Safer Roads

Reported April 2008

ASHBURN, Va. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- About six million car crashes happen every year, with many involving cars and trucks crashing into roadside barriers and signs. Now, Ivanhoe explains how state-of-the-art testing is making roadway obstacles safer.

Most drivers don't even notice roadside barriers, used to prevent cars from careening off the road; but sometimes, barriers become part of the accident. "With these new vehicles, they are more susceptible to overriding these barriers or rolling over when they impact these barriers," Dhafer Marzougui, Ph.D., a mechanical engineer at the National Crash and Analysis Center in Ashburn, Va., told Ivanhoe.

Barriers are tested for safety before they're put on roads; but costly, traditional crash tests offer limited information. Now, mechanical engineers are crashing vehicles the modern way, using 3-D computer simulations -- giving better crash details to help design better barriers. "You can get much, much more information from the computer simulation." Dr. Marzougui says.

Computer software is used to create 3-D models of vehicles and barriers. Then, a crash test is run that can be viewed from multiple angles. Vehicle parts can be removed to get an inside look at damage. Computers show what happens when cars and barriers collide, resulting in new, improved barrier designs.

"The height of the barriers has increased. Now, the new barriers are typically higher than what has been before." Dr. Marzougui explains. Higher barriers improve safety for bigger vehicles and all vehicles in between. "We try to find out the weakness of the barrier and to try to improve that weakness of the barrier through computer simulations." Dr. Marzougui says.

Using virtual reality, researchers are also studying potential falls from ladders, with the goal of improving ladder design.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

Joan K. Ziemba
Director, Virginia Campus Corporate and Community Relations
The George Washington University
(703) 726-3651
jziemba@va.gwu.edu

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