Development of a test methodology for evaluating crash compatibility and aggressiveness. Test report 1: 1975 Honda Civic CVCC-to-NHTSA test device.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Development of a test methodology for evaluating crash compatibility and aggressiveness. Test report 2: 1975 Ford Torino-to-NHTSA test device.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Development of a test methodology for evaluating crash compatibility and aggressiveness. Test report 3: 1975 Volvo 244DL-to-NHTSA test device.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Development of a test methodology for evaluating crash compatibility and aggressiveness. Test report 4: 1975 Plymouth Fury-to-NHTSA test device.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Passenger vehicle tire inspection equipment development. Volume I - summary report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Passenger vehicle tire inspection equipment development. Volume II - technical report. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Field equipment performance evaluation and equipment condition survey results. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Mobile parametric measurement device. Volume II: test procedures. Users manual.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Diagnostic motor vehicle inspection demonstration projects, program engineering support. Volume 2 - appendix A: evaluation of the measurement performance of inspection equipment in the five demonstration projects and in selected repair agencies. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Pilot field test and evaluation center. Final report.

Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C.

Analytical study for evaluation of rollover test devices. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Development of a test methodology for evaluating crash compatibilities and aggressiveness. Volume I: summary report. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Relationship of locked wheel friction to that of other test modes. Final report.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Materials, Testing and Research, Harrisburg

A miniaturised wideband frequency synthesiser

Wideband frequency synthesisers have application in many areas, including test instrumentation and defence electronics. Miniaturisation of these devices provides many advantages to system designers, particularly in applications where extra space and weight are expensive. The purpose of this project was to miniaturise a wideband frequency synthesiser and package it for operation in several different environmental conditions while satisfying demanding technical specifications. The four primary and secondary goals to be achieved were: 1. an operating frequency range from low MHz to greater than 40 GHz, with resolution better than 1 MHz, 2. typical RF output power of +10 dBm, with maximum DC supply of 15 W, 3. synthesiser package of only 150  100  30 mm, and 4. operating temperatures from 20C to +71C, and vibration levels over 7 grms. This task was approached from multiple angles. Electrically, the system is designed to have as few functional blocks as possible. Off the shelf components are used for active functions instead of customised circuits. Mechanically, the synthesiser package is designed for efficient use of the available space. Two identical prototype synthesisers were manufactured to evaluate the design methodology and to show the repeatability of the design. Although further engineering development will improve the synthesiser’s performance, this project has successfully demonstrated a level of miniaturisation which sets a new benchmark for wideband synthesiser design. These synthesisers will meet the demands for smaller, lighter wideband sources. Potential applications include portable test equipment, radar and electronic surveillance systems on unmanned aerial vehicles. They are also useful for reducing the overall weight and power consumption of other systems, even if small dimensions are not essential.

Measuring, modelling and understanding the mechanical behavior of bagasse

In the Australian sugar industry, sugar cane is smashed into a straw like material by hammers before being squeezed between large rollers to extract the sugar juice. The straw like material is initially called prepared cane and then bagasse as it passes through successive roller milling units. The sugar cane materials are highly compressible, have high moisture content, are fibrous, and they resemble some peat soils in both appearance and mechanical behaviour. A promising avenue to improve the performance of milling units for increased throughput and juice extraction, and to reduce costs is by modelling of the crushing process. To achieve this, it is believed necessary that milling models should be able to reproduce measured bagasse behaviour. This investigation sought to measure the mechanical (compression, shear, and volume) behaviour of prepared cane and bagasse, to identify limitations in currently used material models, and to progress towards a material model that can predict bagasse behaviour adequately. Tests were carried out using a modified direct shear test equipment and procedure at most of the large range of pressures occurring in the crushing process. The investigation included an assessment of the performance of the direct shear test for measuring bagasse behaviour. The assessment was carried out using finite element modelling. It was shown that prepared cane and bagasse exhibited critical state behavior similar to that of soils and the magnitudes of material parameters were determined. The measurements were used to identify desirable features for a bagasse material model. It was shown that currently used material models had major limitations for reproducing bagasse behaviour. A model from the soil mechanics literature was modified and shown to achieve improved reproduction while using magnitudes of material parameters that better reflected the measured values. Finally, a typical three roller mill pressure feeder configuration was modelled. The predictions and limitations were assessed by comparison to measured data from a sugar factory.