T2 Facilities

Agency:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R)-Volpe

Center:
The John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
55 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02142-1093

Facility:
Human Factors Lab

Stephen M. Popkin Director, Safety Management and Human Factors
(617) 494-3532 stephen.popkin@dot.gov

Human factors research and development capabilities in all modes of transportation

Studies relationships between humans and automation technologies to improve safety, security, and productivity with due concern for unintended consequences.

Agency:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R)-Volpe

Center:
The John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
55 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02142-1093

Facility:
Cyber-Physical System Security Lab

John J. Wojtowicz
Chief, Security and Emergency Management Division
(617) 494-3100 john.wojtowicz@dot.gov

Perform systems analysis, testing and evaluation of cybersecurity threats and innovative mitigation measures for cyber-physical systems found in transportation infrastructure and vehicles throughout all modes of transportation (highway, mass transit, maritime, rail, pipeline, aviation).

Agency:
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
faa.gov

Center:
The William J. Hughes Technical Center Laboratory Facility
Atlantic City Intl Airport
Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08405

Facility:
Full-scale Aircraft Structural Test Evaluation and Research (FASTER)

John Hensyl Technology Transfer Program Office
(609) 485-7140 John.hensyl@faa.gov

Characterize fatigue and damage tolerance of legacy and next generation aircraft fuselage structures

Agency:
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
faa.gov

Center:
The William J. Hughes Technical Center Laboratory Facility
Atlantic City Intl Airport
Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08405

Facility:
Aviation Fuel and Engine Test Facility (AFETF)

John Hensyl Technology Transfer Program Office
(609) 485-7140 John.hensyl@faa.gov

Test NextGen alternative fuels for general aviation

Evaluate safety and performance of high compression engines operating on ultra-low lead (ULL) and unleaded (UL)

Agency:
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
faa.gov

Center:
The William J. Hughes Technical Center Laboratory Facility
Atlantic City Intl Airport
Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08405

Facility:
National Airport Pavement Test Facility (NAPTF)

John Hensyl Technology Transfer Program Office
(609) 485-7140 John.hensyl@faa.gov

Conducts accelerated aircraft load tests on various airport pavement structural designs

Tests various landing gear configurations at various tire pressures and aircraft weights with the pavement test vehicle, and specialized pavement experiments including alkali-silica reactivity of concrete and reflective cracking of asphalt overlays

Agency:
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Center:
The Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center
6300 Georgetown Pike
McLean, VA 22101-2310

Facility:
Aerodynamics Laboratory

H.R. Bosch
Research Structural Engineer
Federal Highway Administration
(202) 493-3031
Harold.Bosch@dot.gov

The Aerodynamics Laboratory is the only wind tunnel facility in the United States that is dedicated solely to the study of wind effects on transportation structures.

It has the longest continuous history of exploring bridge aerodynamics to ensure the performance and safety of long-span bridges in strong winds and to advance our understanding of wind effects on transportation structures.

Agency:
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Center:
The Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center
6300 Georgetown Pike
McLean, VA 22101-2310

Facility:
Federal Outdoor Impact Laboratory (FOIL)

Eduardo Arispe
Research Mechanical Engineer
Federal Highway Administration
(202) 493-3291
eduardo.arispe@dot.gov

Researchers use this facility to extend their understanding of crash events and dynamic loading that occur during impacts.

One way this is accomplished is by staging controlled, high-speed motor vehicle collisions into roadside hardware (e.g., guardrails, sign supports, cable barriers, concrete safety shapes) or other vehicles to evaluate effectiveness.

A pendulum test rig at the FOIL is often used to test dynamic response of hardware or vehicle components and subsystems.

Primarily, researchers use this facility to generate data to formulate mathematical models or to confirm the accuracy of computer-generated crash predictions.

Perform routine certification and compliance testing, including testing performed to ensure compliance with existing safety standards, are not conducted at the FOIL.

Agency:
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Center:
The Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center
6300 Georgetown Pike
McLean, VA 22101-2310

Facility:
Human Factors Laboratory

David Yang
Human Factors Team Leader
Federal Highway Administration
(202) 493-3284
david.yang@dot.gov

The purpose of the Human Factors Laboratory is to further the understanding of highway user needs so that those needs can be incorporated in roadway design, construction, repair, and improvement.

All of Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's) strategies for improving safety and enhancing operations throughout the highway transportation system benefit from the appropriate consideration of user needs.

Human factors studies consider the needs of the driver, pedestrian, and special users, and the capabilities of each.

Agency:
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Center:
The Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center
6300 Georgetown Pike
McLean, VA 22101-2310

Facility:
J. Sterling Jones Hydraulics Research Laboratory

Kornel Kerenyi Research Engineer Federal Highway Administration
(202) 493-3142 kornel.kerenyi@dot.gov

The Hydraulics Laboratory is a state-of-the art facility used to conduct a variety of experiments pertaining to water. Among other things, this laboratory provides a means of testing the hydraulic properties of submerged bridges and the hydraulic properties of highway drainage structures and stream crossings.

The laboratory provides operational engineers with the design tools needed to complete their tasks.