| Title | Crashworthiness Evaluation of Mass Transit Buses |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 55507 |
| Personal Name Creator |
Olivares, Gerardo |
| Corporate Creator | National Institute for Aviation Research (U.S.) |
| Corporate Contributor |
United States. Federal Transit Administration. Office of Research, Demonstration, and Innovation |
| Publisher | United States. Federal Transit Administration. Office of Research, Demonstration, and Innovation |
| Publication Date | 20081100 |
| Language | English |
| Abstract | Mass transit bus systems are an integral part of the national transportation network, serving more than 20.6 billion passenger-miles per year with a relatively low fatality rate. Bus occupant injuries are evenly distributed among crashes on all sides of the bus, while fatalities primarily result from frontal crashes. The three primary objectives of this crashworthiness research were to (1) characterize the structural response of mass transit buses, (2) characterize the occupant kinematics and injury mechanisms in mass transit bus interiors, and (3) develop interior design concepts and crashworthiness design procedures for mass transit buses. For better understanding of how injuries and damage result from bus crashes, this research used computational and virtual reality methods to model crash effects on buses and their occupants and full-size sled tests with “crash dummies” of varying sizes to verify the simulation results. The research found that primary mechanisms of injury to occupants are passenger-to-passenger collision and passenger-to-seat-structure impact. The research suggested design guidelines that should reduce occupant injuries and fatalities during side, frontal, and rear-impact collisions of transit buses with various vehicle types. |
| Rosap ID | dot:29243 |
| Rosap URL | https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/29243 |
| TRT Terms | Crashworthiness; Transit buses; Transportation safety; Transit safety; Research reports; Safety |
| General Subjects | Mass transit bus, Transportation safety, Crashworthiness, Occupant protection, Injury mechanics |
| Geographical Coverage |
United States |
| TRIS Online Accession No |
1479823 |
| Contract Number | FTA-KS-26-7001 |
| Report Number | FTA Report No. 0021 |
| Resource type | Tech Report |
| URL | https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/55000/55500/55507/FTA_Report_No._0021.pdf |
| Format | |
| Database | NTL Digital Repository |