NASA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
joined forces to, literally, take vehicles out for a spin. The NHTSA
wanted to research new methods for testing vehicle rollover resistance,
and NASA’s High Capacity Centrifuge (HCC) was exactly what was needed
to spin up some unique and original vehicle testing.
Vehicles were spun, using the HCC at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
(GSFC), Greenbelt, Md., on a test platform, until inertia and
centrifugal force caused them to tip.
NHTSA employs a consumer rating system, the Static Stability Factor,
which uses an engineering formula to determine vehicle rollover
rankings. NHTSA wanted to research alternative methods for determining
rollover resistance. According to NHTSA’s system, a one-star rating
means a high likelihood of rolling over, and a five-star rating means a
low likelihood.
Officials at NASA and NHTSA expect this first-of-its-kind test will
enable them to gain valuable safety information about vehicles that
move millions of Americans every day. “The NASA project gives us a
chance to really explore the potential of centrifuge testing,” said
Stephen Kratzke, NHTSA associate administrator for rulemaking. “We were
lucky to have a sophisticated facility like Goddard’s to perform this
valuable research. No one else has such a centrifuge, including the
Department of Defense,” Kratzke said.
NASA uses the HCC to test spacecraft before they’re sent into space.
Engineers use the HCC to approximate the effects encountered during the
rigors of a rocket launch. By testing hardware on a centrifuge, a
satellite’s structural integrity can be validated prior to liftoff.
The HCC is a big machine, more than 150 feet in diameter, filling an
entire circular building. With two powerful motors running at full
tilt, the outer edge of the test arm can reach speeds of more than 200
miles per hour, producing a force 30 times Earth’s gravity. It is also
a finely tuned machine. At rest, the giant multi-ton arm sits on
bearings so smooth just two or three people can push it around the
room.
“We can control the centrifuge within a hundredth of an RPM
(revolutions per minute),” said Carmine Mattiello, section head of
NASA’s structural dynamics lab at GSFC. “So we can tell exactly when
the wheels are coming off the ground,” Mattiello said.
A crash-test dummy went along for the ride in each vehicle. Sitting in
the driver’s seat, the “passenger” was an important part of the
physical test environment. The dummy, similar in shape and weight to a
person, increased the realism and accuracy of the test results.
Since its inception, NASA has pursued a commitment to technology
transfer to industry, academia and other government agencies. NASA
makes technology, as well as facilities and expertise, available to
help improve safety, security and quality of life.
For images and information about the rollover tests on the Internet,
visit:
http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/2003/0212suv.html
For more information about NASA and technology programs on the
Internet, visit:
