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Photo for visual interest. An aerial photo of the Proving Grounds Research Facility test runways and buildings. The Proving Grounds are between a four-lane highway and a river.

Proving Grounds Research Facility

The Proving Grounds Resesarch Facility enables researchers to conduct experiments and testing with the ultimate goal of improving transportation safety. This facility is one of only two university-based centers of its kind in the United States where researchers perform product testing for clients from across the country, as well as test new TTI-developed roadside safety devices. An expanse of paved runways is ideally suited to perform full-scale testing of safety designs. Roadside devices, crash cushions, and barrier systems undergo the substantial testing that is required before field installations. The size of the facility provides realistic conditions for crash testing and friction pavement testing. Crash tests are conducted using a wide spectrum of vehicles, from subcompacts and three-quarter-ton truck to 80,000-pound tractor-trailor rigs. Other proving ground facilities include:

  • a hydroplaning trough for studying the phenomenon of vehicle hydroplaning,
  • a test track of 3.5 miles that permits simulation of freeway traffic conditions at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour, and
  • special pads designed for conducting tire skid tests on road surfaces of various textures.

Equipment

Photo for visual interest. In a large workshop, a man kneels and inspects a friction trailer. In the background, a man kneels and inspects equipment mounted to the back of a truck.
Central and Western Field Test Center

The Central and Western Field Test Center is one of two national reference centers for friction trailer calibrations in accordance with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Engineers use carefully monitored reference pavements and an ASTM friction trailer to calibrate friction measurement systems for 25 state departments of transportation.

Photo for visual interest. The Texas Transportation Institute's outdoor pendulum, which uses a 1808-pound falling weight.
Outdoor Pendulum

This equipment simulates low-speed (25 miles per hour) vehicle impacts on roadside appurtenances. The pendulum uses a 1,808-pound falling weight to induce known kinetic energy into a test article for evaluation of strength, energy absorption, and failure characteristics.

Photo for visual interest. Two men inspect a car (test vehicle) that is attached to a support structure that sits atop a hydraulic spherical bearing.
Parametric Measurement Facility

This facility measures a vehicle's center of gravity and mass moments of inertia to determine its stability and performance in driving maneuvers. The test vehicle is attached to a support structure that sits atop a hydraulic spherical bearing. The vehicle is then tilted around the bearing to measure center of gravity and oscillated around the bearing to measure mass moments of inertia.

Photo for visual interest. A low-speed crash-testing vehicle.
The Bogie Test Vehicle

This vehicle is used to simulate a 1,808-pound passenger car in collision testing. Testing with this reusable vehicle, rather than a late-model car, substantially reduces the costs of crash testing narrow objects, such as sign supports and lighting poles.

Services

Construction crews install prototypes of safety devices for crash testing and prepare the crash test site in a realistic setting. An electronics team equips the crash vehicle with appropriate measuring devices and a telemetry system for communication with the ground station, which is equipped with sophisticated computer monitoring equipment to record crash data. Photographic experts set up high-speed cameras and video equipment to record the test on film. When the test is complete, TTI provides a thorough account of every aspect of the crash test.

For More Information

Gene Buth
Assistant Director Materials, Safety and Structures
Texas Transportation Institute
Texas A&M University System
3135 TAMU
College Station, TX  77843-3135
ph. (979) 845-6159 · fax (979) 845-6107
g-buth@tamu.edu

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