A Comprehensive Evaluation of NHTSA Rollover Test Data for Use in Computational Model Validation

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R. Martin ◽  
Kerry Allen
Keyword(s):  
Computational Model ◽  
Model Validation ◽  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Computational Simulation ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Crash Test ◽  
Motion Simulation ◽  
Highway Traffic ◽  
National Highway Traffic Safety ◽  
Vehicle Crash

Increased computational power and new software have brought occupant motion simulation into the mainstream for vehicle accident reconstructionists. Using programs available today, investigators are able to achieve numerical results that match actual physical results with a high degree of accuracy. It should therefore be possible to validate the performance of a software simulation using instrument data collected from a real vehicle test. For valid results, however, one must have valid data upon which to base the simulation. We attempted to validate MADYMO occupant motion simulation software by using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) vehicle crash test database for vehicle rollovers. In the course of our work, we discovered flaws in the NHTSA database that rendered it useless for both validating and disputing a computational simulation. These flaws included data that did not match the descriptions of vehicle travel in the written reports, entire channels of missing data, and others. NHTSA crash tests are often cited as reliable sources of data in vehicle crash situations. While not disputing the limited scientific value of these tests, this paper documents the problems with NHTSA test reports and concludes that the data contained therein can be unintentionally misleading and of little value for computational model validation of rollover simulations. This paper also presents testing improvement procedures that should allow a greater correlation of computational and testing data.

Motor Vehicle Crash Testing Regulations for More Inclusive Populations

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (04) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Frye ◽  
Daphne Ko ◽  
Emilee Kotnik
Keyword(s):  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Motor Vehicle Crash ◽  
Vehicle Safety ◽  
Crash Test ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Highway Traffic ◽  
National Highway Traffic Safety ◽  
Crash Testing ◽  
Vehicle Crash ◽  
Safety Outcomes

There is a stark disparity in motor vehicle crash deaths and injuries between male and female drivers. Female drivers are 13% more likely to be killed than their male counterparts in similar motor accidents. However, vehicle safety test practices do not account for diverse body proportions when assessing safety outcomes. Vehicle crash testing standards only require testing of two variations of adult-sized crash test dummies: a 50th percentile male and a 5th percentile female. Automotive companies are not required to test safety outcomes in crash test model’s representative of average female proportions or of non-average body sizes and physiological compositions. Current crash test standards are regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) under the US Department of Transportation. This memo proposes three actions for the NHTSA and the Department of Transportation to address disparities in vehicle safety outcomes: 1) update safety standard requirements to include a 50th percentile female crash test dummy, 2) implement a federal tax incentive program for companies to include a greater diversity of vehicle occupant models, and 3) allocate funds for research and development of virtual crash testing models. These proposed initiatives seek to raise the minimum safety requirements and prioritize wider representation of vehicle occupants to improve parity in vehicle safety outcomes.

Preliminary Calibration and Validation of a Finite Element Model of THOR Mod Kit Dummy

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Costin D. Untaroiu ◽  
Jacob B. Putnam ◽  
Jeffrey T. Somers ◽  
Joseph A. Pellettiere
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Element Model ◽  
Crash Test ◽  
Fe Model ◽  
Loading Conditions ◽  
Highway Traffic ◽  
National Highway Traffic Safety ◽  
Spinal Loading ◽  
Safety Standards

New vehicles are currently being developed to transport crews to space by NASA and several commercial companies. During the takeoff and landing phase, vehicle occupants are typically exposed to spinal and frontal loading. To reduce the risk of injuries during these common impact scenarios, NASA has begun research to develop new safety standards for spaceflight. The THOR, an advanced multi-directional crash test dummy, was chosen by NASA to evaluate occupant spacecraft safety due to its improved biofidelity. Recently, a series of modifications were completed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to improve the bio-fidelity of the THOR dummy. The updated THOR Modification Kit (THOR-K) dummy was tested at Wright-Patterson (WP) Air Base in various impact configurations, including frontal and spinal loading. A computational finite element (FE) model of the THOR was developed in LS-DYNA software and was recently updated to match the latest dummy modifications. The main goal of this study was to calibrate and validate the FE model of the THOR-K dummy for use in future spacecraft safety studies. An optimization-based method was developed to calibrate the material properties of the pelvic flesh model under quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions. Data in a simple compression test of pelvic flesh were used for the quasi-static calibration. The whole dummy kinematic and kinetic response under spinal loading conditions was used for the dynamic calibration. The performance of the calibrated dummy model was evaluated by simulating a separate dummy test with a different crash pulse along the spinal direction. In addition, a frontal dummy test was also simulated with the calibrated model. The model response was compared with test data by calculating its correlation score using the CORA rating system. Overall, the calibrated THOR-K dummy model responded with high similarity to the physical dummy in all validation tests. Therefore, confidence is provided in the dummy model for use in predicting response in other test conditions such as those observed in the spacecraft landing.

