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As ever-increasing amounts of renewable electricity enter the energy supply mix on a regional, national and international basis, greater emphasis is being placed on energy conversion and storage technologies to deal with the oscillations, excess and lack of electricity. Hydrogen generation via proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) is one technology that offers a pathway to store large amounts of electricity in the form of hydrogen. The challenges to widespread adoption of PEM water electrolyzers lie in their high capital and operating costs which both need to be reduced through R&D. An evaluation of reported PEMWE performance data in the literature reveals that there are excessive variations of in situ performance results that make it difficult to draw conclusions on the pathway forward to performance optimization and future R&D directions. To enable the meaningful comparison of in situ performance evaluation across laboratories there is an obvious need for standardization of materials and testing protocols. Herein, we address this need by reporting the results of a round robin test effort conducted at the laboratories of five contributors to the IEA Electrolysis Annex 30. For this effort a method and equipment framework were first developed and then verified with respect to its feasibility for measuring water electrolysis performance accurately across the various laboratories. The effort utilized identical sets of test articles, materials, and test cells, and employed a set of shared test protocols. It further defined a minimum skeleton of requirements for the test station equipment. The maximum observed deviation between laboratories at 1 A cm−2 at cell temperatures of 60 °C and 80 °C was 27 and 20 mV, respectively. The deviation of the results from laboratory to laboratory was 2–3 times higher than the lowest deviation observed at one single lab and test station. However, the highest deviations observed were one-tenth of those extracted by a literature survey on similar material sets. The work endorses the urgent need to identify one or more reference sets of materials in addition to the method and equipment framework introduced here, to enable accurate comparison of results across the entire community. The results further imply that cell temperature control appears to be the most significant source of deviation between results, and that care must be taken with respect to break-in conditions and cell electrical connections for meaningful performance data.

This work presents a damage-healing protocol on SnBi bulk solder samples. After tensile-cycling a cylindrical sample until failure, the effect of liquid-assisted healing is utilized in the healing step. In the course of the protocol, the mechanical performance and the residual stress-force curves after healing are obtained and converted into significant parameters for further evaluation. The presentation of mechanical performance after the healing regime is paramount in the presented test protocol. The work concludes with a discussion of damage-healing results of the studied Sn-40wt%Bi alloy.

The objective of the present study is to assess the potential of energy recovery from the exhaust gas of a passenger car engine under various driving drive cycles using a thermoelectric generator (TEG). This study investigates energy recovery using a steady-state engine experiment and a one-dimensional (1-D) transient cycle simulation. A1-D TEG system simulation model was developed for a TEG system consisting of 40 TEG modules. This simulation model was then validated based on steady-state experimental results. The comparison showed good agreement between the model and experimental results. Under medium engine load conditions, the discrepancy between the two results was 3%. Then, the validated TEG model was employed for drive cycle simulations to estimate the performance of the TEG system under the various driving conditions. Four regulatory test drive cycles were used in the simulations, namely, Federal test protocol 75, the Highway Fuel Economy test, the common Artemis Drive Cycle for rural roads, and the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles test cycle. The simulation results showed that the TEG system contributed to power increases ranging from 1.54 to 1.68%, depending on the drive cycles.

Bicycling is one of the fundamental modes of transportation especially in developing countries. Because of the lack of effective protection for bicyclists, vehicle-bicycle (V-B) accident has become a primary contributor to traffic fatalities. Although AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking) systems have been developed to avoid or mitigate collisions, they need to be further adapted in various conflict situations. This paper analyzes the driver’s braking behavior in typical V-B conflicts of China to improve the performance of Bicyclist-AEB systems. Naturalistic driving data were collected, from which the top three scenarios of V-B accidents in China were extracted, including SCR (a bicycle crossing the road from right while a car is driving straight), SCL (a bicycle crossing the road from left while a car is driving straight) and SSR (a bicycle swerving in front of the car from right while a car is driving straight). For safety and data reliability, a driving simulator was employed to reconstruct these three scenarios and some 25 licensed drivers were recruited for braking behavior analysis. Results revealed that driver’s braking behavior was significantly influenced by V-B conflict types. Pre-decelerating behaviors were found in SCL and SSR conflicts, whereas in SCR the subjects were less vigilant. The brake reaction time and brake severity in lateral V-B conflicts (SCR and SCL) was shorter and higher than that in longitudinal conflicts (SSR). The findings improve their applications in the Bicyclist-AEB and test protocol enactment to enhance the performance of Bicyclist-AEB systems in mixed traffic situations especially for developing countries.

The Japan New Car Assessment Program (J-NCAP) evaluates the performance of cars in terms of protection against whiplash injuries in rear-end collisions. In the test protocol, a simplified triangular acceleration is applied to the sled. This study clarifies whether biofidelic rear-impact dummy II (BioRID II) measurements obtained for simplified triangular acceleration reflect car-to-car rear-end impacts in real-world accidents in Japan. We conducted a car-to-car rear-end impact experiment and a simplified-triangular-acceleration sled test. Our results indicate that the time series of dummy responses were approximately consistent in the two test conditions. The neck injury criterion (NIC) and maximum acceleration of the head and T1 measured using the BioRID II dummy were similar in the car-to-car and sled experiments. This revealed that the J-NCAP test protocol using simplified triangular acceleration reflects the car-to-car rear-end impact experiment using Japanese cars, in terms of the NIC and maximum acceleration of the head and T1.

