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Volpe Center Highlights - April 1999SafetyDirector's Notes |
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Safety |
Mobility |
Human and Natural Environment |
Volpe Center Completes Summary of FRA Safety Research (FRA) The Volpe Center recently completed a report, "Improving Railroad Safety and Rail Passenger Technology through Targeted Research and Demonstrations, 1992-1999," for the FRA's Office of Railroad Development (ORD). The ORD conducts research, development, testing, and evaluation of projects that directly support the FRA's safety responsibility and which enhance the railroad system as a significant national transportation resource. For over 25 years, the Volpe Center has been working with the FRA to improve railroad safety and performance. Summarizing ORD activities from 1992 1997, the report was an inter-Divisional, collaborative effort and included members of the Accident Prevention Division, Vehicle Crashworthiness Division, High-Speed Ground Transportation Division, Structures and Dynamics Division, and Operator Performance and Safety Analysis Division. Input was also received from the Transportation Technology Center, Inc., in Pueblo, CO, and from members of the FRA, Office of Research and Development in Washington, DC. This report does not include all research and development activities undertaken; instead, it is representative of the work accomplished. The document is available for distribution starting in May 1999. Volpe Center Conducts Grade Crossing Safety / Drivers Education Issues Workshop (FRA) Causing 461 fatalities in 1997, collisions between motor vehicles and trains at Highway-Rail Intersections are the leading cause of deaths associated with the railroad industry. Mr. Robert McGuire, of the Accident Prevention Division, is the project leader of a multi-year FRA study on Grade Crossing Safety as it relates to Driver Education Issues. In support of this effort, the Volpe Center recently conducted a Panel of Experts Workshop in San Antonio, TX. Workshop participants included a broad cross-section of representatives from government, industry, labor, and academia from across the United States and Canada. Additionally, the workshop benefited from the input of representatives of constituencies that had not participated in past grade crossing safety training and public awareness activities, such as driving school associates and training developers. Mr. John Hitz, Chief of the Accident Prevention Division, and Ms. Anne Donnelly, of the same division, also participated in the workshop. Volpe Center Prepares White Paper to support FRA Safety Efforts (FRA) The three components that allow passengers to identify, reach, and operate emergency exits during a passenger train evacuation are emergency signs, emergency lighting, and Low Location Exit Path Markings (LLEPM). LLEPM typically consist of an active (electrically powered) or passive (photo-luminescent) material. When train crews are unavailable, emergency lighting fails, and immediate evacuation is necessary, the LLEPM system provides supplemental guidance (located near the floor) to passengers to evacuate the train. The effectiveness of the LLEPM systems was recently demonstrated during the March 15, 1999, passenger train accident that occurred near Bourbonnais, IL. Passengers followed the electro-luminescent floor strips installed in Superliner II cars to emergency exits. Ms. Stephanie Markos, of the High Speed Ground Transportation Division, and Mr. John Pollard, of the Operation Performance and Safety Analysis Division, prepared a White Paper on LLEPM issues for the FRA's Office of Research and Development. This paper was developed to support a Notice of Proposed Rule Making by FRA on passenger equipment. The White Paper will also serve as supporting information for a proposed LLEPM standard that was recently sent to the American Public Transit Association/Passenger Rail Equipment Safety Standards Task Force for consideration and approval. Volpe Staff Presents Ongoing Transportation Research Activities to University Students Recently, Dr. David Jeong, of the Vehicle Crashworthiness Division, spoke at Tufts and at Lehigh Universities, discussing the Volpe Center's research activities relating to the structural integrity of aging aircraft on both occasions. The particular topics included: (1) full-scale testing of panels resembling the fuselage of an airplane, (2) evaluation of criteria for the coalescence of multiple fatigue cracks, and (3) strain field characterization in lap splices of a retired Boeing 737 airplane. As part of the engineering curriculum, colleges and universities commonly conduct a series of seminars, at which speakers are invited to talk about recent advances in research and design. The purpose of the seminars is to provide an opportunity for both graduate students and faculty to learn and hear about a diverse range of ongoing research activities. |
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