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The development of instrumentation techniques for research in internal combustion engines is described. A general discussion of instrument classification and requirements is followed by a description of transducer development including calibration techniques, signal processing, and data acquisition. Details are given of two direct on-line digitizing devices for high-speed data acquisition (one purpose made and the other using an on-line computer). An analysis of instrumentation and data acquisition errors is presented. The integration of the data acquisition equipment into a semi-automatic controlled test bed is described and a proposal for a fully automated test bed presented.

The current federal accident data collection system is inadequate. It does not produce representative data essential for answering cause-and-effect questions concerning accidents, injuries, and fatalities, and it does not produce adequate data essential for conducting cost-benefit analyses of changes in vehicle designs, highway designs, or driver licensing policies. A proposed federal data collection system (SIR) can solve those problems at a total cost of about $6 million a year. The SIR system would include 30 investigating teams precisely located throughout the U.S., and would include a Sampling program, and In-depth program, and a Rapid-response program.

Factors which govern the selection and application of a computer based Real Time Data Acquisition System are identified. The impact of programming language level as it affects both hardware and personnel requirements are noted. Interface considerations with the laboratory test facility are presented. /GMRL/

In November 1970, an international program of accident investigation was undertaken by 33 teams representing nine European and North American nations. A standardized protocol was formulated for collecting vehicle damage and occupant injury data. Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), as consultant to the project leader, collected a total of 520 case reports from these teams and reduced the common data to card images for automatic processing. The participating teams classified vehicle damage according to the Vehicle Deformation Index (VDI). A consistency study was performed to determine how well the diverse group of investigators, many with limited investigative training and/or experience, could use the VDI. One-half of the team ratings, excluding SwRI cases, compared identically with the control ratings; approximately 75% of the ratings compared identically or differed by only one character. A detailed report is made.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SAFETY DESIGN MUST BE JUSTIFIED IN TERMS OF REAL AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS WITH HUMAN OCCUPANTS. SINCE IT IS FAR TOO DANGEROUS TO USE HUMAN SUBJECTS IN FULL- SCALE COLLISION EXPERIMENTS, SUBSTITUTES ARE USUALLY STUDIED; EXPERIMENTS ARE PERFORMED WITH DUMMIES AND MATHEMATICAL MODELS. THEN WE STILL HAVE TO EXTRAPOLATE THE RESULTS FROM THE SUBSTITUTES TO THE REALITY. FULL-SCALE COLLISION EXPERIMENTS WITH HUMAN OCCUPANTS COULD BE PERFORMED BY RECONSTRUCTING REAL AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS ACCURATELY. TO RETRIEVE THE MOST NEEDED DATA FOR FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFETY DESIGN AND TO TRANSLATE ACTUAL ACCIDENTS AS CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTS, AN ENGINEERED METHOD WAS DEVELOPED TO RECONSTRUCT ACCIDENT. IT SYNTHESIZES PREVIOUSLY VALIDATED ANALYTICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL KNOWLEDGES PERTINENT TO AUTOMOBILE COLLISION MECHANICS. THE METHOD WAS APPLIED TO AN ACTUAL ACCIDENT, INDICATING THAT THE METHODOLOGY IS SOUND AND ACCURATE. /SAE/

AN INTERVIEW SURVEY OF 1200 RESPONDENTS IN THREE CITIES IDENTIFIED 12 VEHICLE TYPE/NOISE SOURCE/ OPERATING MODE SITUATIONS CAUSING VARIOUS DEGREES OF ANNOYANCE. EACH SITUATION WAS ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THREE CATEGORIES OF ANNOYANCE SENSITIVITY DEPENDING UPON THE ATTITUDINAL FACTORS RELATED TO THE SOURCE. EACH CATEGORY HAD A LINEAR RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NOISE INTENSITY AND ANNOYANCE. NOISE MEASUREMENTS INDICATED THAT THE RESPONDENT, IN GENERAL, PROPERLY IDENTIFIED THE TYPES AND MAGNITUDES OF NOISE SOURCES FOUND AT THEIR SITES. /AUTHOR/

PAST IMPACT OF THE AIRPORT ON THE COMMUNITY CAN READILY BE MEASURED THROUGH ANALYSIS OF HISTORIC ECONOMIC DATA WHICH HAS BEEN ASSEMBLED IN THE INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITY. MEASUREMENT OF PRESENT ECONOMIC IMPACT INVOLVES THE OVERLAYING OF AIRPORT GROWTH DATA ON THAT OF THE GENERAL COMMUNITY SURROUNDING THE AIRPORT. MEASUREMENT OF FUTURE AIRPORT ECONOMIC IMPACT ON ITS ENVIRONS MUST DEAL IN LARGE PART WITH THE INTANGIBLE QUALITIES OF SURVEYS AND FORECASTS RELATING TO THE COMMUNITY'S CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT. THE HIGHEST DEGREE OF DIRECT ECONOMIC SUPPORT GIVEN TO THE COMMUNITY STARTS WITHIN THE AIRPORT ITSELF. THE SECONDARY LEVEL OF ECONOMIC IMPACT COVERS THOSE AREAS DIRECTLY ADJOINING THE AIRPORT, AND FINALLY, THE IMPACT CAN BE MEASURED IN TERMS OF THE AIRPORT'S INTERPLAY WITH THE COMMUNITY, EXPRESSED AS THE ENTIRE TRADE WHICH THE AIRPORT SERVES. /IAA/AUTHOR/