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This paper provides an overview of the current state of knowledge on medium and heavy truck safety and reviews the results of truck safety research sponsored by the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association. A number of issues have been raised about the accident experience of trucks, and the injuries and fatalities sustained by occupants. The diverse viewpoints and perceptions which exist on the reasons for these accidents and what countermeasures should be taken are reviewed. The evolutionary nature of truck accident research is presented, pointing out that sufficient detailed accident and injury data are lacking. Corresponding information on truck configuration, size, weight and exposure data remain inadequate. The role of the vehicle, driver, and highway environment in accident causation must be known and methods to achieve this goal are examined. Despite these limitations, there is progress in understanding the causes of truck accidents.

From various sources of information it is clear that truck noise is a definite public nuisance. Early noise control efforts were very productive in that many heavy duty trucks did not have mufflers, and the addition of this device made clear improvements. Further improvement requires treatment of many sources significant to the overall level. It is felt that today's “tight but attainable” 88 dBA for heavy trucks can reduce to 86 dBA by 1975 and 8k dBA by 1978 with a lot of hard work. There is promise for meaningful noise regulation in the “real world” as indicated by “calibratability” of non-standard sites.

The impact of farm and industrial tractors on the total national emissions picture is difficult to assess because the great diversity of uses for these machines results in a wide variation in duty cycles and degrees of utilization. Also, there is a general lack of detailed information on population and population distribution. This paper compares possible farm tractor duty cycle models and concludes that the widely used 13-mode federal heavy-duty diesel engine emissions test cycle can be used to estimate wheel tractor emissions. Estimates then are given for the amount of pollution released by wheeled farm and industrial tractors in 1972, based on the 13-mode cycle and population estimates derived from U.S. Dept. of Commerce, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and Farm and Industrial Equipment Institute data. Calculations show wheeled tractor emissions contribute 3.2% or less of the national total, depending upon the pollutant species.

The Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards of the American Trucking Associations can be used by manufacturers to improve heavy-duty vehicles. After verifying the accuracy and significance of the data the manufacturing, engineering, technical service and marketing departments can all use the information to improve vehicles and provide better service to the user.

Certain roll over protective structures, ROPS, require resistance to the propagation of brittle fractures at low temperatures. It is demonstrated that the Charpy test is not suitable for characterizing crack propagation resistance. A drop weight test of thin wall tubular specimens was developed which uses a brittle crack starter weld. This test provides an indication of the temperature transition from low to high crack propagation resistance. Because of toughened heat affected zones which can occur in cold formed steel this test is reliable only for hot formed tubes. The temperature transition to high propagation resistance can be determined with precracked Charpy and Dynamic Tear Energy, DT, specimens applicable to cold or hot formed steel. A weld joint simulation specimen was developed to determine energy absorption capacity and low temperature fracture behavior of ROPS joint designs and material.

A method of developing a mathematical model of power-plants to simulate engine-governor, or servo systems on a d-c analog or digital differential analyzer is presented. Based on experimental data, the steady-state output of a powerplant is defined as a function of two variables. The dynamics is defined, and the steady-state performance is corrected for response and inertia effects. The resulting mathematical model is discussed with respect to computer applications, instrumentation, and techniques for compiling empirical data needed. Another application is monitoring performance of farm tractors, industrial equipment, and/or automotive systems under field operating conditions. The mathematical model is simulated by an analogous circuit of components that may be inconspicuously mounted on the powerplant in question.

The Fourier Series is used in the development of a continuous function to express cam lifts and accelerations. The mathematics is extended to generate an acceleration response curve which includes the effect of valve linkage flexibility. When a standardized acceleration diagram is established, the variables can be summarized in dimensionless design parameters. Design charts for a parabolic-shaped acceleration curve, suitable for automotive applications, are included. The variables listed as dimensionless parameters include lift, half angle of event, ramp velocity, flow factor, maximum positive acceleration, maximum negative acceleration, acceleration positive pulse width, minimum tappet diameter, base circle diameter, and minimum radius of curvature. Methods of profile synthesis for unsymmetrical half angles of event and matching of profiles to flexible linkages are explained. A dimensionless design chart for valve springs is also included.

A study to define accurately and discover new parameters of productivity for the contractor has resulted in a new design concept in off-highway trucks. This new concept has been first applied in the International Model 180 Payhauler, a rear dump vehicle of 45 ton rated capacity. The function and form criteria are discussed by components and systems in terms of the complete vehicle and on the job applications.

Prior to World War II, most heavy duty highway trucks and tractors were built as Conventionals, i. e., with the cab mounted behind the engine. In the late 1940's cab-over-engine types gained acceptance and in the 1950's the tilt cab COE was developed in its present form including sleeper cabs. The new concept is to combine the best features of conventionals and tilt cab COEs to develop a superior non-sleeper tractor that makes no compromises for sleeper cab types.

THE NEW DIESEL ENGINES developed recently by International Harvester are adaptations of existing carbureted truck engines. The manufacturing economies possible by employing existing machine tools were the governing consideration in their design. This paper discusses solutions found to the many problems presented by this approach to engine design: crankshaft, crankcase, connecting rods, pistons, lubricating system, and the like. Extensive interchangeability of parts was a result of the design concept. The engines have been successfully adapted to farm tractors, crawler tractors, stationary motors, and various automotive applications.*

Splash and spray conditions created by tractor-trailer combinations operating on the Federal highway system have been studied and tested for many years with mixed results. Past events are reviewed briefly in this paper. In additional testing during 1983, using new state-of- the-art splash/spray suppressant devices, some encouragement was provided that these devices could work. The 1984 Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association (MVMA) test program was designed to develop practicable and reliable test procedures to measure effectiveness of splash and spray reduction methods applied to tractor-trailer combination vehicles. Over 40 different combinations of splash/spray suppression devices on five different tractors and three van trailer types were tested. The spray-cloud densities for some 400 test runs were measured by laser transmissometers and also recorded by still photography, motion pictures, and videotape. On-site observers made subjective ratings of spray density.

Past experience in the design of construction equipment has shown the importance of being able to assess as accurately as possible the predicted life of a machinery's structural components. A procedure is described wherein, through proper initial planning of tests, data may be obtained that will facilitate the prediction of future component designs. From the information secured, it becomes possible to graphically relate a component's stress-time history and thereby arrive at a suitable requirement for a new design.