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The paper traces the development of the approach to airworthiness taken by Canadian government authorities from its origin through to current practices. It describes the Aerospace industry, the carriers and general aviation in statistical terms, indicates the impact of economic regulatory reform and suggests the way ahead for Canadian and other authorities lies in the attitude and methodologies practiced by the European authorities in their development of JARs. I SHOULD PERHAPS start this presentation with a short word about authorities. At the conclusion of a speech on safety regulation by Mr. Ronald Ashford of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, reported in Flight International of April 19, 1986, the following quotation from St. Paul to the Romans appeared: “You wish to have no fear of the authorities? Then continue to do right and you will have their approval, for they are God's agents working for your good”.

The responses of a Hybrid III 5th percentile dummy manufactured by Denton ATD were compared to a Hybrid III 5th percentile dummy manufactured by First Technology Safety Systems (FTSS). The dummies were seated on a HYGE sled set in a representative small production sedan configuration, simulating a 60 km/h offset deformable barrier (25 g pulse) and a 22 km/h crash (11 g pulse). Three shoulder retractor anchorage positions were used to place the shoulder belt at different locations on the dummy shoulder for each of the driver (left shoulder) and passenger (right shoulder) seating positions. Chest deflections measured from the rotary potentiometer are compared to deflections calculated from the accelerometers and are reported as a function of belt load and belt position. Repeatability is evaluated at low and high deflection levels.

As a consequence of various federal and provincial initiatives to promote the use of seat belts in Canada, the wearing rate of seat belts among front outboard passenger car occupants is now estimated at 90 percent. Accordingly, the vast majority of air bag deployments in Canada involve restrained occupants. In order to gain a better understanding of the field performance of air bag systems, Transport Canada recently initiated an m-depth study of motor vehicle collisions involving air bag deployments. To date, investigations have been completed on 242 such collisions. While the preliminary data suggest that supplementary air bag systems provide considerable added protection against serious head injuries in moderate and high severity frontal crashes, they also suggest that, in low severity crashes, deployment of an air bag system may expose belted occupants to unnecessary injury risk from the air bag itself.

Static out-of-position tests were performed to identify the potential for injury as a function of position, airbag type and vehicle seat characteristics. Seat and door mounted airbags, head curtains and head tubes were evaluated. Out-of-position testing was carried out with the Hybrid III 3 year old, 6 year old and the TNO Q3 3 year old child dummies. In-position tests and a dynamic test were conducted to monitor child seat and airbag interactions and to confirm that properly restrained children would not be exposed to undue risk from a deploying side airbag. Results of the out-of-position testing suggest that current side airbag designs may cause serious and/or fatal neck and chest injuries. In-position static testing with child seats suggested a potential for intrusion into the child occupant space leading to structural damage of the car seat.

Since the introduction of ice crystal icing certification requirements [1], icing facilities have played an important role in demonstrating compliance of aircraft air data probes, engine probes, and increasingly, of turbine engines. Most sea level engine icing facilities use the freezing-out of a water spray to simulate ice crystal icing conditions encountered at altitude by an aircraft in flight. However, there are notable differences in the ice particles created by freeze-out versus those observed at altitude [2, 3, 4]. Freeze-out crystals are generally spherical as compared to altitude crystals which have variable crystalline shapes. Additionally, freeze-out particles may not completely freeze in their centres, creating a combination of super-cooled liquid and ice impacting engine hardware. An alternative method for generating ice crystals in a test facility is the grinding of ice blocks or cubes to create irregular shaped crystals.

Detailed knowledge of the load paths at the vehicle/dummy interface in side impact crash tests is an essential component in the evaluation of side impact protection systems. In the laboratory, measurements of the external crush and occupant compartment intrusion profiles may be made with great precision. Recent advances in portable electronic measurement instruments have resulted in such procedures also being possible in the field. This paper describes the use of a total station to obtain these data for real-world side impact collisions. This information is likely to provide additional insight into specific injury mechanisms in such crashes.

A Seat Belt Fit Test Device was developed to enable the measurement of belt fit of any vehicle seat/belt restraint system. A summary of the early development of this device is presented here with the results of more recent work. Belt fit measurements for human subjects is compared to measurements obtained with the Belt Fit Test Device. Recommendations are made for further validation testing. Finally, the regulatory potential of the belt test device is considered in terms of present Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations.

