The Heavy Vehicle Safety Research Center (HVSRC) is a major initiative of the National Transportation Research Center (NTRC). It will be a research center where government and industry can work closely and jointly to enhance the safety of heavy vehicles operating on our nation's highways, and contribute to meeting national goals related to the reduction of truck-related fatalities, while maintaining and enhancing the economic viability of the U.S. trucking industry.

The HVSRC was conceptualized as a joint effort between Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Battelle Memorial Institute. Since April 2000, ORNL and Battelle have had significant interaction with federal agencies (the Departments of Transportation, Energy, and Defense) as well as private industry to refine the concept and identify its initial thrust. Initial-year efforts will focus on integrated brake systems safety research. Other areas of interest that may be addressed in the future as the HVSRC grows include safety impacts of energy efficiency technologies such as aerodynamics; safety impacts of "driver-in-the-loop" technologies, for example, driver workload and attention; and safety impacts of infrastructure issues such as work zones, congestion, and regulation.

As part of the first-year efforts, consideration is being given to building one or more new experimental capabilities at the NTRC.

These include

• test cells for a 4-wheel chassis dynamometer,
• a brake material characterization dynamometer, and
• an 80-foot flat-plate performance-based brake tester.

The HVSRC will

• Build on the significant heavy-vehicle research expertise of ORNL, Battelle, and the University of Tennessee
• Draw on unique expertise at other Battelle-managed national laboratories (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Brookhaven National Laboratory)
• Perform both basic and applied vehicle safety research for government, private industry, and joint government/industry consortia
• Undertake research on heavy-vehicle safety challenges of national and strategic importance
• Provide unique research capabilities to solve critical heavy-vehicle safety problems
• Form strategic partnerships to bring together, use, and coordinate existing research capabilities throughout the United States
• Conduct research that supports national programs and initiatives such as the Intelligent vehicle Initiative, the 21st Century Truck Partnership, and the Future Combat System.

Contact:

Bill Knee
Phone: 865-946-1300
Email: kneehe@ornl.gov
 

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