The monitoring and reporting of CO2 emissions of light duty vehicles in Europe and other major markets is based on the New European Driving Cycle and the accompanying test protocol. This procedure has been proven non-representative of real world vehicle operation, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions leading to a gap between officially reported emissions and the ones experienced during real world operation. This gap is reported to be increasing with time. To address this issue and improve the certification procedure for pollutant emissions of vehicles over real driving, the new Worldwide Harmonized Light duty vehicle Test Protocol was designed. This new test procedure is expected to provide more realistic emission and fuel consumption results. In this paper a first estimate of the certification-reality gap under the present (2015) conditions is attempted and the impact of the new test procedure is investigated. Tests were performed on three real vehicles over the two cycles which allowed the development of representative simulation models. A detailed simulation matrix was subsequently formulated, taking into account the two tests and expected conditions occurring during real world driving. Results show that for 2013-14 model year European passenger cars the difference in certified and actually emitted CO2 emissions for an average European passenger car reaches up to 40 g CO2/km (~32% higher than certification). WLTP introduction is expected to improve the picture, however a shortfall of about 10-15% between official and real world may remain.

Kettle cooked potato chips packaged inside metallized oriented polypropylene bags were used to evaluate the effects of simulated transportation on shelf life. While shelf life testing provides accurate results for shelf dating, the research project assessed whether or not subjecting packaged products to known transportation hazards can increase or accelerate the deteriorative factors that affect the shelf life of a produce. By stressing the packages through laboratory simulated transportation hazards, it created failures to the packages that would not have normally shown up during a traditional test protocol, such as accelerated shelf life testing (ASLT). Results showed packages evaluated through a simulated transport test reported an average oxygen transmission rate three times greater than samples having not been transport tested. Outcomes from this study showed the rate at which some properties of the food and package can increase as a result of the simulated transportation, versus standard ASLT with only increased temperature and humidity. Differences of significance were observed between the simulated transportation and the standard ASLT samples when comparing headspace composition, moisture content, and TBA testing ( P

A landmark experimental program was conducted to advance the understanding of nonstructural system performance during earthquakes. The centerpiece of this effort involved shake table testing a full-scale five-story reinforced concrete building furnished with a broad variety of nonstructural components and systems (NCSs) including complete and operable egress, mechanical and electrical systems, facades, and architectural layouts. The building-NCS system was subjected to a suite of earthquake motions of increasing intensity, while base-isolated and then fixed at its base. In this paper, the major components of the test specimen, including the structure and its NCSs, the monitoring systems, and the seismic test protocol are described in detail. Important response and damage characteristics of the structure are also presented. A companion paper describes the damage observed for the various NCSs and correlates these observations with the structure's response.

The current paper is concerned with testing the efficiency of a uninstrumented method in assessing granular porous media capacity to mitigate blast impulse. A thin plate constant deformation test was carried out based on the findings obtained throughout blast–structure interaction phenomena. The proposed test requires only post-test measured data and no test instrumentation is needed. The test protocol under scrutiny consists of a short series of 200 g TNT charge detonations at 1000 mm distance from the tested structures. All test results have shown impulse mitigation. The findings obtained in the test under scrutiny tally those in the pendulum test. The final section of the current article is concerned with the improvement and shortcomings of the test developed.

The Superpave® high-temperature test protocol has been shown to be inadequate for characterizing the high-temperature behavior of asphalt binders, particularly those that are polymer modified. Recently, a specification based on the multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR) test was proposed to address the shortcomings of the Superpave high-temperature binder specifications. This study aimed to investigate the merits of implementing the current MSCR test protocol as a replacement for the performance-graded high-temperature test. A statistical analysis was conducted on a data set from the Indiana Department of Transportation to see how MSCR and performance grading procedures differ in grading various binders. In addition, an experimental study was conducted with 16 modified and unmodified binders. The results indicated that the MSCR test was a suitable replacement for the performance grade test because it provided a better tool to rank modified asphalt binders as well as unmodified ones. That is, creep compliance from the MSCR test more fundamentally represented binder behavior at high temperatures compared with the performance grade rutting parameter. In addition, the simplified approach—known as grade-bumping—used in the current Superpave mix design system to account for high traffic levels and low speed limits can be eliminated when the MSCR test is used.

Developing the Canadian initial attack (IA) wildland fire fighter (WFF) physical employment standard (WFX-FIT) began in a previous investigation with a physical demands analysis in which hand and back carrying a 28.5 kg pump, back carrying a 25 kg hose pack and advancing charged hose were identified as the critical IA emergency tasks. In the present study, a circuit was created incorporating simulations of the critical tasks with faster completion times required for provinces with more arduous terrains. The oxygen cost (mean ± SD VO

In order to extend the service life of concrete structures, floors and a variety of underground infrastructure facilities, coatings can be used. Hence it was important to develop test protocols to evaluate the coatings based on the application and environmental exposure. The test protocol included application of coatings to dry and wet concrete surfaces, hydrostatic test on coated concrete (full scale), pinhole tests in various acid medium and bonding tests. It must be noted that several of the test methods developed by the Center for Innovative Grouting Materials and Technology (CIGMAT) for evaluating the performance of coatings have been included in the USEPA test protocol for coatings under the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) program. Several types of coatings have been tested over the past two decades. Also, mathematical models were developed to understand the performance of coated concrete under various exposure conditions. The thin film and bulk models included the coating and concrete properties. The model predictions were verified with experimental results over a period of several years.