As part of the Automotive Seat and Package Evaluation and Comparison Tools (ASPECT) program, UMTRI researchers developed a new H-point manikin that is intended to replace the current SAE J826 manikin. The original manikin is used in many automotive applications, including as a platform for a belt-fit test device (BTD). In the current project, components and procedures were developed to measure belt fit using the ASPECT manikin. Contoured lap and torso forms were constructed using anthropometric data from an earlier UMTRI study. Prototype forms were mounted on the ASPECT manikin for testing in a laboratory fixture and in vehicles. The testing demonstrated that the ASPECT-BTD produces consistent measures of belt fit that vary in expected ways with belt geometry.

The purpose of this project was to develop and validate a computer-based version of the Belt Fit Test Device with a view towards exploring the potential of this technology to improve belt fitment for the general occupant population. The electronic BTD was initially developed and validated against two seats using the Transport Canada seat simulator. Preliminary validation indicated good correspondence between computed and measured BTD co-ordinates. The electronic BTD was then validated in ten vehicles. In total, 40 BTD scores were computed using the electronic BTD and compared with actual BTD values. In 30 of the 40 comparisons, the discrepancy between measured and computed values was less than one centimetre. In terms of test performance using the pass/fail criteria developed for the BTD, 37 of the 40 comparisons were in agreement. However, a number of refinements have been identified which could further improve the seat belt algorithm and the overall usefulness of the model.

Vehicle seat belt efficacy relates directly to the extent that occupant anthropometric dimensions align with the seat belt geometric design. Transport Canada researched and developed a Belt Fit Test Device (BTD) to assess potential occupant injuries resulting from incongruities between seat belt design and occupant anatomical characteristics. A proposed electronic version (eBTD) will allow vehicle manufacturers to use digital human modeling programs and computer-aided design (CAD) data and tools to evaluate seat belt designs before a vehicle is produced. This software module simulates seat belt routing over CAD data representing the physical device. The simulation incorporates anchor point kinematics and measures the belt position over clavicle, sternum and lap scales.

This paper describes the development of an interface system for attaching infant and child restraints and booster cushions to passenger vehicles. The resulting prototype, known as CANFIX is based on the ISOFIX concept which was conceived in Sweden. The CANFIX design comprises two rear attachments to be secured to two anchorage points located behind the vehicle seat bight. In forward-facing child restraints, the CANFIX system also includes the tether anchorage feature. The results of preliminary dynamic testing of three CANFIX modified restraint systems are presented in the paper with the results of tests to examine the compatibility of the CANFIX system with current vehicle seats.

This technical paper presents the results of biomechanical testing conducted on the ES-2 dummy by the Occupant Safety Research Partnership and Transport Canada. The ES-2 is a production dummy, based on the EuroSID-1 dummy, that was modified to further improve testing capabilities as recommended by users of the EuroSID-1 dummy. Biomechanical response data were obtained by completing a series of drop, pendulum, and sled tests that are outlined in the International Organization of Standardization Technical Report 9790 that describes biofidelity requirements for the midsize adult male side impact dummy. A few of the biofidelity tests were conducted on both sides of the dummy to evaluate the symmetry of its responses. Full vehicle crash tests were conducted to verify if the changes in the EuroSID-1, resulting in the ES-2 design, did improve the dummy's testing capability. In addition to the biofidelity testing, the ES-2 dummy repeatability, reproducibility and durability are discussed.

In the fall of 2000, the Council of Ministers agreed that Canada should retain the vision of having the safest roads in the world, and that a longer term successor plan, called Road Safety Vision 2010, carry forward the work of Canada's inaugural national road safety plan. It was further agreed that the plan include an overall national target and sub-targets. A national target that calls for 30% decreases in the average number of road users killed and seriously injured during the 2008-2010 period below comparable 1996-2001 figures is currently under consideration. Achievement of this target would reduce Canada's road fatality total to fewer than 2100 by 2010.

This technical paper presents the results from tests conducted with the ES-2re, a version of the ES-2 side impact dummy that was modified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to improve its performance in crash tests. Through the series of biofidelity tests conducted on the ES-2re, described in International Standards Organization (ISO) Technical Report (TR)9790 (1999), the OSRP observed a final overall biofidelity ranking of 4.1 for the ES-2re, which corresponds to an ISO classification of “marginal.” The biofidelity of the ES-2re is compared to that of the ES-2 and the WorldSID. Repeatability was also evaluated on the ES-2re based on the biofidelity test data. Additional pendulum tests were performed to assess the response of the dummy in oblique loading conditions, and results indicate that oblique loading from the front leads to significantly reduced rib deflections.

