Published and Presented
Overview of Intrusion and Obstacle Detection. In support of the Federal Railroad Administration, Mr. Marco daSilva of the Advanced Safety Technology Division and Mr. William Baron of the Infrastructure Protection and Operations Division wrote State-of-the-Art Technologies for Intrusion and Obstacle Detection for Railroad Operations, DOT-VNTSC-FRA-07-04; DOT/FRA/ORD-07/06, to provide an updated review of the state-of-the-art technology, including systems currently available and potential technology concepts for future field testing. Application of such detection capabilities can improve the safety of railroad rights of way (ROW) and crossings. http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/Research/ord0706.pdf
Four-Quadrant Gate/Obstruction Detection System. In support of the Federal Railroad Administration, Volpe Center researchers published a final report, Evaluation of the School Street Four-Quadrant Gate/In-Cab Signaling Grade Crossing System, DOT-VNTSC-FRA-03-04; DOT/FRA/ORD-07/09. The objectives of the study were to assess the safety benefits and document the operational performance of this novel technology. The results of the investigation, performed by the Volpe Center during a three-year evalation, were extremely favorable. The report, co-authored by Mr. Adrian Hellman and Ms. Anya Carroll of the Rail and Transit Systems Division and Ms. Debra Chappell of the Federal Highway Administration, documents the results of the research. http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/Research/ord0709.pdf
Crash Avoidance Research. Dr. Wassim Najm, Mr. John D. Smith, and Mr. Mikio Yanagisawa of the Advanced Safety Technology Division recently completed a final report, Pre-Crash Scenario Typology for Crash Avoidance Research, DOT-VNTSC-NHTSA-06-02; DOT-HS 810 767. A number of crash typologies, which provide an understanding of distinct crash types and scenarios, have been developed over the years in support of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) vehicle safety research. The report defines a new typology, which will help researchers determine which traffic safety issues should be of priority to investigate and to develop concomitant crash avoidance systems. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-12/Pre-Crash%20Scenario%20Typology%20-%20Final%20PDF%20Version%205-2-07.pdf
Electronic Flight Bag Industry. An Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) is a small, customizable informationmanagement display system that helps pilots conduct flights more efficiently and safely. Dr. Michelle Yeh and Dr. Divya Chandra, both of the Human Factors Division, published Electronic Flight Bag (EFB): 2007 Industry Review, DOT-VNTSC-FAA-07-04. The report provides information about 19 providers of integrated (hardware plus software) EFB systems. http://www.volpe.dot.gov/hf/aviation/efb/vreppub.html
Volpe Center Continues Tank Car Impact Testing. Research for the final report, Analysis of Accelerations Measured During Full-Scale Tank Car Impact Tests, DOT-VNTSC-FRA-07-03, DOT/FRA/ORD-07/08, was performed as part of the Tank Car Structural Integrity Program sponsored by the Federal Railroad Administration. Written by Mr. Matthew Lyons of the Structures and Dynamics Division with Dr. William Riddell (formerly of the Structures and Dynamics Division) and Mr. Kevin Koch (of the Transportation Technology Center, Inc), results of the project may help modify tank car standards, design specifications, and operating practices. http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/Research/ord0708.pdf
Volpe Center Contributes to Wheel/Rail Interaction Seminar. Mr. Brian Marquis of the Structures and Dynamics Division presented “Safety Studies in Support of Higher Cant Deficiency Operations” at the 13th Annual Wheel/Rail Interaction Seminar in Chicago, Illinois, on May 9, 2007. Sponsored by Advanced Rail Management Corp. and the Interface Journal, the seminar is devoted to examining wheel/rail, vehicle/track interaction on rail freight and shared-track passenger systems and presenting the latest information on the ways in which technology is being used to improve wheel/rail interaction.
Intelligent Assembly and Disassembly Workshop. Dr. Seamus M. McGovern of the Terminal and Surface Systems Division presented “Benchmark Data Set for Evaluation of Line Balancing Algorithms,” co-authored with Dr. Surendra Gupta of Northeastern University, on May 24, 2007, in Alicante, Spain. The technical paper will be published in the Proceedings of the IFAC Workshop on Intelligent Assembly and Disassembly (IAD‘07), pp 54–59, 2007. This conference deals with how rapid development in modern production is tied to the development of new assembly and disassembly systems.
Risk Analysis Briefing at World Conference. The United Kingdom (UK) Ministry of Defence (MOD) Logistics Team of Dr. Alexander Blumenstiel of the Safety Information Systems Division, Mr. Kenneth McGillvary and Mr. John Krumm, both of the Integrated Transportation Business Enterprise Division, and Mr. David Clark (of DACAR Inc, a Volpe Center contractor) developed and presented “A Methodology for Providing a Quantifiable Comparative Risk Analysis for Evaluating Business Alternatives” to the 11th World Conference on Transport Research, held at the University of California, Berkeley, California, on June 25, 2007. The Volpe Center presentation was one of five papers at the “Cost and Investment Valuation” session.
B757 Wake Vortex Report. Dr. James Hallock of the Office of Demonstration and Deployment Programs and Ms. Melanie Soares of the Advanced Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance (CNS) Technologies Division completed the report, Comparison of the Wake Vortices of Heavy and non-Heavy B757, DOT-VNTSC-FA27-PM-07-06. Using data collected by the Volpe Center at the San Francisco Airport, it was shown that the decay of the vortices from the B757-200 and B757-300 is virtually identical. Thus, the classification of the B757-300 as a Heavy aircraft by the FAA Air Traffic organization (thus necessitating increased separations on approach and landing for aircraft) may not be necessary.
