AUTOMOBILE DYNAMICS DURING TRAVERSALS OF RAILROAD GRADE CROSSINGS

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE DYNAMICS OF HIGHWAY VEHICLES TRAVERSING RAILROAD GRADE CROSSINGS TO DETERMINE SPEED-TOPOGRAPHY COMBINATIONS FOR WHICH THE VEHICLE RESPONSES MAY BE SUFFICIENTLY VIOLENT TO INTERFERE SIGNIFICANTLY WITH DRIVER CONTROL. THE ASPECTS OF VEHICLE RESPONSES PARTICULARLY STUDIED WERE: CHANGES IN LOADING OF THE FRONT WHEELS, INCLUDING LOSS OF GROUND CONTACT; STEER EFFECTS PRODUCED BY CONTACTS WITH RAILS IN OBLIQUE IMPACTS; AND SUSPENSION "STRIKE THROUGH" AND THE ATTENDANT LARGE VERTICAL ACCELERATIONS. NINE CONCLUSIONS AND FOUR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE PRESENTED. /HSL/

• Corporate Authors:

  Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory, Incorporated

  4455 Genesee Street
  Buffalo, NY  United States  14221
• Authors:
  • DeLeys, N J
  • MCHENRY, R R
• Publication Date: 1969-3

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Control; Information processing; Mathematical models; Railroad grade crossings; Simulation; Speed; Topography; Traffic crashes; Vehicle characteristics; Vehicle dynamics; Vehicle performance; Vehicles
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225912
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Literature
• Report/Paper Numbers: 38 pp
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 13 1971 12:00AM