This paper describes the main activities carried out in the frame of EU-DA prequalification for the supply of Normal Heat Flux (NHF) First Wall (FW) panels to ITER. A key part of these activities is the manufacturing development, the fabrication and the factory acceptance tests of a reduced scale FW prototype (Semi-Prototype (SP)) of the NHF design. The SP has a dimension of 221 mm × 665 mm, corresponding to about 1/6 of a full-scale panel, with six full-scale “fingers” and bearing a total of 84 beryllium tiles. It has been manufactured by the AREVA Company in France. The manufacturing process has made extensive use of Hot Isostatic Pressing, which was developed over more than a decade during the ITER Engineering Design Activity phase. The main manufacturing steps for the Semi-Prototype are recalled, with a summary of the lessons learned and the implications with regard to the design and manufacturing of the full-scale prototype and of the series fabrication of the EU-DA share of the ITER first wall (215 NHF panels). The fabricated SP is then tested under High Heat Flux (HHF) in the dedicated test facility of JUDITH-II in Forschungszentrum Julich, Germany. The objective of the HHF testing is the demonstration of achieving the requested performance under thermal fatigue. The test protocol and facility qualification are presented and the behaviour of the fingers under the 7500 cycles at 2 MW/m2 is described in detail.

The paper presents a method for determining the end of service life of all-rubber and polymer-coated gloves protecting against mineral oils and selected mechanical factors. Analysis of variance was conducted to test for differences between the protective parameters (abrasion resistance, cutting resistance, tear resistance, mineral oil permeation resistance) and an ergonomic parameter (bending rigidity) determined for five models of protective gloves following a simulated use procedure. The results show that both protective and ergonomic parameters are affected to the greatest degree by the period of use under conditions of exposure to mineral oil: 2 h, 4 h, and 8 h for polymer-coated gloves and 4 h, 8 h, and 16 h for all-rubber gloves. It has been found that gloves lose their protective properties over time under simulated conditions of use and their performance levels may no longer comply with the relevant standards. Based on the tests conducted, a test protocol has been developed for end-of-service-life evaluation of gloves protecting against mechanical factors and mineral oils. Relevance to industry The current system of harmonized standards for testing protective gloves provides information about protection levels only for new products. The proposed protocol for end-of-service-life evaluation of protective gloves exposed to mineral oils and mechanical factors may serve as a useful tool for employers and workers by providing reliable information about the approximate actual period over which gloves may be used safely in the workplace.

To ensure the safety of metals and alloys intended for food contact, a new European test protocol (CoE protocol) using citric acid as a food simulant was published in 2013. This study investigated the influence of citric acid and exposure conditions on the metal release from an austenitic manganese stainless steel (AISI 201). Exposures in 5g/L citric acid resulted in significantly lower metal releases compared with specific release limits set by the CoE protocol. 5g/L (0.3vol%) citric acid was more aggressive than 3vol% acetic acid (Italian protocol) due to higher metal complexation. Studies on abraded surfaces revealed that most metals were released during the first 0.5h of exposure due to surface passivation. Surface abrasion, increased temperature (40–100°C), increased surface area to solution volume ratio (0.25–2cm2/mL) and increased citric acid concentration (0–21g/L) all resulted in increased released metal quantities.

Despite of continuous improvement of numerical computations, experimental fatigue tests are still of prior concern for high safety level parts, in particular for the automotive industry. Destructive fatigue tests are required in order to prove to authorities an effective fatigue design by highlighting the weakest link and its failure mode, and possibly taking account for the manufacturing process influence. Actually, experimental tests need for expensive means (i.e. rigs and specimens) and fatigue phenomenon is expected to take long time to get a crack issue. Thus, cost and delay time reduction always calls for more effective methods. Within this framework, we address here some recent improvements dealing with, respectively: a) the optimization of the fatigue test protocol, i.e. how the load time history is applied to the specimen in order to minimize the overall fatigue test duration; b) the reliability of the fatigue strength estimation, i.e. how the experimental data are considered in a reliable statistical model. The first point let us focus on a so-called Locati fatigue test protocol, whereas the second point let us make use of Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian techniques. These improvements are currently and successfully applied to chassis system parts at PSA Peugeot Citroen.

This paper presents the implementation of a Finger force detection platform capable to measure the exerted forces by the index, middle, ring and little finger in single-axis direction (flexion); and in dual-axis direction (flexion/adduction) by the thumb. It can be adapted to different sizes in both right or left hand. A test protocol is established. Also, a Graphical User Interface (GUI) is developed in order to assist the subject during the test. The results show the maximum forces developed by each finger among Peruvian participants.

This paper presents the technical background for the seismic qualification procedures for post-installed anchors in the European Technical Approval Guideline (ETAG 001) seismic annex issued in 2013. We discuss requirements for a comprehensive guideline and reference supporting documentation. Numerical studies to generate new simulated seismic protocols for anchors are summarized with focus on their application to Europe. To reduce the time and cost of anchor product qualification testing while fulfilling the requirement of European building codes to assess two performance categories, we combine the results of our numerical studies to generate novel testing protocols that allow for the assessment of anchor behavior at multiple levels in a unified protocol. Validation tests demonstrate that the unified protocol results in anchor performance comparable with that achieved in multiple, single-performance-level tests.

The lack of well-documented open-source test protocols for the evaluation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training manikins is an important issue for the assessment of CPR training manikins. Test protocols provide reliable information for validating manikin models. Thus, the objective of this work is to create a cross-platform, open-source LabVIEW program for the assessment of the manikin thoracic force-displacement response and force and chest-depth feedback mechanism, and to propose a test protocol that uses an Universal Testing Machine (UTM). Results of the implementation of the test protocol on an infant CPR training manikin with hysteretic thoracic response and real-time feedback mechanism are also presented. Thoracic force-displacement response is evaluated by calculating the root-mean square error (RMSE) between experimentally obtained and theoretically desired curves. Using the proposed test protocol, the infant CPR training manikin was quantitatively evaluated. Indeed, for the evaluated manikin, the compression, decompression and final score are found to be ±17 N, ±83 N and ±50 N respectively, implying that the compression phase was close to the desired curve while the decompression phase was not.

