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Featured Article...
DOT Lithium Battery regulations to be Enforced Starting January 1st, 2008
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Eye on Equipment...
Pedestrian Lower Legform Impactor
Over the past six months, we have redesigned our pedestrian lower legform impactor. The lower legform impact test is used to test compliance with the EEVC (European Enhanced Vehicle-Safety Committee) 17 Standard - Improved Test Methods to Evaluate Pedestrian Protection Afforded in Passenger Cars. This test simulates an impact between a vehicle's front bumper and a person's leg. The legform consists of a human femur, tibia, and also has bendable joints which represent the knee. In order for a vehicle to successfully pass this test, its bumper has to absorb a specific amount of energy during the impact. This will reduce the risk and/or severity of injury to a pedestrian as a result of an impact.
The legform is propelled into the test vehicle by our pedestrian impactor. The impactor utilizes compressed nitrogen gas to propel the legform into free flight before it comes into contact with the test vehicle.
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| Focus on Fixtures...
First Row Bucket Seat Fixtures
Due to the extensive amount of testing that seats require in the automotive industry, there is always a demand for a fixture that suits the job.
Seat fixtures are designed and fabricated based on the  testing required by the customer. Some seats will observe extremely high forces during testing and call for welded, steel fixtures; while others will only require that they be positioned and secured in vehicle orientation. This can be accomplished using a lightweight aluminum, bolted style fixture. All fixtures are certified to math data when provided to ensure accuracy and that the correct orientation is obtained.
For any questions or if you would like to discuss assembly First Row Bucket Seat fixtures, please contact Andy Gould (andrew.gould@mgaresearch.com) at (248) 925-8092. We look forward to working with you in the future. |
The Best Laid Plans...
MGA has over thirty years of experience in the industry planning test programs. Test planning can easily be one of the largest as well as variable cost factors for any testing program. Outsourcing tests can have many associated peripheral costs above and beyond the cost to conduct the actual test. Typical peripheral costs include travel, shipping, contracting third party witnesses, and the cost of being away from the office. Schedule changes, test plan revisions, part delays, weather, and the need to perform subsequent testing can quickly escalate the costs.
At MGA, we understand that these costs can even outweigh the costs of testing, especially for our many customers located across the country and overseas. That is why we strive to help reduce our customer's peripheral costs through the use of flexible scheduling, efficient fixturing and setup methods, digital communication, and by offering multiple testing services at each MGA location.
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Editor's Note:
As many friends of MGA know, Pat became ill while on a cruise celebrating his 50th Wedding Anniversary with his family late last year. He is now home in Silver Springs, NY and is gradually recovering through regular physical therapy sessions. Although he is not back in the office now, he expects to get back to the office sometime in the next couple of months. This Touching Base article is a re-print of an article Pat originally wrote in 2005.
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Touching Base
Car Ferries and my Uncle Joe
My fascination with car ferries began during a trip with my Uncle Joe. He was born at the end of the 19th century and left school, as was the custom then after the 8th grade to help on his father's farm. A few years later, Uncle Sam sent him on a trip to Europe. After spending time in the trenches and dodging bullets during World War I, he returned home, only now the farm was of little interest so he went to the city. While there, he taught himself construction methods and technology. Over time, he became a high level executive with a major construction company.
The year was 1950, and returning from a trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we happened to be on the same car ferry. As the ferry left St. Ignace for Mackinaw City, he said to my brother and me, "Well boys, let's check out this ship." We soon came to a door marked NO ADMITTANCE.
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