Public Meeting: Glazing Research

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket 95-41 GR]

Public Meeting: Glazing Research

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice: (1) Announces a public meeting to discuss NHTSA's

research findings to date on advanced glazing materials that may

prevent ejection of vehicle occupants through motor vehicle windows

during crashes; (2) invites oral presentations at the meeting from

industry experts, equipment manufacturers, and vehicle manufacturers;

and (3) invites written comments and data from the public on the same

subject. To focus the responses in preparation for this technology

transfer and information exchange, the agency also provides a list of

questions for commenters.

DATES: Public meeting: The Advanced Glazing Research Meeting will be

held on Thursday, February 1, 1996, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.,

Eastern Standard Time. The agenda is discussed below.

Written comments: Written comments are due before March 1, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Public meeting: The public meeting will be held at the

following location: Holiday Inn Capitol, 550 C Street SW., Washington,

DC 20024, Telephone: (202) 479-4000, Fax: (202) 488-4627.

Written comments: All written comments should be mailed to the

Docket Section, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Room

5109, 400 7th Street SW., Washington, DC 20590. Please refer to the

docket number when submitting written comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Margaret Gill, Office of Vehicle

Safety Standards, NPS-12, NHTSA, 400 7th Street SW., Washington, DC

20590 (telephone 202-366-2264, fax 202-366-4329). By electronic mail:

MG[email protected]

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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991

required NHTSA to initiate rulemaking to address the problems of

rollover crashes. To fulfill this requirement, the agency published an

Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on January 2, 1992, (57

FR 242) to solicit information concerning rollover crashes. A

Rulemaking Plan entitled ``Planning Document for Rollover Prevention

and Injury Mitigation'' (Docket 91-68 No. 1) was published for public

review on September 29, 1992 (57 FR 198). The planning document

outlined crash avoidance and crashworthiness rulemaking approaches to

reduce rollover-related injuries and fatalities.

As part of the analysis of rollover accidents, the agency

determined that a significant number of injuries and deaths was

associated with ejection of vehicle occupants out of windows.

Accordingly, the agency broadened the goal of an ongoing side-impact

research program to include research on preventing ejection through

glazing during rollover accidents. The agency also created a cross-

agency research team to expedite the research and analysis of the

problem of occupants being ejected through glazing. This Advanced

Glazing Research Team has developed analytical and research tools to

evaluate the problem of ejection, and to assess potential mitigating

glazing designs, and has so far:

1. Developed and built an impactor that can project 18 kilograms

(40 pounds) at 24 kilometers per hour (15 mph). This represents a

maximum force that NHTSA believes is likely to be exerted by the head/

shoulder on the side windows in a typical rollover or side impact

crash. This impactor is being used in NHTSA's research for testing

advanced glazing materials.

2. Developed full-vehicle computer models and finite element

material models (FEA) to assess the potential for occupant injury

against the glazing encountered in rollover crashes.

3. Monitored technological developments in advanced glazing.

4. Manufactured and tested prototype encapsulated windows, mounted

in modified doors.

5. Conducted a cost, weight, and lead-time analysis of the use of

alternative glazing materials.

6. Conducted a benefits analysis to determine the number of lives

potentially saved by the use of alternative glazing materials.

These activities are detailed in two reports: (1) ``Alternative

Glazing Cost Study, September 1995 Final Report'' and (2) ``Ejection

Mitigation Using Advanced Glazing, A Status Report, November 1995.''

Copies of these reports have been placed in docket 95-41-GR. NHTSA

encourages commenters to review these reports prior to the public

meeting, because they form the basis for many of the questions upon

which the agency is requesting comment.

The agency believes that the alternative glazing concepts that it

has examined for the front, side windows of light vehicles are capable

of preventing approximately 1,300 fatalities per year. Vehicle

modifications for these front and side window systems may cost between

$48 and $79 per vehicle. Prototype systems have been produced and

appear feasible and practical.

II. Questions for the Public

To aid the agency in acquiring the information it needs from its

partners who will be submitting written comments, and to focus the

discussion at the public meeting, NHTSA is including a list of

questions and requests for data within this notice. For easy reference,

the questions are numbered consecutively. NHTSA encourages commenters

to provide specific responses for each question for which they may have

information or views. In addition, to facilitate tabulation of the

written comments in sequence, please identify the number of each

question to which you are responding.

NHTSA requests that commenters provide as specific a rationale as

possible, including analysis of safety consequences, for any positions

that are taken. NHTSA encourages commenters to provide scientific

analysis and data relating to materials, designs, testing,

manufacturing and field experience.

The following list of questions does not purport to be an all-

inclusive collection of items relevant to this research. NHTSA

encourages commenters to provide any other data they believe are

relevant.

1. Are the glazing materials selected for computer modeling

sufficient to characterize the responses that may be observed from

ejection resistant glazing materials? Can you suggest additional

materials for use in NHTSA's computer models? If so, can you supply any

impact-speed-sensitive material data?

2. Are NHTSA's current retention test equipment and procedures

sufficient to characterize a glazing's ability to keep an occupant in a

vehicle? Can you suggest additional test techniques that should be

investigated? Do you know of any additional research on occupant-

glazing impacts?

3. Are the cost data presented in the report accurate? If not, can

you supply NHTSA with some better cost data?

4. Please provide any comments and supporting material of your

comments on the cost, weight, and lead time analysis conducted by

NHTSA.

5. Are the injury criteria discussed in this report sufficient? Can

you recommend others? Do you have any injury test data?