Research on the application of shape memory alloys (SMAs) in prestressing concrete structures has shown promising results over the last few years. Nickel-titanium-niobium (NiTiNb) has emerged as one of the SMAs that exhibit promise in prestressing applications. Despite the efforts to understand the mechanical behavior of NiTiNb, however, its corrosion resistance is yet to be understood. The main objective of this study was to investigate the influence that harsh corrosive conditions pertinent to civil structures might have on the mechanical behavior of prestressed NiTiNb SMAs. The study used an accelerated-aging test protocol to simulate actual field conditions by subjecting NiTiNb specimens to wet-dry cycles in NaCl solution. The behavior of as-manufactured SMA specimens was compared with that of specimens subjected to surface treatment. Carbon steel specimens were also tested for comparison. The state of corrosion and its impact on NiTiNb were evaluated using five different testing/evaluation me...

Almost half of the world?s population still cooks on biomass cookstoves of poor efficiency and primitive design, such as three stone fires (TSF). Emissions from biomass cookstoves contribute to adverse health effects and climate change. A number of improved cookstoves with higher energy efficiency and lower emissions have been designed and promoted across the world. During the design development, and for the selection of a stove for dissemination, the stove performance and emissions are commonly evaluated, communicated and compared using the arithmetic average of replicate tests made using a standardized laboratory-based test, commonly the water boiling test (WBT). However, the statistics section of the test protocol contains some debatable concepts and in certain cases, easily misinterpreted recommendations. Also, there is no agreement in the literature on how many replicate tests should be performed to ensure ?confidence? in the reported average performance (with three being the most common number of replicates). This matter has not received sufficient attention in the rapidly growing literature on stoves, and yet is crucial for estimating and communicating the performance of a stove, and for comparing the performance between stoves. We illustrate an application using data from a number of replicate tests of performance and emission of the Berkeley-Darfur Stove (BDS) and the TSF under well-controlled laboratory conditions. Here we focus on two as illustrative: time-to-boil and emissions of PM2.5 (particulate matter less than or equal to 2.5 ?m in diameter). We demonstrate that an interpretation of the results comparing these stoves could be misleading if only a small number of replicates had been conducted. We then describe a practical approach, useful to both stove testers and designers, to assess the number of replicates needed to obtain useful data from previously untested stoves with unknown variability.

The measurement of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from building products and materials by manufacturers and testing laboratories, and the use of the test results for labeling programs, continue to expand. One issue that hinders wide acceptance for chamber product testing is the lack of a reference material to validate test chamber performance. To meet this need, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Virginia Tech (VT) have developed a prototype reference material that emits a single VOC similar to the emissions of a diffusion-controlled building product source with a dynamic emissions profile. The prototype material has undergone extensive testing at NIST and a pilot interlaboratory study (ILS) with four laboratories. The next development step is an evaluation of the prototype source in multiple-sized chambers of 14 laboratories in seven countries. Each laboratory was provided duplicate specimens and a test protocol. Study results identified significant issues related to the need to store the source at a subzero Celsius temperature until tested and possible inconsistencies in large chambers. For laboratories using a small chamber and meeting all the test method criteria, the results were very encouraging with relative standard deviations ranging from 5% to 10% across the laboratories.Currently, the chamber performance of laboratories conducting product VOC emissions testing is assessed through interlaboratory studies (ILS) using a source with an unknown emission rate. As a result, laboratory proficiency can only be based on the mean and standard deviation of emission rates measured by the participating ILS laboratories. A reference material with a known emission rate has the potential to provide an independent assessment of laboratory performance as well as improve the quality of interlaboratory studies. Several international laboratories with different chamber testing systems demonstrated the ability to measure the emission rate of such a reference material within an acceptable measurement uncertainty.

An important role of garments is to provide adequate comfort. A study was undertaken of the sensory scores for perceived comfort of wool base layer long sleeve knitted T shirts. This paper, the first in a series, describes and evaluates the wearer trial protocol in which untrained female wearers scored tactile, thermal, and moisture-based sensations during a controlled series of activities in a range of controlled climatic environments. Wearer scores were sufficiently consistent, that significant differences in aggregate scores between garments were detected that reflected changes in the fiber type (wool, cashmere, and cotton) and fiber specifications. Prickle and discomfort scores responded to different factors. The importance of choosing appropriate test conditions when assessing garments for particular end uses was highlighted as both the environment and activity affected wearer's perception of garment performance. A novel test feature was the use of a ‘link’ garment common to separate trials. This, combined with the observed absence of an effect due to garment washing, enabled the testing to be expanded so that 38 garments were successfully compared over 30 months in nine trials. Finally while the first trial used 43 wearers to obtain good estimates of absolute comfort levels, it was demonstrated that a reduction to 25 wearers was adequate for later trials with minimal loss in sensitivity.

