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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 31, 2002
MEDIA CONTACT: Helen Ryan, (703)726-8303, hryan@va.gwu.edu New Advanced Propulsion System Enables FHWA to Test
With Larger Vehicles at Higher Speeds
WASHINGTON, DC -- The FHWA/NHTSA National Crash Analysis Center (NCAC) at The George Washington University (GW) announced today the commissioning of an advanced propulsion system that significantly enhances the capability of the crash test facility located at the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in McLean, VA. The system, which has been under design and installation over the past 10 months through a cooperative effort between FHWA, GW and Messring Systembau, will enable FHWA researchers to conduct tests with larger vehicles at higher speeds. The new system was unveiled today at a special commissioning ceremony at FHWA headquarters, which included a demonstration of the new system's capabilities with a 62 miles-an-hour (100 Km per hour) impact of a 4,400 lbs. (2,000 kg) pickup truck into a stationary sedan. This test demonstrates a TL-3 level under NCHRP 350 guidelines, which are used by state highway engineers. In addition to the new propulsion system, the crash test facility will be fully automated and enhanced with the addition of advanced high-speed digital cameras and data acquisition channels. These enhancements come as part of a staged plan to incorporate the new equipment into a larger test facility near the NCAC in Ashburn, Virginia. GW has been studying plans for the construction of a state-of-the-art transportation safety research building at its Virginia Campus in Ashburn, incorporating an advanced crash test facility for automotive and highway safety testing. "Transportation safety research has been a major focus of our activities at GW over the past decade, and we continue to make investments to expand our expertise in this critically important area," said GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg. The University is currently constructing a $20 million facility at the GW Virginia Campus to house the National Transportation Safety Board's Aviation Safety International Training Academy. "We have developed strong partnerships with the FHWA and NHTSA through the NCAC and its cutting-edge research in crash simulation. We are excited about the prospects of expanding this important relationship," Trachtenberg added. The NCAC was established in 1992 through a three-way agreement between FHWA, NHTSA and GW. "Safety is the number one transportation priority of the Bush Administration and a job that is never finished. For that reason the FHWA must continue to enhance its research capabilities," said Mary E. Peters, FHWA Administrator. "We are pleased to partner with GW for the NCAC to once again push the state of technology and make highway transportation safer." Research at the NCAC over the past decade has made marked contributions in the field of crash simulation, vehicle and roadside hardware modeling, occupant injury analysis and supercomputing applications in crashworthiness. The center has also served as a forum for government and industry to address safety issues through collaborative research projects. The GW Virginia Campus, which houses the majority of GW's transportation safety initiatives, serves an international technology and management community from its research and graduate education center near Dulles International Airport in the Northern Virginia technology corridor. Since opening in August 1991, the campus has grown from modest beginnings with 50 acres, 200 enrollments, and $50,000 in funded research to a strong, vigorous cluster of academic programs with over 3,000 enrollments, 90 acres and funded research that tops $28 million. For more information on the GW Virginia Campus visit: www.gwvirginia.gwu.edu
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© 1998 The George Washington University
Virginia Campus
20101 Academic Way
Ashburn, Virginia 20147-2604
(703) 729-8300 Voice (703) 729-7244 Fax