HIGHWAY VEHICLE IMPACT STUDIES: TESTS AND MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS OF VEHICLE, PACKAGE, AND TIEDOWN SYSTEMS CAPABLE OF CARRYING RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL

FOUR VEHICLE IMPACT TESTS WERE CONDUCTED IN FEBRUARY THROUGH NOVEMBER OF 1966 AT THE ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND AS PART OF AN INITIAL STUDY TO DEVELOP TEST AND INSTRUMENTATION TECHNIQUES AND TO ACQUIRE QUANTITATIVE DATA ON NUCLEAR MATERIAL TRANSPORT SYSTEMS THAT MIGHT BE USED TO DESCRIBE THE DYNAMICS OF TRANSPORTATION ACCIDENTS. THE IMPACT TESTS WERE PERFORMED WITH THREE DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS OF TRUCK TRACTORS AND SEMI-TRAILERS AND TWO TYPES OF CARGO. A 350 TON BARRIER WA CONSTRUCTED AT THE END OF A PAVED ROAD AND THE REMOTELY OPERATED TEST VEHICLES WERE IMPACTED AGAINST IT AT VARIOUS VELOCITIES. THE TESTS WERE EXECUTED SUCCESSFULLY, BUT THE INSTRUMENTS INSTALLED ON THE TRACTORS FOR QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENTS WERE DAMAGED PRIOR TO CONCLUSION OF THE IMPACT PHENOMENA BECAUSE OF THE INHERENT WEAKNESS OF THE TRACTORS. PHOTOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENTS PROVIDED THE MOST MEANINGUL DESCRIPTION OF THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF THE TRANSPORT SYSTEM DURING THE IMPACT TESTS. THE MATHEMATICAL MODEL DEVELOPED IN CONJUCTION WITH THESE TESTS DID NOT ACCURATELY DESCRIBE THE ACTUAL BEHAVIOR OF THE VEHICLES DURING IMPACT. EVEN THOUGH ALL THE DESIRED QUANTITATIVE DATA WERE NOT OBTAINED, SUFFICIENT STRUCTURAL AND TRANSPORTABILITY DATA WERE GAINED TO ASSURE A POSITIVE APPROACH FOR EVALUATING THE DYNAMICS INVOLVED IN FUTURE IMPACT TESTS. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • 137 Pp, 85 FIG, 7 TAB
• Corporate Authors:

  UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION

  OAK RIDGE, TN  United States 
• Authors:
  • Kelly, O A
  • Stoddart, W C
• Publication Date: 1970-2

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Barriers (Roads); Commodities; Crash tests; Dynamics; Freight traffic; Highways; Impacts; Mathematical models; Packaging; Photography; Radioactive materials; Tractor trailer combinations; Traffic crashes; Trailers; Transportation; Truck tractors; Vehicles
• Uncontrolled Terms: Barriers; Transportation systems
• Subject Areas: Safety and Human Factors; Transportation (General); Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00221237
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 18 1971 12:00AM