University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Mechanical (and Materials) Engineering -- Mechanical & Materials Engineering, Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research Department of Spring 4-28-2020 Evaluation and Update of MASH Test Vehicles Kellon B. Ronspies University of Nebraska - Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/mechengdiss Part of the Materials Science and Engineering Commons, and the Mechanical Engineering Commons Ronspies, Kellon B., "Evaluation and Update of MASH Test Vehicles" (2020). Mechanical (and Materials) Engineering -- Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research. 158. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/mechengdiss/158 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mechanical & Materials Engineering, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mechanical (and Materials) Engineering -- Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. EVALUATION AND UPDATE OF MASH TEST VEHICLES by Kellon Ronspies A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science Major: Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics Under the Supervision of Professor Cody Stolle Lincoln, Nebraska April 28, 2020 EVALUATION AND UPDATE OF MASH TEST VEHICLES Kellon Ronspies, M.S. University of Nebraska, 2020 Advisor: Cody Stolle The Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) requires full-scale crash testing of roadside features using worst practical impact conditions. Vehicle selection for full-scale crash testing is intended to be representative of the contemporary passenger vehicle fleet. Researchers at the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF) investigated attributes of passenger vehicle sales to determine if the vehicle selection criteria shown in MASH should be revised to accommodate changes in the vehicle fleet. A methodology was considered to affordably re-analyze the vehicle fleet when necessary to ensure MASH vehicle selection criteria are reflective of vehicles currently on roadways. Representative vehicles were documented using sales data, and registration and crash data were observed to validate sales data use. Findings suggest compact utility vehicles (CUVs), small cars, mid-size cars, and pickup trucks comprise the most common vehicles on U.S. roadways. New vehicle sales data indicated that the 5th and 95th percentile weights were approximately 2,800 lb and 5,850 lb, respectively. A suite of 4-door, gas-powered, base trim level car options was identified which was consistent with the targeted small car weight, and the Hyundai Elantra was recommended as the MASH small passenger vehicle. Relatively few pickup truck options were identified at the 95th percentile weight. Therefore, the 92.5 percentile weight of 5,400 lb was recommended for the large passenger vehicle. A four-wheel drive (4WD), ½-ton suspension, crew cab pickup truck was identified as the target vehicle class, and the Ram 1500 was recommended as the MASH large passenger vehicle. Potential intermediate passenger vehicles were also explored, and four vehicle classes (two mid-size sedans and two CUV classes) were identified as potential passenger vehicle candidates. CUVs have never been used in crash testing, and implementation of a CUV crash testing program or ISPE is imperative to begin to evaluation CUV impact behavior with different roadside hardware (guardrails, concrete barriers, cable barriers, etc.). Additionally, a crash test program should be implemented immediately to begin testing of the recommended MASH small and large passenger vehicles. Updated MASH passenger vehicle properties and a method for continually updating vehicle selection criteria are herein recommended. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To begin, thank you to the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF) for providing the opportunity to work toward improving roadside safety and saving lives. Special thanks to this project’s research team: Dr. Cody Stolle, Dr. Ronald Faller, and Bob Bielenberg. Thank you to Karla, Jim, Scott, Dr. Rasmussen, Dr. Reid, Dr. Pajouh, Dr. Steelman, Valerie, Erin, Justine, Jim, Dave, Bunky, Alex, Justin, Richard, Shaun, and everyone else at the office and test site. I have much enjoyed the comradery and teamwork we’ve been a part of together at MwRSF, and it’s been a pleasure working alongside all of you. The work ethic and commitment to excellence I see at the offices and test site every day are unparalleled, and I’m honored to have worked with this organization the last few years. Thank you to everyone for contributing to a fun and enlightening work environment by challenging each other’s ideas, sharing stories, and working together to create life-saving roadside engineering solutions. I would also like to thank the sponsors of this project - the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, in conduction with the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, which is administered by the Transportation Research Board of the National Research Council. Additionally, thank you to the project review panel – Kelly, Will, Mark, Bernie, Erik, and John. Developing a methodology to identify representative vehicles for crash testing was both insightful and challenging. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to work on this project, and I look forward to carrying on the expertise and knowledge gained from this experience. I’d also like to thank Josh and Connor for your diligent work on crash data analysis and contributions to this project. To all the past and present GRAs, may we never forget what we learned our first couple days reading MASH and the Roadside Design Guide. Thanks to all of you for the late nights and fun times working together. Whether doing homework and projects, bouncing workplace ideas, or v being a support group for another – you’ve all been like family to me these last couple years. I’m going to miss our GRA meetings, lunches, outings, and DC memories. To Nathan, Ryan, Luis, Miguel, Michael, Ricardo, Elise, Jessica, Jacob, Andy, Jared, Sam, Seok Hwan, Tewodros, and Francisco – thanks for the great memories and looking forward to seeing the amazing things you all do in the future. To my family, I can’t thank you enough for your unconditional love and support. Mom, Dad, Emily, Trevon, Ryan, Ashlyn, and Macklyn – you guys all motivate me, challenge me, and make me laugh, and your patience with me through these last forty years of college (more like 9½) has been unwavering. You all are the reason I am the person I am today. Love you all, and thank you for everything. I’d also like to thank all my friends (you know who you are) for the great memories and being there for one another. We’ve had a lot of fun together, and I’m excited to share our futures together and see you all continue achieving your goals. Lastly, I’d like to thank Dr. Cody Stolle. I am forever grateful to you and Dr. Faller for the opportunity to contribute to MwRSF as a GRA. Cody, I can’t thank you enough for your guidance and tutelage. You taught me most of the things I know about engineering processes and have challenged and encouraged me time and again to be the best engineer possible. Thank you for your leadership and for the hours of tangential conversation – whether it was engineering or general life. I greatly appreciate all of work and sacrifices you make for each of us GRAs and for MwRSF. Thanks for being a great advisor, mentor of faith, and an even better friend. vi DISCLAIMER STATEMENT This report was completed with funding from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). The contents of this report reflect the views and opinions of the authors who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the NCHRP, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and United States Department of Transportation (USDOT). This report does not constitute a standard, specification, regulation, product endorsement, or an endorsement of manufacturers. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS DISCLAIMER STATEMENT ...................................................................................................... vi TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................. vii 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Research Objective ....................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Research Approach ....................................................................................................... 4 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................ 5 2.1 Background ................................................................................................................... 5 2.2 Historical Crash Testing Standards ............................................................................... 5 2.2.1 Historical Crash Test Guidelines ..................................................................