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    <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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    <atom:link href="https://trid.trb.org/Record/RSS?s=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" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
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    <language>en-us</language>
    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
    <image>
      <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
      <url>https://trid.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle.jpg</url>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>Multi-objective optimization design of rear seat for a passenger car based on GARS and NSGA-III</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2563932</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A collaborative multi-objective optimization design is conducted for the rear seat of a passenger car. This study introduces a combined optimization strategy that integrates both the multi-objective optimization problem and multi-criteria decision-making approaches. Firstly, a finite element model of the rear seat luggage compartment crash is established, and its accuracy is validated. Secondly, the thickness and material type of the primary stress components of the backrest framework for the rear seat are considered as design variables. The safety test point displacement, material cost, and weight are defined as the optimization objectives, while regulatory standards are taken as constraints to construct a multi-objective optimization problem. Once more, the Pareto frontier solution sets are achieved by constructing the genetic aggregation response surface surrogate model combined with the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-III optimization algorithm through experimental design. Finally, the Pareto frontier solution sets are ranked to determine the best compromise solution using the multi-criteria decision-making method, which involves the optimal combination weight and the technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution based on the Kullback-Leibler distance. The safety performance, lightweight, and cost-effectiveness of the optimized rear car seat are improved. Specifically, the displacement of the headrest skeleton and backrest skeleton is reduced by 5.96% and 4.47% respectively, the material cost is decreased by 7.1%, and the weight is reduced by 5.54%.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2025 08:44:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2563932</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>An Intelligent Sensor-Based Back Seat Monitoring System for Preventing Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2591721</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research introduces an innovative automotive child back seat monitoring system aimed at preventing heatstroke incidents associated with leaving children unattended in vehicles. The device integrates sensors, wireless connectivity, and intelligent algorithms to detect and respond to potential risks. Internal sensors continuously monitor factors such as occupancy status, in-vehicle temperature, and the child's respiration rate in real-time. A hybrid approach is adopted for enhanced accuracy, utilizing Force Sensing Resistor (FSR) sensors for presence and breathing detection, along with motion sensors for movement tracking. Intelligent algorithms process the data to identify critical conditions and activate preventive measures. Data is transmitted through a mobile application for immediate alerts to caregivers. The system incorporates a Simplified Frequency Analysis (SFA) for rapid processing, surpassing conventional methods by up to 80 times faster on a low-cost Microcontroller (MC), which makes it ideal for real-time applications. Testing results confirm its high accuracy in real-time occupancy detection and breath monitoring, triggering alerts as needed. The proposed system meets rigorous automotive industry standards for temperature and power requirements, ensuring optimal functionality and energy efficiency in extreme environments. With a minimal standby current of 104 $\mu$A and the ability to withstand temperatures from -40 $^{\circ }$C to +85 $^{\circ }$C, this technology has the potential to save lives and establish child heatstroke prevention as a standard vehicle feature.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 13:56:42 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2591721</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Loss Function Curve to Quantify Customer (Dis)Satisfaction for Rear Chair Height (H30-2)</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2483142</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In vehicle design, the H point is a theoretical relative location measured in relation to specific characteristics that determines a group of dimensions to define vehicle interior roominess. Based on theoretical H point automakers concept their vehicle and have to make important decisions on vehicle architectural that could result in a bad product for the future customers and during the early phase of vehicle development, one of the key design attributes to consider is in relation to the interior comfort of the user, so that its design and its components enabling a favorable interaction with the occupant. Vehicle interior roominess is one of the key factors for buyers’ satisfaction with certain features such as the shoulder room, headroom and couple distance, among others, may influence the level of satisfaction of the occupants’ comfort. One of these items refers to the rear chair height (H30-2), which is presented while by the distance of rear H-point to the vehicle floor affecting the level of satisfaction for vehicle interior roominess. The objective of this project was to analyze the influence of the rear H point to vehicle floor in the vehicle interior roominess, and how the seat height can play an important role in the user’s perception. This study was supported by clinics, research and technical-statistical data.