Mohammad Saad Bin Shaheed, M.S.
Graduate Research Assistant, Civil Engineering
Kansas State University

Project: Improving Safety of the Surface Transportation System by Addressing the Issues of Vulnerable Road Users: Case of the Motorcyclists

Mohammad Saad Bin Shaheed is a graduate research assistant working under the supervision of Dr. Sunanda Dissanayake. He started working on the MATC project "Improving Safety of the Surface Transportation System by Addressing the Issues of Vulnerable Road Users: Case of the Motorcyclists" in the spring of 2009. The study aims to investigate the characteristics of motorcycle crashes, identify critical characteristics, and evaluate the effect of helmet use on motorcycle injury outcome. Mr. Shaheed has completed a literature review of research on motorcycle crash characteristics and helmet use published in journals and reports. He has also collected data for the factors which may be related to motorcycle crashes for all the states. Currently he is developing a linear regression model relating these factors and motorcycle fatalities to see how these factors contribute to an increase in the severity of motorcycle crashes.

Neeraj Mishra, M.S./Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant, Mechanical Engineering
University of Iowa

Project: Improving Freight Fire Safety: Analysis and Testing of Real Engine Conditions to Progress Development of Mist-Controlling Additives for Fire Mitigation

From the testing of diesel and pure hydrocarbons, I have moved on to testing blends of these liquids with high molecular weight polymers. For the analysis of experimental observations, I have been learning the physics governing the flow of such non-Newtonian fluids. Use of software like Fluent for simulating drop impacts has also widened my capabilities and understanding in this field of fluid mechanics.

Ling Zhu, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant, Mechanical Engineering
University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Project: Design of High Tension Cable Post Bases

Progress was achieved in the project of the new design of the high-tension cable post footing. An initial footing design was proposed based on the worst-case impact scenario from the analytical calculation. In order to evaluate the design's strength and deflection performances upon impact, bogie tests were conducted. Three different embedment depths (24 in., 36 in., and 60 in) were tested in the weak soil. The 24-in. and 36-in. footings were rocked over without significant damages as expected, while the 60-inch footing was severely damaged upon impact. Though the design is already much stronger than all of the currently available designs, the longitudinal rebar and the stirrups in the 60-inch footing were torn by the bogie impact. The bogie test results revealed that most of the current designs were insufficient to sustain the worst-case impact. The damage of the insufficient footing in these designs actually results in more maintenance cost instead of savings. Meanwhile, the impact load measured from the bogie tests appeared to be higher than what we expected. According to the measured load, a revised footing design has been completed, and more bogie tests are scheduled to evaluate the revised design. If the revised design passes the strength test, the cost will be evaluated to find out whether it is more economical to use the concrete footing in certain circumstances.