6. Do you have any information that addresses the repeatability of

glazing impact tests?

7. Does the encapsulation design look practical for production

vehicles? Do you know of any movable side window encapsulation systems

currently in production? Can you recommend any improvements to the

encapsulation system NHTSA used?

8. To what extent of vehicle damage would encapsulated advanced

glazing be effective in preventing occupant ejection?

9. Do the current hard coat techniques provide adequate scratch

resistance for rigid plastic and glass-plastic glazing to be

practicable for side windows and acceptable to consumers? Do you know

of any new technologies that should be investigated?

10. Is durability or environmental exposure a problem with any

advanced glazing materials?

11. The recently implemented British Standard AU 209 Part 4: 1995,

permits laminated security glazing, which will deter unauthorized entry

into a motor vehicle. Would an investigation of these security glazings

benefit NHTSA's ejection mitigation research program?

12. Are there any quantifiable security or design benefits to these

security glazings?

13. Are there any performance benefits, other than preventing

ejections, known to be associated with ejection-mitigating glazings?

14. Are there any known disadvantages to ejection-mitigating

glazings?

15. Are there any vehicles currently in use that employ advanced

glazing materials?

16. Are there any other data, research or analyses available on

glazing impacts? Is there any work being done on laceration

measurement?

17. Are there any data to support or refute the data or conclusions

of the agency's status report?

III. Public Meeting Procedural Matters

As part of the President's initiative to reform the regulatory

process, the agency has taken steps to increase

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technology transfer and exchange with the public and the automotive

industry, in various aspects of highway and motor vehicle safety. As

part of this goal to promote national and international cooperation,

the agency will conduct a public meeting on the ongoing research

program concerning mitigation of motor vehicle occupant ejections out

of windows. At this public meeting, the agency will present test and

analytical data that the agency has gathered to date. The agency's

presentation will include:

--Background and Basis for the Research

--Research, including impactor development, prototype ejection-

mitigating design development, and component test results.

--Computer modeling of glazing impacts

--Alternative glazing systems cost, weight, lead time

--Benefits analysis

The agency also solicits relevant presentations, research findings,

and views from its partners at this meeting. NHTSA especially solicits

participation in the form of presentations by technical experts, both

in the form of critiques of the agency's research and of independent

research. Within the available time, NHTSA will try to accommodate all

persons wishing to make oral presentations.

Those wishing to make oral presentations at the meeting should

contact the Public Meeting Coordinator, Margaret Gill, at the mailing

address, telephone number, fax number, or electronic mail address

listed above, by January 17, 1996. If the presentation will include

slides, motion pictures, or other visual aids, please so indicate and

NHTSA will make the proper equipment available. Presenters should bring

at least one copy of their presentation to the meeting so that NHTSA

can readily include the material in the public record. NHTSA will

provide ``auxiliary aids'' (e.g., sign-language interpreter,

telecommunications devices for deaf persons (TDDs), readers, taped

texts, brailled materials or large print materials and/or a magnifying

device) to speakers or other participants as necessary. Any person

desiring assistance of auxiliary aids should contact Margaret Gill,

(202) 366-2264, by close-of-business, January 17, 1996.

The agency estimates that NHTSA's presentations will take

approximately three and one-half hours, consuming the morning session

of the meeting. The afternoon session will be used for other

presenters, and for questions that weren't answered during the morning

session. There will be a question period after each presentation. Those

speaking at the public meeting should limit the length of their

presentations to 20 minutes.

A tentative agenda will be available January 22, 1996. You can

obtain the tentative agenda upon request from the agency, or over the

Internet on NHTSA's Internet home page at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/nps/

glazmeet.html. A final schedule of participants making oral

presentations will be available at the designated meeting room on the

day of the meeting.

The agency intends to conduct the after-presentation portions of

the public meeting in an informal manner, in order to promote maximum

participation by all who attend. Interested persons may ask questions

or provide comments immediately after each party has completed its

presentation. If time permits, persons who have not requested time to

speak but would like to make a statement or presentation will be

afforded an opportunity to do so. There will be further opportunities

for questions and information exchange at the end of the meeting.

After the meeting, NHTSA will place a copy of any written

statements in the docket for this notice. A verbatim transcript of the

meeting will be prepared and also placed in the NHTSA docket as soon as

possible after the meeting.

IV. Submission of Written Comments

Participation in the meeting is not a prerequisite for the

submission of written comments. NHTSA invites written comments from all

interested parties. It is requested but not required that 10 copies be

submitted. Written comments must not exceed 15 pages in length. (See 49

CFR 553.21). Necessary attachments may be appended to these submissions

without regard to the 15-page limit. This limitation is intended to

encourage commenters to detail their primary arguments in a concise

fashion.

If a commenter wishes to submit certain information under a claim

of confidentiality, three copies of the complete submission, including

purportedly confidential business information, should be submitted to

the Chief Counsel, NHTSA, at the street address given above, and seven

copies from which the purportedly confidential information has been

deleted should be submitted to the Docket Section. A request for

confidentiality should be accompanied by a cover letter setting forth

the information specified in the agency's confidential business

information regulation, 49 CFR 512.

All relevant comments received will be reviewed by the agency and

will be available for examination in the docket at the above address.

The NHTSA will continue to file relevant information as it becomes

available in the docket after the closing date, and it is recommended

that interested persons continue to examine the docket for new

material.

Issued on December 8, 1995.

Barry Felrice,

Associate Administrator for Safety Performance Standards.

[FR Doc. 95-30425 Filed 12-13-95; 8:45 am]

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