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 24 Jan 2025 11:13:22 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2483142</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluation of Fillet Welds Properties Performed by Cold Metal Transfer Robotic Metal Active Gas Welding Technology</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2475204</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The article is the result of research evaluating the quality of fillet welds used in the production of rear seat backrests for passenger cars and manufactured robotically by Cold Metal Transfer (CMT) robotic Metal Active Gas (MAG) welding. When robotizing the process, parameters such as the speed of the process itself, accuracy and quality of the welded joints are important. Dual-phase ferritic-martensitic steel HCX 590X was used for the experiment and four weld nodes were evaluated. The quality of welded joints was evaluated by visual and capil-lary methods. Based on the metallographic analysis, the weld depth of the weld root was evaluated. The measured values were subsequently processed by statistical method ANalysis Of Variance (ANOVA). The research confirmed that the final quality of the welds depends on the depth of the weld root weld into the Base Material (BM). This parameter has the greatest effect on the welds made and results in the entire product being taken out of service.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 13 Dec 2024 17:02:43 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2475204</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Restraint of Design for Obese Occupants: Rear-seat Simulations (Second of four parts)</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2378071</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This study evaluates the biofidelity of Global Human Body Modeling Consortium models representing obese people by comparing their kinematics with obese postmortem human surrogates in frontal sled tests. It was necessary to develop a finite element model to define accurate boundary conditions. Experimental tests with a robotic arm as well as an Instron machine were performed on the seat cushion and seat back foam to characterize the mechanical properties of the buck components. Then, the seat, seat back, frame, and seat reinforcement structure were 3D-scanned, cleaned, and meshed. Finally, the mechanical properties of the buck components were tuned based on the experimental tests. To investigate whether the model is capable of submarining, additional simulations (each with a modification to the model) were performed. The results showed that adding mass to the abdomen or removing the abdominal organs did not change the model’s behavior significantly.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 16:34:53 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2378071</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluation of Rear-Seat Belt Laws</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2055579</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Recent upgrades to rear-seat belt law in two States were documented, based on information gathered from legislative websites, news articles, and other internet sources, as well as interviews with key observers. Successful strategies and challenges were identified. The main factors leading to success included engaging crash victims and their families to share their stories, identifying legislative sponsors, considering concessions during the legislative process, identifying people or organizations to lead broad-based coalitions of public and private partners to coordinate efforts and ensure consistent messaging, emphasizing safety and economic benefits of belt law upgrades rather than enforcement, and developing evidence-based summaries of the safety benefits of the law upgrades. An additional goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of adult rear-seat belt laws on rear-seat belt use. The researchers conducted observational surveys in nine States, all having a primary front-seat belt law. States were grouped into triads based on statewide front-seat belt use rate as well as geographical and demographic similarities. Each triad consisted of a primary, secondary, and “no” rear-seat belt law State. The researchers conducted observations at 120 sites per State, resulting in more than 8,000 adult rear-seat observations. Within each triad, rear-seat belt use was lowest in States without a rear-seat belt law, and it was significantly lower than rear-seat belt use in States with primary rear-seat belt laws. The impact of rear-seat secondary laws was less clear.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 28 Nov 2022 11:07:09 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2055579</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Crashworthiness Evaluation of Advanced Frontal ATDs (VRTC)</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2050293</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project involves crashworthiness evaluation to support Rulemaking initiatives for the THOR 50th male anthropometric test devices (ATD), including support for frontal crash testing. This project will continue to support the development of the THOR 5th female and LODC 10-year-old ATDs, including refining seating procedures, assessing durability, and assessing performance in rear seat crash environments.