The Carleton University Crash Dummy (CUCD) team will be performing its final crash test of the academic year on Friday, April 4. The project is run by 17 fourth-year mechanical and aerospace engineering students and is led by professors Hanspeter Frei, Mojtaba Ahmadi and Andrew Speirs. The team has worked towards performing a successful crash test for two terms. The morning of the final test, students will set up a track, prepare the crash dummy, insert sensing systems and arrange cameras around the scene for video analysis.
“This year, with the crash dummy project, I have been able to understand the role of safe mechanical design and preparing for worse-case scenarios,” said Ibukun Elebute, CUCD team member. ”Especially with a crash test, where all of the design is to be tested against such force, fidelity of design is important.”
When: Friday, April 4, 2014
- Setup: 9 a.m.
- Final test: 10 a.m.
Where: Between the Minto and Mackenzie buildings, Carleton University
The team will place the crash dummy they designed on a bicycle, which will then be placed on a 20-foot track. The car will be travelling in one direction and the bike will be heading in the other and they will be calibrated to collide.
“I have learned to appreciate the synergy between several disciplines of engineering as they come together to solve problems,” said Malhar Mukhopadhyay, CUCD team member. “I worked with electronic components such as VFD, which involve applications from my feedback and mechatronics courses, giving me practical insight into the theory I have learned.”
The team has created data analysis and acquisition systems to gather concrete results from the test. One element of the project is analyzing head injuries; the team will measure and record acceleration results from the head and determine the nature of the injury the dummy cyclist sustains in the crash. The team will also have sensors in the legs and chest to measure impacts there.
“I chose to work with the sensing and instrumentation team this year and it has been a steep learning curve,” said Sandra Fiset, CUCD team member. “I have designed and built a data acquisition system for the dummy using various microcontrollers and programming interfaces. This has given me a new insight into robotics, sensing technologies and integrated systems.”
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