A multi-year, multi-vehicle study was conducted to quantify the aerodynamic drag changes associated with drag reduction technologies for light-duty vehicles. Various technologies were evaluated through full-scale testing in a large low-blockage closed-circuit wind tunnel equipped with a rolling road, wheel rollers, boundary-layer suction and a system to generate road-representative turbulent winds. The technologies investigated include active grille shutters, production and custom underbody treatments, air dams, wheel curtains, ride height control, side mirror removal and combinations of these. This paper focuses on mean surface-, wake-, and underbody-pressure measurements and their relation to aerodynamic drag. Surface pressures were measured at strategic locations on four sedans and two crossover SUVs.

Dummy response and restraint configuration factors associated with a known child injury environment were investigated using a spinal-cord injury accident case, a full-scale reconstruction, and sled simulations. The work is one of several studies undertaken in association with the International Task Force on Child Restraining Systems to support the development of improved neck injury criteria and restraint systems for young children. A two-vehicle crash involving a restrained child occupant was investigated in detail and reconstructed in full-scale at the Transport Canada Motor Vehicle Test Centre using the CRABI 6-Month dummy. Vehicle damage and crush characteristics closely resembled that of the case vehicles. Dummy instrumentation included head and chest accelerometers and upper and lower neck transducers. The case occupant had been facing forward and had sustained a contusion of the spinal cord at T2 that resulted in paraplegia.

In 1998, Rouhana et al. described development of a new device, called the IR-TRACC (InfraRed - Telescoping Rod for Assessment of Chest Compression). In its original concept, the IR-TRACC uses two infrared LEDs inside of a telescoping rod to measure deflection. One LED serves as a light transmitter and the other as a light receiver. The output from the receiver LED is converted to a linear function of chest compression using an analog circuit. Tests have been performed with IR-TRACC units at various labs around the world since 1998. A first-generation IR-TRACC system was retrofit into a Q3 dummy by TNO. Similarly, a mid sized male Hybrid III dummy thorax and a small female Hybrid III dummy thorax have been designed by First Technology Safety Systems (FTSS) such that each contains 4 second-generation IR-TRACC units. The second-generation IR-TRACC is the result of continued development by FTSS, especially in the areas of the analysis circuit, manufacturing and calibration methods.

Aerodynamic technologies for light-duty vehicles were evaluated through full-scale testing in a large low-blockage closed-circuit wind tunnel equipped with a rolling road, wheel rollers, boundary-layer suction and a system to generate road-representative turbulent flow. This work was part of a multi-year, multi-vehicle study commissioned by Transport Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, and carried out in cooperation with the US EPA, to support the evaluation of light-duty-vehicle greenhouse-gas-emission regulations. A 2016 paper reported drag-reduction measurements for technologies such as active grille shutters, production and custom underbody treatments, air dams, ride height control and combinations of these. This paper describes an extension to that work and addresses vehicle aerodynamics in three ways.

Passenger car side impact crash tests and sled tests were conducted to investigate the influence of booster seats, near-side occupant characteristics and vehicle interiors on the responses of the Q6/Q6s child ATD positioned in the rear, far-side seating location. Data from nine side impact sled tests simulating a EuroNCAP AEMD barrier test were analyzed with data obtained from 44 side impact crash tests. The crash tests included: FMVSS 214 and IIHS MDB, moving car-to-stationary car and moving car-to-moving car. A Q6 or prototype Q6s ATD was seated on the far-side, using a variety of low and high back booster seats. Head and chest responses were recorded and ATD motions were tracked with high-speed videos. The vehicle lateral accelerations resulting from MDB tests were characterized by a much earlier and more rapid rise to peak than in tests where the bullet was another car.

Drawing on provincial data files maintained by Transport Canada, the injury experience of passenger vehicle occupants as a function of occupant seating position, reported restraint use and occupant age is examined. Particular attention is given to the issue of rear seat lap belt effectiveness. Estimates of restraint system effectiveness are derived using a variety of approaches. These range from direct comparisons of the relative injury/fatality rates of restrained and unrestrained occupants in reportable accidents to double-pair comparisons based on “subject” and “control” occupants in fatal accidents. Available Canadian data suggest that the use of three-point seat belts by front seated occupants and the use of lap belts by rear seated occupants substantially reduces the likelihood of serious or fatal injury.