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 Oct 2022 10:24:45 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2050293</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Latching Effort Predictions and its Design Characteristics Studies on Automotive Rear Seat</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2004532</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Automotive Rear Seats are designed as foldable seats to provide more luggage space to customers when the seat is unoccupied. Foldable seats are of two types, Free Standing Seats and High Latch Seats. Free standing seats are designed with recliner mechanism which allows the seat back to rotate and lock at any given position. High Latch Seats are designed with latches operated by CAMs & Springs which locks with striker wire mounted on the body or side pillars. Recliner Mechanism on free standing seat helps to rotate and lock the seat back at any position with ease. But high latch seats require higher efforts to push the seats towards the striker wire to lock. Efforts (Force in N) required to latch the seats with striker wire need to be in the operating range of customers to latch it easily. Hence latching effort calculations and study of design factors which influence the latching efforts get more importance to avoid any customer complaints at later stage. In this paper, a foldable Rear Bench Seat on a pickup truck is considered for evaluating the Latching Effort and its design characteristics. Latching CAMs, Striker Wire, Rear Body Panel, Rubber Bumps and Body Panel Trims are studied in detail to understand their influence on the Latching Effort with the help of CAE.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 18 Aug 2022 15:06:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2004532</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development of Test Procedures for Lower Interior Rear Seat Occupant
Protection</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2003099</link>
      <description><![CDATA[NHTSA has conducted research with the objective to develop test procedures and assessment criteria to address injuries from impacts with lower interior surfaces in the rear seat area, focusing on head and face injuries due to contacts with seat backs, head restraints, and lower B-pillars. To evaluate the head injury potential of production vehicles as rear seat occupant heads contact lower B-pillars and seat backs, vehicles were tested using a methodology based on the upper interior test procedure of FMVSS No. 201. Seat back impact locations were chosen using engineering judgment that targeted various hard spots. Three targets were chosen on the seat back and one on the head restraint for each seat model. Tests series were completed on seat backs to refine the research test procedures, and it was found that there were elevated HIC results from contact to these surfaces and that countermeasures were feasible to implement into the seat back designs. It was also found that a loaded seat back condition, which is more realistic to a crash environment, produced more repeatable HIC36 responses than an unloaded seat back condition and was possible to incorporate into a free-motion impact test setup. For lower B-pillars, a procedure was developed for a new impact location lower on the B-pillar toward the rear of the vehicle. This new location was at the height of Plane 9 that is the lowest plane defined when establishing the B-pillar coordinate system in the upper interior test procedure of FMVSS No. 201. The plane is at the height of the lowest point on the bottom edge of the front window. Tests series were completed on lower B-pillars to refine the research test procedure, and it was found that there were elevated HIC results from contact to this location, that countermeasures were feasible to implement into the B-pillar trim, and that having the door closed and adjacent trim installed, which is more realistic to a crash environment, was possible to incorporate into a free-motion impact test setup.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 11 Aug 2022 09:41:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2003099</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Rear-seat seatbelt use in urban Southeast Asia: results from Bandung and Bangkok</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1965163</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Road traffic injuries (RTIs) remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Southeast Asia. The authors aim to estimate the prevalence and predictors of rear seatbelt use, a key behavioural risk factor for RTI, in Bandung and Bangkok, two cities in Southeast Asia. Roadside observational studies were conducted to provide a representative picture of the prevalence in each city. From eight rounds of observations (July 2015 to April 2019), 39,479 and 7,207 rear-seat passengers were observed in Bandung and Bangkok. Across all rounds, 4.2% of rear-seat passengers used seatbelts in Bandung, compared to 8.4% in Bangkok. In both cities, males and adults, as compared to females and adolescents (aged 12-17 years), had higher odds of rear seatbelt use, as did passengers with a restrained driver. Findings highlight the need for rear seatbelt laws in Bandung and improved enforcement of existing rear seatbelt laws in Bangkok.