Enhanced Finite Element Analysis Crash Model of Tractor-Trailers (Phase A)

Most of the barriers used on US highways to mitigate the effect of run off the road incidents were designed for use with passenger vehicles and not heavy vehicles. The objective of this project is to validate and enhance computer models of a heavy vehicle (tractor -semi trailer combination) that will be used in finite element analysis, design, and evaluation of roadside safety hardware. This effort will enable the tractor-trailer model developed by the National Crash Analysis Center (NCAC) to provide more realistic results in predicting performance of vehicles and barriers in a crash, and significantly reduce the need for costly full-scale crash tests of expensive trucks similar to a model developed previously by NTRCI for single unit trucks. In addition, a User's Manual/Website will be developed to facilitate use of the model.

• Record URL:
  http://www.ntrci.org/projects/u01.html
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This project is funded by National Transportation Research Center Inc. NTRCI-UTC which is a separate entity from the University of Tennessee Regional UTC called the "STC"

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $319909.00
• Contract Numbers:

  DTRT-06-G-0043

  DTRT-06-G-0043-U01

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Highway Administration

  Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
  6300 Georgetown Pike
  McLean, VA  United States  22101

  National Transportation Research Center, Incorporated

  Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  Knoxville, TN  United States  37932
• Project Managers:

  Petrolino, Joseph

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Tennessee, Knoxville

  Knoxville, TN  United States 

  Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  Post Office Box X
  Oak Ridge, TN  United States  37831

  Battelle Memorial Institute

  Columbus Laboratories
  Columbus, OH  United States  43201
• Principal Investigators:

  Stephens, Denny

• Start Date: 20070301
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20080228
• Source Data: RiP Project 13813

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash tests; Finite element method; Highway safety; Tractor trailer combinations; Truck crashes; Truck tractors; Truck traffic; Trucking
• Uncontrolled Terms: Crash analysis
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01464827
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Transportation Research Center, Incorporated
• Contract Numbers: DTRT-06-G-0043, DTRT-06-G-0043-U01
• Files: UTC, RIP, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 3 2013 2:50PM