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Featured Article...
Today's Reality: Added Safety Technology is Critical for Military Vehicles and Equipment
Helen A. Kaleto - Troy, MI (helen.kaleto@mgaresearch.com)
 For the past few years, MGA's dedication to safety has been amplified to do whatever it takes to improve the survivability of our soldiers and military personnel. By the shear contrast of war tactics in desert regions as compared to previous conflicts, the event of an explosion or crash while riding in a military vehicle has dramatically different results on the vehicle and its occupants. According to an article on the U.S. Army website, "IED attacks, in fact, account for the majority of U.S. casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan and are the leading cause of brain injury to American servicemen and women". As U.S. military efforts continue around the world, military vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers are finding themselves under extreme pressure to improve the safety of the products relied on by these soldiers. In any vehicle, military or commercial, the seats are the most used component by the occupants. With such high usage expectations, seats are required to pass hundreds of tests, from safety to product liability to vibration. This wide spectrum of testing allows the manufacturer to develop the safest and most dependable product without sacrificing other critical issues such as comfort and ease of use. For the military, however, these issues get compounded even more due to the severity of the environment in which they are required to function.
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Testing To Save Pedestrians
DJ Whiteside - Troy, MI (dj.whiteside@mgaresearch.com)
 As the lead test technician of dynamic testing, Ryan Jones is responsible for the daily execution of MGA dynamic testing, including Pedestrian Impact, FMVSS 201U, and custom linear impact. His +5 years into his career span across a variety of expertise such as data acquisition, electrical performance, life cycle, environmental, seat durability, and project management. Ryan's preference is to pioneer new and demanding projects at MGA.
"I can't imagine what that would feel like if that was my leg," comments Ryan. That was his reaction after watching the high speed video in slow motion of a simulated leg form against a sedan bumper during a Lower Leg Pedestrian Impact test. Flying at roughly 25 mph (40 kph), the leg hits the front of the vehicle and bows outward as if the knee were to pivot in the wrong direction. "And unfortunately, this type of thing doesn't just happen in the lab," proclaims Ryan.
In 2003, a reported 11% of all motor vehicle related deaths in the U.S. were pedestrians (4,749 in total)*. In predominately pedestrian populated areas of Europe and Asia, vehicle injuries have continued to be a long standing problem. Many of the city's road systems were setup well before the comparatively recent introduction of the motor vehicle; proving to be too narrow or with too few spaces to allow passersby. *Reference: http://www.walkinginfo.org/pedsafe/crashstats.cfm
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FMVSS 209 Seat Belt Testing at MGA-SC
 Have you ever slammed on your brakes because the vehicle in front of you decided to come to a dead stop in a split second? When you slammed on your brakes, did you feel your seat belt tighten suddenly, holding you firmly into your seat? This type of re-action is what test specifications are created for to ensure that your seat belt assembly is working properly. The design and material used to manufacture seat belt devices will dictate whether a seat belt assembly will be functional when it is most needed, in an accident.
FMVSS 209 is NHTSA's (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration) test procedure for Seat Belt Assemblies. FMVSS 209 was the first standard to become effective on March 1, 1967, according to their website http://www.nhtsa.gov. This procedure outlines the requirements for seat belt assemblies used in automobiles. Another similar procedure for restraint systems is SAE J386. Our testing laboratory in Greer, South Carolina has added the capabilities necessary to perform the webbing portions of both specifications. These tests include breaking strength, elongation, hex-bar abrasion, width, and stiffness. These new test fit in well with our current test capabilities.
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| New Addition in Akron; The Multi-Axis Simulation Table
 In order to accommodate growing customer requests in the area, MGA-Akron has added a 5' x 7' six degree of freedom (6DOF) Multi-Axis Simulation Table (MAST) along with an MTS FlexTest 100 controller at our Technical Services Laboratory (TSL). This MAST expands TSL's ability to perform real-time durability testing for our customers. With this capability, MGA-Akron is the only independent test laboratory with 6DOF testing capabilities in the greater Buffalo area. The excitement of acquiring this new test capability along with the ability to satisfy local customer requests is echoed throughout MGA-Akron. TSL test engineer Mike Greiner comments; "I look forward to providing this new capability to our customers and look forward to growing the lab and discovering new ways to satisfy our customer needs."
MGA-Akron personnel were trained by MGA's experts at the Troy, Michigan facility. MGA-Troy's MAST team has years of experience in hydraulic testing and provided hands-on training to the Akron test engineers when the equipment was put on-line. In addition, the MAST's are designed and manufactured by engineers at the Akron facility, which has resulted in the ability to streamline assembly and verification of the table.
If you are interested in receiving more information on MGA Akron's 6DOF testing capabilities, please contact Brian Schrameck by phone at (716) 542-5672 or at brian.schrameck@mgaresearch.com.
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MGA Websites:
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Touching Base
with Dr. Patrick Miller - Akron, NY
The President And Black History Month
February is the month that we honor presidents, and it is also the month that is devoted to Black History. This year, February is especially noteworthy as the nation celebrates the election of Barack Obama, an African American, as the 44th President of the United States. With his election, President Obama has already made history and at the age of 47 will likely have many more opportunities to add to this legacy.
The celebration of Black History Month, and the study of black history, was due to the efforts of Dr. Carter G. Woodson. The son of slaves, Dr. Woodson was born on December 19, 1875, in Virginia and spent much of his childhood in Kentucky where he worked in the coal mines. At the age of 20 he enrolled in high school and graduated within two years. Later he went on to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University.
Dr. Woodson devoted his professional life to the study of Black History and the education of African-American students. In order to focus attention on black contributions to civilization, he founded Negro-History Week in 1926. The second week of February was chosen because even though the 13th Amendment to the constitution, which abolished slavery, was signed in January, most slaves did not hear about it until February. Negro-History Month would later evolve into Black History Month.
Although much progress was made during his lifetime, Dr. Woodson could only dream of the progress that has been made since his death on April 3, 1950. Today, African-Americans are widely recognized for their contribution to society. A few of the more notable individuals are listed below:
Jackie Robinson: Broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.
Colin Powell: A general in the Army, became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989-1993), and later Secretary of State (2001-2004).
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