Study of Occupant Safety and Airbag Deployment Time

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Yang ◽  
Kristian Lardner ◽  
Moustafa El-Gindy
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Impact Test ◽  
Crash Test ◽  
Passenger Vehicle ◽  
Highway Traffic ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
National Highway Traffic Safety ◽  
Hybrid Iii ◽  
Airbag Deployment ◽  
Deployment Time

This paper presents the use of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software in recreating a full frontal barrier impact test with a 50th percentile male hybrid III dummy to investigate various passenger vehicle airbag deployment times for the development of an airbag trigger sensor. Results for the physical full frontal barrier impact test where prepared by MGA Research Corporation with a 2007 Toyota Yaris. Using a nonlinear transient dynamic FEA software, a virtual full frontal barrier impact test was created to reproduce the physical results and trends experienced in the physical crash test found in a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 5677. The results of the simulation were compared to the results of the physical crash which produced similar trends, but not the same values. The simulation was then used in testing different passenger vehicle airbag deployment times to see its results on specific occupant injury criteria’s; Head Injury Criterion (HIC), Chest Compression Criterion (CC). Four different vehicle speeds where used; 20 km/h, 40 km/h, 56 km/h, and 90 km/h in conjunction with a range of +/− 6 milliseconds in the airbag deployment timing. Results of the airbag deployment timing showed that trends of faster airbag deployment times resulted in lower values for HIC and CC. Following these trends, suggestions for airbag deployment trigger distances were developed to aid in creation of an advanced airbag deployment sensor or crash sensor. While the simulation has yet to be validated, the trends may be assessed and actual values may differ.

A Commented Synopsis of the Report of the Committee for the National Tire Efficiency Study4

2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 70-93
Author(s):  
Marion G. Pottinger ◽  
Joseph D. Walter ◽  
John D. Eagleburger
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Rolling Resistance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Final Report ◽  
Highway Traffic ◽  
National Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Scrap Tire ◽  
National Highway Traffic Safety ◽  
Fuel Savings ◽  
Time Required

Abstract The Congress of the United States petitioned the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences to study replacement passenger car tire rolling resistance in 2005 with funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The study was initiated to assess the potential for reduction in replacement tire rolling resistance to yield fuel savings. The time required to realize these savings is less than the time required for automotive and light truck fleet replacement. Congress recognized that other factors besides fuel savings had to be considered if the committee’s advice was to be a reasonable guide for public policy. Therefore, the study simultaneously considered the effect of potential rolling resistance reductions in replacement tires on fuel consumption, wear life, scrap tire generation, traffic safety, and consumer spending for tires and fuel. This paper summarizes the committee’s report issued in 2006. The authors, who were members of the multidisciplinary committee, also provide comments regarding technical difficulties encountered in the committee’s work and ideas for alleviating these difficulties in further studies of this kind. The authors’ comments are clearly differentiated so that these comments will not be confused with findings, conclusions, and recommendations developed by the committee and contained in its final report.

Distribution of Speed and Acceleration on a Tread Wear Course

1981 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. S. Ludwig ◽  
F. C. Brenner
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Highway Traffic ◽  
National Highway Traffic Safety ◽  
Level Crossings ◽  
Acceleration Level ◽  
Longitudinal Acceleration ◽  
Acceleration Data ◽  
National Highway

Abstract Belted bias and radial Course Monitoring Tires were run over the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tread wear course at San Angelo on a vehicle instrumented to measure lateral and longitudinal accelerations, speed, and number of wheel rotations. The data were recorded as histograms. The distribution of speed, the distributions of lateral and longitudinal acceleration, and the number of acceleration level crossings are given. Acceleration data for segments of the course are also given.

The Analysis and Assessment of Test Method for Flammability of an Automotive Headlining Fabric

2011 ◽  
Vol 332-334 ◽  
pp. 1162-1166
Author(s):  
Zhuo Zhang ◽  
Ying Qing Liu ◽  
Zhong Hai Ren ◽  
Jia Zhuang Ma ◽  
Hu Shui Ye
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Test Method ◽  
Highway Traffic ◽  
National Highway Traffic Safety ◽  
Test Standards ◽  
Foreign Countries ◽  
Mandatory Standard ◽  
Testing Standards ◽  
Interior Textile ◽  
Automotive Interior

The flammability is one of the most important features about safety for automotive interior material. This paper summarized the testing standards for flammability performed testing on a type of interior textile material made by one of domestic manufacturers, in accordance with the Chart 571.302 Standard No. 302 of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of U.S. The complete introduction of national mandatory standard of China in flammability of interior material was introduced and domestic test standards of flammability with those of foreign countries all over world were compared. Finally, this paper proposed possible and would-be necessary parameters based on comprehensiveness of this kind of test due to safer requirement in future.

scholarly journals 40. MVCs: Five Most Frequent Sources of Injury

1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (S2) ◽  
pp. S41-S41
Author(s):  
John E. Gough ◽  
Richard C. Hunt
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Motor Vehicles ◽  
Highway Traffic ◽  
Sampling System ◽  
National Highway Traffic Safety ◽  
National Highway

Purpose: To determine the most frequent sources of injuries from the interior of motor vehicles involved in crashes.Methods: We searched the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's National Accident Sampling System to determine the most frequent sources of injuries. This database includes sources of injuries resulting from crashes from January 1, 1991 to December 31, 1992.

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