Volpe Center Highlights
Safety
Focus |
Safety |
Mobility |
Human and Natural Environment |
Economic Growth and Trade |
National Security |
Published and Presented
Promote public health and safety by working toward the elimination of transportation-related deaths, injuries, and property damage. |
Workshop on Reliability Assessment Using Aviation Maintenance Data (FAA)
Messrs. George Neat and John Brewer, of the Volpe Center's Vehicle Crashworthiness Division, recently participated in the Inspection Reliability Workshop, hosted by the Federal Aviation Administration's Aging Aircraft Nondestructive Inspection Program. At the workshop, which was held in Atlantic City, NJ, Dr. Brewer briefed participants on his work involving "Reliability Analysis using Japanese Maintenance Data." The presentation illustrated how crack detection data, obtained under an international agreement, and fracture mechanics crack growth principles can be integrated to estimate field inspection reliability.
Testing of Flight Standards Automation System (FAA)
The management of large amounts of information is central to FAA's responsibilities for safety. For over a decade the Volpe Center has supported FAA in automating the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and operational use of safety data concerning aircraft, the operating companies and the personnel who service and operate them. This program has consistently received the backing of Congress and the aviation industry. The FAA's Office of Aviation Standards is the principal user of the resulting systems technology, which is now deployed nationwide. The Volpe Center recently tested the Flight Standards Automation Systems (FSAS) Version 6.01. This update of an earlier system contains a series of maintenance programs to assist the FAA's Flight Standards offices in correcting and verifying the data in their Vital Information System "Check Airman" files. This Check Airman file "clean-up" is the first step in a two-part effort. The second step, FSAS Version 6.02, will complete the Check Airman software and incorporate FAR (Federal Aviation Regulation) 142-Training Center evaluator requirements. Participating in the FSAS test were the Houston and Dallas-Ft. Worth Flight Standards district offices, and "Safety Support Hotline."
Study of Merchant Vessel Fire Safety (USCG)
The Volpe Center's Accident Prevention Division provides marine engineering and fire protection expertise to the International Fire Protection Section of the Coast Guard's Office of Marine Safety. As a result of increased international concern with minimizing oil pollution, the Coast Guard is evaluating ways to improve merchant vessel safety. In support of this objective, the Center recently performed a casualty analysis of the world merchant fleet relating to reported fire and explosion incidents resulting in marine pollution. Sources of data (which span 15 years) for the analysis included the Lloyd's of London Casualty Information System Data Base and MARAD. The passenger vessel fleet was found to have the highest rate of reported fire/explosion incidents, an average of 2.9% of the fleet (approximately 10 vessels) experiencing an incident in any given year. With respect to pollution, tanker fleet was the significant contributor, with an average of 35 reported incidents per year. Of these, fires/explosions were reported to contribute to 8% or an average of three incidents per year. Results of the study have been documented in a final report and submitted to Coast Guard. This information will be used in support of possible international rulemaking on merchant vessel fire safety.