Disassembly Line Balancing Research. Dr. Seamus McGovern of the Terminal and Surface Systems Division co-authored (with Dr. Surendra Gupta of Northeastern University) the peer-reviewed research paper, A Balancing Method and Genetic Algorithm for Disasembly Line Balancing, which was published in European Journal of Operational Research (EJOR), Elsevier Science Publishers, North-Holland, Amsterdam, Vol. 179, No. 3, pp. 692–708, June 2007. (DOI:10.1016/j.ejor.2005.03.055)
Human Factors in Use of Railroad Control Systems. For the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Dr. Jordan Multer of the Human Factors Division with Mr. John Wreathall (of John Wreathall & Co), Dr. Emilie Roth (of Roth Cognitive Engineering), Dr. Dennis Bley (of Buttonwood Consulting) produced the final report, Human Factors Considerations in the Evaluation of Processor-Based Signal and Train Control Systems: Human Factors in Railroad Operations, DOT-VNTSC-FRA-07-05; DOT/FRA/ORD-07/07. This report attempts to fill the gap provided by the lack of knowledge about the kinds of human performance challenges and safety risks that will occur with positive train control (PTC) systems. http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/Research/ord0707.pdf
Highway Congestion. Dr. Douglass Lee of the Economic and Industry Analysis Division presented “Expectations and Results from Congestion Pricing of Highways” at the session on congestion management in highway systems at the Allocation and Exchange of Airport Access Rights Workshop. The workshop ran from June 6–8, 2007, was hosted by the National Center of Excellence for Aviation Operations Research (NEXTOR), and was held in Queenstown, Maryland. http://www.isr.umd.edu/NEXTOR/Conferences/200706_Airport_Access_Rights/Lee.pdf
Volpe Center at Vehicle Safety Conference. The 20th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV) was in Lyon, France, from June 18–21, 2007. The Volpe Center was well represented and co-authored four papers with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration colleagues. Papers are listed below and available in the conference proceedings (http://www.nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-01/esv/esv20/TOC.pdf):
- Ms. Linda McCray, Dr. Santokh Singh (both of NHTSA), and Dr. John Brewer of the Advanced Safety Technology Division. “The Effect of Restraint Use and Crash Mode on Injury Severity Risks for Children.”
- Ms. Linda McCray, Mr. Mark Scarboro (both of NHTSA), and Dr. John Brewer of the Advanced Safety Technology Division. “Injuries to Children One to Three Years Old in Side Impact Crashes.”
- Dr. Wassim Najm of the Advanced Safety Technology Division, Mr. Jack Ference of NHTSA, and Mr. Sandor Szabo of National Institute of Standards and Technology. “Objective Test Scenarios for Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems.” Dr. Wassim Najm of the Advanced Safety Technology Division and Dr. David L. Smith of NHTSA. “Definition of a Pre-Crash Scenario Typology for Vehicle Safety Research.”
Conference on Environment. Air and Waste Management Association’s 100th Annual Conference and Exhibition in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from June 26–28, 2007. The conference celebrated the technological and public policy advances that have shaped the Association's role in environmental stewardship.
- Dr. Roger Wayson of the Environmental Measurement and Modeling Division. “Evaluation of Noise Impacts from Landfills.”
- Dr. Roger Wayson and Mr. Gregg Fleming, both of the Environmental Measurement and Modeling Division. “FOA (First order Approximation) Version 3.0: Documentation of Model Development.”
- Dr. Roger Wayson of the Environmental Measurement and Modeling Division. “Particulate Matter at Two Large North American Airports.”
Information Technology Conference. Volpe Center experts attended ITS America’s 2007 Annual Meeting and Exposition, Palm Springs, California, from June 4–6, 2007.
- Dr. Bruce Wilson and Mr. Jonathan Koopmann, both of the Advanced Safety Technology Division. “Performance and Capability of a Road Departure Crash Warning System.”
- Dr. Wassim Najm of the Advanced Safety Technology Division. “Independent Evaluation Concept for Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems,” presented by Dr. Bruce Wilson of the Advanced Safety Technology Division.
- Ms. Suzanne Sloan of the Service and Operations Planning Division. “Meeting the Just-In-Time Need for Learning with ITS Solutions Center.”
Effects of Diesel Exhaust on Driver Safety. For the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Volpe Center published Emissions Impact on Driver Safety (FMCSA-RRA-07-012/ DOT-VNTSC-FMCSA-07- 02). The report compiles existing research as to whether exposure to diesel exhaust at levels found in cabs affects safety performance by affecting driver sleep, alertness, reaction time, fatigue levels, or judgment- making abilities. The report is authored by Dr. Michelle Yeh and Mr. John K. Pollard of the Human Factors Division with support from Mr. Paul Zebe and Mr. Jose Mantilla of the Environmental Engineering Division.
Wake Vortex Sound Emissions. A paper written by Dr. Frank Wang, Mr. Hadi Wassaf (both of the Advanced Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance (CNS) Technologies Division), Dr. Z.C. Zheng, and Dr. Wenhua Li (both of Kansas State University), Influence of Vortex Core on Wake Vortex Sound Emission, was published in Journal of Aircraft, v. 44, n. 4, July-August 2007, pp. 1369–1377. The paper was also presented (as Paper 2538) at the 12th AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from May 8–10, 2006.