SIMon (Simulated Injury Monitor). SIMon provides simplified versions of head, thorax, neck, and lower extremities models of occupants, including women and children. These models of humans can be driven by instrumentation data from dummies used in crash tests. Crashworthiness -- Helping to define vehicle design characteristics Volpe also conducts research for NHTSA to identify vehicle design characteristics that will reduce injuries and fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. These studies provide supporting data for federal rulemaking activities to improve motor vehicle testing requirements. Volpe's crashworthiness research includes examining occupant protection systems and occupant behavior, analyzing crash statistics, studying vehicle aggressivity and fleet compatibility, crash testing vehicles, and modeling and simulating vehicles and systems. Vehicle aggressivity and fleet compatibility are particularly timely areas of concern. Volpe researchers are addressing a safety problem resulting from the disparate types of motor vehicles operating on the highways: vehicle designs intended to protect the occupants of motor vehicles have resulted in "aggressive" vehicles that cause excessive injuries and fatalities to the occupants of the other vehicle in various crash scenarios. In the United States, the emergence of large sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and the increase in sales of vans and pickup trucks have exacerbated the problem. Volpe research will help determine the best combination of vehicle characteristics to reduce fatalities and injuries in motor vehicle crashes between dissimilar types of vehicles. Mr. Neat is participating in international working groups addressing this problem. Most recently, the Vehicle Crashworthiness Division has developed a prototype Fleet Systems Model to evaluate the impact of vehicle design changes and the introduction of new safety systems on the U.S. automobile fleet. This model uses the results of other ongoing research that includes crash testing, mathematical modeling, occupant modeling, and analysis of crash statistics. Ultimately, the Fleet Systems Model will incorporate projections of the U.S. fleet into future years, optimization features, and capabilities to determine the best combination of vehicle characteristics to reduce fatalities and serious injuries in motor vehicle crashes. The Fleet Systems Model development is a team effort coordinated by Ms. Alexandra Kuchar. Frontal vehicle modeling and simulation is led by Dr. John Brewer, occupant modeling and simulation support is led by Mr. Larry Simeone, and side-impact modeling and simulation support is led by Ms. Yim Tang.
The vehicle crash test program is managed by Mr. John Guglielmi, who is overseeing 11 side-impact crash tests. The data from these tests will be used to validate and complement the analytical and modeling studies addressing the increased presence of SUVs, pickup trucks, and vans in the U.S. fleet. Ongoing and Future Support to NHTSA The Center will continue to provide modeling support to the process of crash test dummy development. It is expected that the next dummy developed will be a small female dummy, followed by improved child dummies. Modeling of the human body also is an ongoing activity; ultimately, as sufficient resources become available, a full human mathematical model will be developed. The introduction of lightweight, fuel-efficient vehicles to a fleet with an increasing percentage of light trucks and vans poses new challenges to fleet compatibility. Improvement of the Fleet Systems Model will provide a tool for government and industry to better evaluate the impacts of these changes in the motor vehicle fleet. |
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