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 22 Jul 2022 13:49:01 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1965163</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Advanced Rear Seat Sensing – Further Improving Occupant Safety, Using RF Technology</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1758143</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Building on previously developed VitaSense technology, IEE has developed a single sensor, which is integrated behind the headliner of the vehicle, and can serve multiple detection purposes. The new low-power 79 GHz RF sensing unit is used as Occupant Detection Sensor (ODS) while driving, and makes this information available to the vehicle, as input for advanced seat belt reminder (SBR) systems. After the drive, the sensor keeps operating, and can thus detect left-behind occupants, including sleeping new-born children. The standalone sensor is hence capable to address two different functionalities playing a role in the Euro NCAP star rating. Advanced rear seat SBR is incentivised since 2018, and "Child Presence Detection" will become part of the rating scheme in 2022. As "VitaSense+ODS", the sensor addresses two rear seat safety issues: a) seat belt usage in the rear seats tends to be at least 10-15% lower than in the front seats, in some regions of the world even significantly worse; b) invehicle heatstroke of unattended infants and children in cars, which in 2018 reached a new record in the US with 51 resulting fatalities. Based on the driving tests performed, and static child detection tests, the 79 GHz RF sensing method has been found to be robust. It is important to note that the system presented serves as a reminder, which does not ensure the prevention of rear occupant injury or heatstroke fatalities per se.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 20 Jan 2021 13:57:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1758143</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Assessing Injury Risk of Car Occupants on Rearward Facing Seats in a Full Frontal Impact – Sled Tests in a Generic Test Environment</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1757953</link>
      <description><![CDATA[With the introduction of fully-automated vehicles, new seating configurations of the passenger compartment has been proposed. Rearward facing front seats are considered to provide so-called living room seating. At least as long as conventional and fully-automated vehicles share the same roads in mixed traffic, crashes may occur. Occupant protection on a rearward facing seat must therefore be on the same level as on a forward facing seat to comply with legal requirements. In order to assess dummy response on a rearward facing seat in a 56 km/h full frontal impact, sled tests were performed, analysed, and discussed. A total of 23 sled tests in three series with a Hybrid III 50th percentile adult male dummy were performed to simulate a vehicle frontal impact against a rigid barrier at impact speeds up to 56 km/h. In the first test series, a serial vehicle seat was used, but it showed already considerable deformation at an impact speed of 40 km/h. Therefore, a generic concept seat was developed. In the second test series, the concept seat was tested and tuned to enable it to perform tests at the target impact speed of 56 km/h. In the third series, tests to investigate repeatability were performed. Dummy loadings at 56 km/h were compared with reference values from legislation and literature. Focus was set on thorax and lumbar spine loadings. For a qualified interpretation of dummy loadings and the performance of the restraint system, the crash was divided into three phases: (1) impact phase until the maximum dummy rearward displacement, (2) dummy rebound before interaction with the seat belt, and (3) dummy in rebound and interaction with the seat belt. The impact phase (1) is characterized by the highest 3 ms chest acceleration, close to 60 g in 56 km/h tests. Notably, this was the loading closest to the injury assessment reference value (IARV). The lumbar spine was mainly loaded in compression with forces rising up to 5.8 kN. Chest deflection of about 8 mm was caused by inertia of the dummy rib cage. The rebound phase before interaction (2) did not show any substantial dummy loading. The rebound interaction phase (3) was influenced by the seat belt system, chest deflection ranged from 5 mm in the test with lap belts to 19 mm in the test with two crossed shoulder belts (crisscross belt). The viscous criterion was below 0.1 m/s in all tests. Overall, the tests showed good repeatability and the ability of the generic concept seat to control dummy kinematics. A limitation of the study is, that only full frontal loading directions were studied, dummy kinematics of oblique impact direction, simulating e.g. +30° impacts to the barrier, were not included. The head rest was not in focus of this investigation and the head was fixed to the head rest without any gap in between.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 11 Jan 2021 17:37:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1757953</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A Parametric Study of an Adaptive Load-Limiting Restraint System With Weight Sensing Considerations</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1756211</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The subject study provides an overview of several rear seat restraint configurations, with a focus on the restraint performance of a real-time adaptive (RTA) retractor system. The simulated RTA system assumes the integration of the TCJ Technology into the retractor. The near real-time response and high torque generation capabilities of the TCJ technology are briefly discussed and physical test data are shown in support. Simulations of both a conventional retractor and a 3kN LL retractor are carried out as well. The conventional