In last years, the demand of flat-plates solar collectors is constantly increasing; for this reason, it is necessary to improve their performance under different operating conditions. In this paper, experimental tests of a two-phase flat-plate solar collector using acetone as a working fluid are analyzed. Advantages of Phase Change Systems (CPS) are the decrease of the risk of deformation or fissure due to freezing, as well as problems of fouling, scaling, corrosion and incrustations, increasing the lifetime of the systems. The thermal performance of the developed systems is evaluated based on the NMX-ES-004-NORMEX-2010 Mexican standard. Efficiency curves of thermal performance during the day and thermal losses at night, following the Mexican standard protocol, have been obtained. Results show that the thermal behavior of the system studied is a little bit lower than the conventional systems for the day tests. For the night tests, the results are better than the conventional systems in one of the PCS, obtaining lower losses of temperature. It is necessary to continue with this research in order to obtain a PCS competitive against conventional systems.

The horseback riding simulator, an exercise training machine providing a simplified horse riding motion has been developed for aiming at healthcare. The purpose of this study was to estimate the energy expenditure without measuring bio-signals using the simulator. The test protocol was consisted of increase up to maximal intensity(Motion 9) and decrease down to minimal intensity(Motion 4) during 25 minutes, and energy expenditure was measured by portable cardiopulmonary exercise testing analyzer. There were significant differences in energy expenditure according to each riding motion. The result will be able to estimate energy expenditure using motion level, exercise time, age and gender during the riding.

Static tests, which compare the acid-generating potential and acid-neutralizing potential for a given mine waste (tailings or waste rocks), are characterized by a wide uncertainty zone in which it is impossible to accurately predict the acid-generating potential (AGP). Then, to better assess long-term AGP, kinetic tests are usually performed to provide more information about the reaction rates of the acid-generating and acid-neutralizing minerals. The present work compares the classic Sobek static test with three mineralogical static tests to assess the importance of sample mineralogy in acid mine drainage (AMD) prediction. We also investigated how experimental procedures related to static tests can influence prediction results. We used three synthetic tailings samples made by mixing well-characterized pure minerals in calibrated proportions. Although basically different in their principles and procedures, the modified Sobek and mineralogical static tests gave similar results. These AGP predictions were then validated by the use of a kinetic test. The kinetic test protocol was also modified in this study and the results obtained correlated well with the static test results, in contrast to the standard kinetic test protocol. The present work highlights the limitations of static and kinetic test procedures, and provides recommendations for a better use of these tests for more reliable AMD prediction.

Generally, aggregation techniques in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are defenseless against various attacks. The aggregator and aggregated data has to be secured to assure integrity and confidentiality. In this study, we propose a secure data aggregation technique with reliable nodes using key predicate test protocol for sensor network. This technique specialize some nodes as Reliable nodes (R-nodes) to monitor the process of aggregation. Initially, for each node, a secret key is shared between base station and neighboring nodes. Then, an aggregation tree is constructed for transmitting data to the base station in a hierarchical fashion. The aggregator encrypts the data using secret key and forwards to a level up aggregator in aggregation tree. By enhancing broadcasting feature of R- nodes, the aggregated value is verified for ensuring integrity. As keys are shared between neighboring nodes, the nodes are validated using self-key predicate test. The proposed technique is proved through simulation results. It increases the throughput by reducing the packet drops significantly.

Conducted Energy Weapons (CEWs), such as those manufactured by TASER International Inc., are seeing increased use by law enforcement agencies as a less lethal force option; but, at the same time, these weapons are also seeing an increased level of concern in terms of their safety of use. In order to enable consistent evaluation of CEW performance, a systematic protocol for testing the electrical output of such weapons is required. In this paper, we propose a test specification for CEWs, designed to calculate the key performance and electrical safety parameters. The weapon is fired into a specified load, and current or voltage data are acquired, from which a set of electrical parameters are calculated and recorded. The protocol is based on experience of testing 6000 CEWs in the labs affiliated with the authors. This test protocol is designed to enable systematic testing, evaluation and research on CEW’s, including identification of weapons which are out of specification, determination of changes in weapon characteristics over time, and evaluation of weapons post-incident. Based on the proposed test protocol, we evaluate and report on electrical output produced by 208 X26TM and128 M26TM TASER? weapons. Results are shown in terms of proposed summary parameters and in terms of manufacturer’s performance specifications.

Recent permanent deformation modeling research at North Carolina State University has resulted in the shift model, which is capable of expressing the permanent strain growth of asphalt concrete as a function of deviatoric stress, load time, and temperature on the basis of the time–temperature superposition and time–stress superposition principles. This paper presents an efficient calibration test protocol for the shift model as well as verification of the model. The proposed test protocol is comprised of triaxial stress sweep (TSS) tests and a reference test. The TSS test is suggested to reduce the number of tests required by applying three deviatoric stresses within one test. Each TSS test was performed at three temperatures: high (TH), intermediate (TI), and low (TL). The reference test was a triaxial repeated load permanent deformation test conducted at TH only. The shift model was calibrated for the polymer-modified dense-graded NY9.5B mix, and the calibrated model was applied successfully to predict strain growth for the composite tests at the three study temperatures and for random load tests at TH. The calibration testing procedure was optimized for the asphalt mixture performance tester. The TSS tests take approximately 2.9 h at TH and 1.5 h at TI and TL. Thus, about a day was required to complete one set of calibration tests under the proposed test protocol. Within 2 to 3 days of testing, depending on the number of replicates, the calibrated shift model is capable of predicting permanent strain growth for different temperatures, load times, and deviatoric stresses.