retractor system is void of any specific energy management, other than the seatbelt stretch itself. Both the 3kN LL and the RTA systems are equipped with energy management functionalities. Simulations of the three restraint configurations are conducted in the MADYMO software with five different ATD models and six different crash pulses. The ATD models range from the HIII 6YO to the HIII 95th percentile male. The vehicle crash pulses originate from the NHTSA database for barrier impacts, with five pulses at the 35-mph severity level and one pulse at the 25-mph severity level. The MADYMO Control System modeling capabilities are relied upon to develop and implement the feedback control system for the RTA model. Seatbelt pay-out amounts and seatbelt pay-out rates are monitored during the simulated crash events. The sensor data are fed real-time into the RTA control system and real-time adaptive retractor seatbelt forces are thus generated. The research initially assumes direct occupant weight sensing is absent and later assesses that the RTA system can indeed function without this third input. A recommended load-limiting performance envelope for the RTA system is specified based on the simulation results. Data interpretation highlights the benefits of an RTA-type system for the full spectrum of modeled occupant sizes and weights, with an understanding that the smaller and more vulnerable occupants (elderly) tend to benefit most when restraint systems are more compliant, and yet able to prevent excessive seatbelt pay-outs for heavier occupants, without any significant detriment in injury numbers across the board. The noted improvements in the 25-mph simulation further bolster the broader benefit aspect, as a greater majority of occupant exposures occur at less than the 35-mph severity.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 21 Dec 2020 10:04:26 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1756211</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>CAE Method Development for the Seat Latch Effort Calculation in 2nd Row Bench Seats and Optimization</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1702094</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Latches are generally used to lock/unlock a component against each other. In the automotive industry, latches are widely used in doors and seats. Seat latches have to secure the seat safely to the body in the event of a crash and at the same time they have to be locked/unlocked with easy efforts. Seat latches are mostly supplier designed parts. Supplier latch effort calculations involve only latch components. Actual latch effort calculations should be done with seat structures, foams, trims and body environments. Hence OEMs are responsible to provide easily lockable/unlockable seats to their customers. Customers nowadays, are raising complaints regarding latching issues to respective automotive industry which in turn costs more due to after sales services/warranty claims. Therefore, automotive industries must spend a significant amount of time and capital on physical test and method development for calculating the latch efforts. CAE method is the best approach to calculate the latching effort. However, there is no such proven CAE method available for testing seat latch effort (the effort applied by passenger to engage/disengage latching action). CAE method can be developed to correlate with physical test and do design iterations to get an optimum design with good latch effort and cost. In this paper, authors elaborate about a CAE method to calculate the latching effort using LS-dyna solver along with a deep dive on physical test data correlation to verify the design verification effectiveness.       ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2020 09:43:33 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1702094</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development of a new recline mechanism in order to reduce the “whiplash” effect using a virtual model</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1624176</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The purpose of this paper is to design a mechanism mounted on the occupant’s seat to control the recline of the backseat in the case of rear-end collisions to reduce the effects of whiplash upon the occupant’s neck and head using a virtual model of an occupant and seat. The design of the system is modeled in SolidWorks and simulated in this software by using the Adams physics model included in SolidWorks. The system will function similarly to a real sled; it is composed of a car’s seat, a multibody occupant and a surface along which the seat may slide. This system will be validated by comparing two real sled tests and a seat normally functioning. Once validated, the mechanism is enabled to make simulations which are conducted to analyze the differences in kinematics of the occupant’s neck and the various key parameters such as head accelerations, contact forces and T1 vertebrae acceleration. The multibody occupant is composed of multiple bodies inter-connected with joints and it will simulate a real occupant. As for the evaluation of injury potential for the neck, the neck injury criteria (NIC) are calculated for the comparisons of the two situations: when the backseat has normal rigidity and when the recline mechanism is activated. It was observed that, by using this recline mechanism, the key parameters were reduced. This paper presents the new developed mechanism with the obtained parameter reductions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2020 16:26:12 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1624176</guid>
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