The Superpave specifications and equipment, introduced in 1993, represented a major advancement with respect to offering a better understanding of the behavior and characteristics of asphalt binders based on their rheological properties. However, the Superpave high-temperature test protocol has been shown to be inadequate for characterizing the high-temperature behavior (rutting resistance) of asphalt binders, particularly polymer modified ones. Recently, a specification based on the Multiple Stress Creep Recovery (MSCR) test has been proposed to address the shortcomings of the Superpave high-temperature binder specifications. This study aims to investigate the merits of implementing the MSCR test and specification as a replacement for the conventional high-temperature testing in the Performance Graded (PG) system. A statistical analysis was conducted on a dataset from Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to see how MSCR and PG procedures differ in grading different binders used in the state. In addition, an experimental study was conducted using seventeen different modified and unmodified binders. In addition to binder tests, seven of the binders were selected to conduct asphalt mixture tests such as dynamic modulus and flow number. The results confirm that the MSCR test is a suitable replacement for the current PG high temperature test since it provides a better tool to rank modified asphalt binders as well as unmodified ones. That is, creep compliance from the MSCR test more fundamentally represents binder behavior at high temperatures compared to the PG rutting parameter. In addition, the very simplified approach, known as grade-bumping, used in the current PG system to account for high traffic levels and low speed limits can be eliminated when using the MSCR test. The MSCR test also provides a better coefficient of correlation (at both stress levels) with flow number test results than the PG rutting parameter, again indicating that it more accurately reflects binder performance at high temperatures.

AM2, an airfield matting system made from extruded 6061-T6 aluminum alloy, is used to construct temporary aircraft operating surfaces. This matting system can support heavy aircraft loads even when placed directly over graded in situ soils. This paper presents the development of a test protocol and corresponding relationships that can be used to predict fatigue failure of AM2’s mechanical joints over any subgrade California bearing ratio (CBR) when subjected to high tire pressure single-wheel aircraft loading. First, full-scale simulated aircraft traffic experiments were conducted over sections of AM2 installed on subgrades with CBRs of 6, 10, 15, 25, and 100% to monitor subgrade deformation and fatigue failure. An increasing amplitude displacement function developed from a subgrade deformation model was then used to create a new laboratory procedure to simulate fatigue experienced by the matting system’s complex mechanical connectors under moving aircraft loads. Laboratory test results had strong...

The University of Washington (UW) - Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (UW-NNMREC) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will collaborate to advance research and development (R&D) of Marine Hydrokinetic (MHK) renewable energy technology, specifically renewable energy captured from ocean tidal currents. UW-NNMREC is endeavoring to establish infrastructure, capabilities and tools to support in-water testing of marine energy technology. NREL is leveraging its experience and capabilities in field testing of wind systems to develop protocols and instrumentation to advance field testing of MHK systems. Under this work, UW-NNMREC and NREL will work together to develop a common instrumentation system and testing methodologies, standards and protocols. UW-NNMREC is also establishing simulation capabilities for MHK turbine and turbine arrays. NREL has extensive experience in wind turbine array modeling and is developing several computer based numerical simulation capabilities for MHK systems. Under this CRADA, UW-NNMREC and NREL will work together to augment single device and array modeling codes. As part of this effort UW NNMREC will also work with NREL to run simulations on NREL's high performance computer system.

Live monitoring data and simple dynamic reduced-order models of the Christchurch Women’s Hospital (CWH) help explain the performance of the base-isolation (BI) system of the hospital during the series of Canterbury earthquakes in 2011–2012. A Park-Wen-Ang hysteresis model is employed to simulate the performance of the BI system and results are compared to measured data recorded above the isolation layer and on the sixth story. Simplified single, two, and three degree-of-freedom models (SDOF, 2DOF, and 3DOF) show that the CWH structure did not behave as an isolated but as a fixed-base structure. Comparisons of accelerations and deflections between simulated and monitored data show a good match for isolation stiffness values of approximately two times of the value documented in the design specification and test protocol. Furthermore, an analysis of purely measured data revealed very little to no relative motion across the isolators for large events of moment magnitude scale (Mw) 5.8 and 6.0 that occ...

This paper explores the general stereotactic accuracy of the Robotic Endoscopic Microsurgical System (REMS) by calibrating with a standard optical tracking system. Based on a simple yet effective test protocol, the proposed calibration method combines hand-eye calibration with Bernstein polynomials to improve our kinematic pose accuracy.

This paper examines the degree to which optimizing a lithium-ion battery's cycling for parameter identifiability can improve the robustness of subsequent health-conscious, model-based battery control. The paper builds on two established bodies of literature showing that (i) battery trajectory optimization for identifiability can improve parameter estimation accuracy significantly, and (ii) model-based battery control can improve performance significantly without compromising longevity. To the best of the authors' knowledge, the connection between these two distinct bodies of literature has never been examined before. We highlight the importance of this connection through an illustrative case study. Specifically, we (i) optimize the experimental cycling of commercial lithium-ion battery cells for identifiability. We then (ii) use the optimized cycles for experimental parameter identification, and (iii) use the resulting parameter values for pseudospectral battery charge trajectory optimization. Finally, we (iv) examine the robustness of the resulting solution to battery parameter identification uncertainties generated using Fisher information analysis. The results of this case study are quite compelling: the likelihood of accidental damage via lithium plating diminishes considerably when battery parameters are estimated from an identifiability-optimizing cycle prior to the use of these parameters in health-conscious control.

The overlay tester (OT) is a relatively new testing procedure that characterizes the fatigue cracking resistance of asphalt mixtures by evaluating the number of cycles to failure of a specimen. The uncertainty of the results has been a concern to some transportation agencies. A careful experimental evaluation of the OT test protocol reveals the complex stress and strain distributions that should be understood before improving the test. Thus, a study was conducted using the digital image correlation (DIC) and finite element analysis (FEA) methods to analyze the OT testing process and results. The DIC technology can be used to visualize the loading responses of the asphalt specimen and correlate them with the experimental results. The FEA, in addition to predicting the behavior of the hot mix asphalt (HMA), can be used to validate the DIC. Thus, the use of these two methods leads to a better understanding of the OT procedure.

Quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) for geotextiles are necessary to ensure that the material used in a project meets the requirements for that which was specified. Thought must be given to the types of tests required, the frequency at which they should be performed, and the values which should be achieved by the material. These variables depend widely on the type of product being specified and the application for which the material will be used. Overspecifying the product performance and/or testing regimen will add to the overall cost of the project with little benefit to the owner. The specifying engineer can minimize cost and maximize performance by properly specifying not only the type of textile but also the QA/QC test protocol.

Field investigations reporting increased airborne particles concentrations after ventilation duct cleaning (DC) and emissions of biocides following its use in DC highlight a need to protect building occupants from possible exposures to these harmful pollutants. A new protocol was developed to include tests for assessing duct surface cleanliness and harmful airborne pollutant concentrations associated with DC. Two office buildings undergoing DC were chosen to demonstrate the protocol application. The new protocol was tested for surface cleanliness assessment using a combination of visual inspection and a vacuum test method wherever possible. For airborne pollutant concentration assessments, indoor air exposures to total particle, fungi and VOCs were measured. The test application demonstrates that it is possible to determine harmful airborne pollutant concentration levels attributed to DC activities while still maintaining industrial performance standards of surface cleanliness.

New car assessment program (NCAP) originated from USNCAP in 1979 has been implemented in several countries or markets, for instance USA, Europe, Korea, Japan, China and Australia. NCAP has contributed greatly to reduce accidental tolls. But recently, NCAP performance has no distinction between cars because manufacturer have been continuously developed to improve NCAP performance. Therefore, NHTSA announced new USNCAP protocol becoming effective from MY2011. NHTSA had carried out many NCAP tests based on the new test protocol and announced these test results.In this paper, USNCAP test results were reviewed by statistical method. This review was focused on passenger cars and frontal crash test results in order to investigate effect of changes in new NCAP protocol. There are two key changes, one is sited female dummy in passenger position, the other is enlarged to 4 scoring body regions in each dummy. Results of this review were summarized as followings. Performance in Passenger (12.5%) is lower than Driver’s (50%) for number of 5 star vehicle. Neck injury criterion is dominant to NCAP star rating for both dummies in the mean sense. For standard deviation, chest deflection is showed largest value in driver dummy but neck injury criterion is showed for passenger’s. DKAB and PKAB were equipped 28.1% and 6.2%, respectively. Consequently, the countermeasure for new USNCAP frontal crash test is essential to control well dummy kinematics with some safety features including KAB to reduce neck injuries.

This paper recalls the genesis of the increased hydrocarbon temperature curve (HCinc) 10 years after its introduction in France. The statutory context, the role of the HCinc curve and the main issues raised are described. In the second section, results from fire resistance tests on concrete slabs exposed to the temperature curve in the framework of experimental research programs are presented and discussed. They are supplemented by a summary of a large number of commercial tests. An original test protocol allowing subjecting the slabs heated surface in compression is described. In the last section, current trends for fire resistance design in France are given. Assessment methodology for new and existing tunnels based on experiments and simulation are described. Recommendations are finally given in the utilization of passive protections.

Landscape mulches are widely used adjacent to buildings and represent a potential fire threat to the building. To date, relatively limited research has been conducted to characterize the ignition and flame spread potential of the various types of commercially available landscaping mulches. Consequently, ignition and flame spread test protocols were developed to evaluate candidate mulch products based upon the scientific research involving mulches and forest litters. The ignition protocol used brands from the ASTM E108 test to determine the minimum brand size required for reliable burning of the mulch to the border of the 0.6 m square mulch bed. The flame spread on mulches was assessed for a mulch bed 0.46 m wide by 1.8 m long. The initiating source for the flame spread testing was a gas-fired line burner with an intensity of 108 kW/m. The ability of the mulch bed to propagate flame remote from the initiation source was determined and the resulting flame spread rate was measured. The protocols were exercised in using various types of landscaping mulch (pine bark, hardwood, pine bark nugget, and pine straw mulch). The test protocol is found to be a viable method to provide quantitative measures of the hazards of landscape mulches. Further potential areas of test method development are identified.

A linear impactor system was used to apply a condensed version of the University of Ottawa Test Protocol, employing five centric and non-centric impact conditions, to a Hybrid III headform fitted with six certified ice hockey helmets. None of the helmeted conditions exceeded linear acceleration thresholds for traumatic or mild traumatic brain injury; however, five of the six helmets had angular acceleration results that were above the 80% risk of mild traumatic brain injury threshold proposed by Zhang et al. High risk of mild traumatic brain injury was associated with non-centric impact conditions and peak angular accelerations, supporting the need for improved three-dimensional helmet certification standards.

The South Africa National Road Agency Limited together with the CSIR are undertaking a research and development project to support the revision of the South African mechanistic-empirical pavement design method. An important part of this project is to develop test protocols for hot-mix asphalt materials. To date, no permanent deformation test is incorporated into South African pavement design guides. The objective of this paper is to present the development process of a repeated load axial permanent deformation test protocol and models using a standard South African hot-mix asphalt material. The developed test protocol and models provide guidelines, and make a significant contribution to pavement design in South Africa.

Many commercial off-the-shelf products for repairing portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements provide short set times, high early strengths, and the durability to withstand aircraft traffic. Twenty-five rapid-setting cementitious materials were investigated through laboratory and field evaluations to determine their suitability for repairing critical PCC airfield pavements. Standard laboratory tests were performed to characterize the properties of the materials and provide a protocol for assessing their suitability for field repairs. Criteria for using rapid-setting cementitious materials for repairing airfield pavements were published in 2008 by the U.S. Air Force. The criteria, based on laboratory and full-scale testing, allowed users to reduce the risk of premature failure of repairs by omitting unacceptable materials from their list of potential repair materials. The American Society of Testing and Materials published a similar test protocol in 2009. On the basis of a comparison of these two certification procedures and knowledge gained through field experience, the Air Force selection protocol was further updated in 2010 to improve the material selection process. The laboratory test methods used to develop the selection protocol along with the results from the material investigations are discussed in this paper.

The allowable capacity of conventional roof-to-wall metal connectors is based on results of unidirectional component tests that do not simulate triaxial aerodynamic loading effects induced by high-wind events. The results of wind and wind-driven rain tests conducted at a full-scale facility were used to create a database on aerodynamic and aerohydrodynamic load effects on roof-to-wall connectors. Based on these results, three axial mean force components (triaxial mean loads) were combined into a series of resultant mean force vectors. A new test protocol was then developed for roof-to-wall connectors under simulated triaxial loading as opposed to simple uniaxial loading. The findings confirm that current testing methods tend to overestimate the actual load capacities of metal connectors. The performance of a nonintrusive roof-to-wall connector system using fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) ties was also tested and compared with that of a traditional metal connector under simulated aerodynamic loads. The test...

Developing a test standard/protocol for solar box type cookers has drawn a considerable interest among the researchers throughout the world. Recent publications on solar cookers emphasize the need of introducing the thermal performance indicators determined through exergy analysis. In the present paper, the time variation of instantaneous exergy output and energy output as function of its temperature and also of the instantaneous ambient temperature have been reported for truncated pyramid type solar box cooker and compared with those of box type cooker. Further, variations in the exergy lost with temperature difference have been depicted for the selected water temperature range from 60 °C to 95 °C. Based on this study, quality factor, exergy temperature difference gap product, and heat loss coefficient are determined and are proposed as benchmark parameters of solar cooker’s thermal performance.

Helicopter pilots are exposed to whole body vibration (WBV) in their working environment. WBV has been associated with low back pain (LBP) and helicopter pilots have a high prevalence for LBP compared with other professions. The aim of this study was to develop a test protocol for measuring helicopters with ISO 2631-1 and to perform a whole body vibration risk assessment based on the European Vibration Directive in a number of commonly used military and civilian helicopters. Both absolute values and individual difference in current helicopter types are of interest in order to evaluate the possible role of vibration in LBP in helicopter pilots. Methods: In operationally relevant maneuvers, six helicopters were tested. In order to standardize measurements, each continuous fl ight was split into 15 separate maneuvers. A model of a working day exposure pattern was used to calculate A(8) vibration magnitudes for each helicopter. Results: The vibration A(8) exposure estimates ranged from 0.32 – 0.51 m z s 2 2 during an 8-h working day A(8). This compares with EU and ISO lower bounds risk criteria of 0.5 and 0.43 m z s 2 2 A(8), respectively. Discussion: Despite the vibration levels being relatively low, helicopter pilots report a high incidence of LBP. It is possible that helicopter pilot postures increase the risk of LBP when combined with WBV. The test protocol used in this study could be generally applied for other rotary winged aircraft testing to allow for comparison of WBV results. Data from different flight phases could be used to model different exposure profiles.

This work presents a case study on technology assessment for power quality improvement devices. A system compatibility test protocol for power quality mitigation devices was developed in order to evaluate the functionality of three-phase voltage restoration devices. In order to validate this test protocol, the micro-DVR, a reduced power development platform for DVR (dynamic voltage restorer) devices, was tested and the results are discussed based on voltage disturbances standards.

The purpose of this paper is to present a new mechanistic-empirical (M-E) rutting model developed for hot-mix asphalt (HMA) overlay thickness design and analysis. After reviewing existing rutting models in the literature, it was found that the well-known VESYS layer rutting model still is a rational choice and was adopted with minor modification to model HMA overlay rutting development. The main feature of the proposed M-E HMA overlay rutting model is to characterize layer specific permanent deformation properties rather than global rutting parameters used in the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide. For each specific layer, the proposed model requires rutting parameters α and μ ; and these rutting parameters, which are two of the fundamental input parameters required in the proposed M-E rutting model, can be directly determined from the repeated load test following the test protocol discussed in the paper. Additionally, the proposed M-E HMA overlay rutting model was calibrated using 8 test section...

In order to understand the influence of mixture parameters on concrete behaviour, a factorial design was employed in this investigation to identify the relative significance of primary mixture parameters and their coupled effects (interactions) on fresh properties of SCC that are of special interest to precast, prestressed applications. In addition to the 16 SCC mixtures employed, three SCC mixtures corresponding to the central point of the factorial design were prepared to estimate the degree of the experimental error for each of the modeled responses. The mixtures were evaluated to determine several key responses that affect the fresh properties of precast, prestressed concrete, including filling ability, passing ability, filling capacity, surface settlement, and column segregation. Mixture parameters modeled in this investigation included the binder content, binder type, w/cm, sand-to-total aggregate ratio (S/A), and dosage of thickening-type, viscosity-modifying admixture (VMA). The factorial design can identify potential mixtures with a given set of performance criteria that can be tried in the laboratory, hence simplifying the test protocol needed to optimize SCC.