Transport Safety and Simulation

Transport Safety and Simulation is a research theme within the Centre for Future Transport and Cities. 

Focus of our research

Research within this theme focuses on:

• Understanding in the first instance the computation and causes of human injuries, considering age, gender and anthropometry, with the ultimate the purpose of developing safer vehicles, assess the safety of occupants in forthcoming autonomous vehicles, assist the National Health Service, the Justice system, the Coronial process, and Forensics experts (RoaD). This includes fundamental trauma computation, accident reconstruction, crashworthiness computation, structural optimisation techniques, analysis and development of accident databases, occupant and pedestrian safety in future autonomous vehicles, and the development of new legislative safety frameworks.
• Developing innovative approaches that seek to align emerging technology capability to societal expectations. Examples include the development of assessment approaches for connected and automated vehicle technology (TIC-IT), identification of deployment pathways for innovative technology in support of a transition to electric mobility (DynaCoV), opportunities for improvement of air quality through deployment of innovative sociotechnical systems approaches (Transitions). The research has an international focus, with research partnerships in South America, South East Asia, the EU and UK.

Take a look at our research in action: 

• Our mission

  • Develop advanced computer tools, techniques and legislative frameworks in the field of transportation to prevent or mitigate human traumatic injuries sustained with the purpose to save lives and improve rehabilitation and accelerate the deployment of innovative technology solutions into the road transport sector through co-consideration of technology development pathways and societal expectations (including safer systems).

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• Our vision

  Develop computer trauma injury tools to support Accident and Emergency services and innovative approaches that direct technology development pathways for the benefit of society.
   

Key researchers

Projects

Our research aims to increase our understanding of fundamental Injury computation in pedestrian cases as well as occupants’ safety assessment in autonomous vehicles. Find out more about some of our projects:

Reducing Road Traffic Casualties through Improved Forensic Techniques and Vehicle Design (RoaD) - The “Reducing Road Traffic Casualties through Improved Forensic Techniques and Vehicle Design (RoaD)” pilot study investigated the technical feasibility of creating a unique Pedestrian Trauma Database (PTD). The PTD has the potential to contribute to understanding a pedestrian’s injury assessment and support on-the-spot triage, forensic investigations and grieving families by limiting the use of standard post-mortem (PM). A mathematical model, based on physics and using virtual collisions, was created and predicted accurately pedestrian brain injuries.

Trusted Intelligent Connected Autonomous Vehicles (TIC-IT) - With the partnership of HORIBA MIRA and Coventry University, built a new facility will deliver a unique testing capability to test and asses approaches for connected and self-driving vehicles that seek that can accelerate the development and deployment of innovative technologies whilst providing benefit for system actors i.e. producer, consumer and society. Research has led to the generation of occupants’ kinematics envelope in frontal breaking scenario as a function of seating position. 

International membership group collaborating under the International Energy Agency (IEA) framework (IEA HEV TCP) - Actions: promote broader commercialisation, acceptance and further development of small electric vehicles; and to monitor progress and review relevant aspects for a successful introduction of electric freight vehicles (EFV) into the market.

DynaCoV - Research project to understand the electrical and physical impact of dynamic wireless power transfer technology for on the move charging of electric vehicles within the UK

Agile Tyre Mobility for Severe Terrain Environments - This NATO funded project involves international partner universities and considers vehicle and tyre modelling for off-road vehicles.

Aquaplaning Research - In this project we are investigating our own patented device to prevent aquaplaning. The work also involves the sensing of wet road surfaces and loss of friction.

iTEAM - In this project, we are investigating Artificial Intelligence based approaches for the accurate and timely estimation of tyre forces and tyre-road friction. Furthermore, we are investigating and testing novel ADAS by utilising the multiple actuators and sensors available on a modern vehicle. 

TIC-IT - In this project, we are investigating methods for automating and accelerating testing of Connected & Automated Vehicles, in particular the detection of safety-critical corner cases. Furthermore, we are developing the digital twin of TIC-IT facility TIC-IT will be built on HORIBA MIRA’s Proving Ground and will create a purpose built realistic, safe environment for testing CAVs up to the limit of their operability; a critical activity to ensure consumer confidence in the technologies.

Simusafe - In this project, we are investigating the use of motorcycle simulators and Virtual Reality for creating immersive environments that will allow efficient training and behavioural changes of road users.

Publications

• Liang, R., & Bastien, C. (2022). Effectiveness Analysis of a Foldable Booster Safety Seat with Integrated Seatbelt Buckle for Reducing Children's Vehicle Accident Injury Risk. International Journal of Crashworthiness.
• Christensen, J., Wilson, A., Bastien, C., & Kayvantash, K. (2022). Efficient crash structure design for road traffic accidents of tomorrow. International Journal of Crashworthiness.
• Bastien, C., Diederich, A., Christensen, J., & Ghaleb, S. (2021). Improving Correlation Accuracy of Crashworthiness Applications by Combining the CORA and MADM Methods. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering
• Liang, R., Liu, X., Hu, Y., Ren, L., & Bastien, C. (2021). An FSRW numerical simplification approach for vehicle frontal crashworthiness analysis. International Journal of Crashworthiness.
• Bastien, C, Diederich, A, Christensen, J & Ghaleb, S 2021, Improving Correlation Accuracy of Crashworthiness Applications by Combining the CORA and MADM Methods, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering.
• Liu, X., Liang, R., Hu, Y., Tang, X., Bastien, C., & Zhang, R. (2021). Collaborative Optimization of Vehicle Crashworthiness under Frontal Impacts Based on Displacement Oriented Structure. International Journal of Automotive Technology, 22(5), 1319-1335.
• Lang, R, Liu, X, Hu, Y, Jiang, C & Bastien, C 2021, Crashworthiness analysis of foam-filled twelve right angles thin-walled structure under axial impact, Thin-Walled Structures.
• Liang, R, Liu, X, Hu, Y, Ren, L & Bastien, C 2021, An FSRW numerical simplification approach for vehicle frontal crashworthiness analysis, International Journal of Crashworthiness.
• Bastien, C., Sturgess, C. N., Davies, H., Hardwicke, J., Cloake, T., & Zioupos, P. (2021). A Generic Brain Trauma Computer Framework to Assess Brain Injury Severity and Bridging Vein Rupture in Traumatic Falls. Journal of Head Neck & Spine Surgery, 4(4), 47-60.
• Diederich, A., Bastien, C., Ekambaram, K., & Wilson, A. (Accepted/In press). Occupant Pre-Crash Kinematics in Rotated Seat Arrangements. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering.
• Davies, H., & Bastien, C. (2021). An Approach for the Crash Safety Assessment of Lightweight Vehicles. Transport Policy.
• Bastien, C., Sturgess, C. N., Davies, H., & Cheng, X. (Accepted/In press). Computing Brain White and Grey Matter Injury Severity in a Traumatic Fall. Mathematics and Computations Applications (MCA) - Special Issue on "Numerical Modelling and Simulation Applied to Head Trauma", (In-press) [mca-898693]
• Liu, X., Liang, R., Hu, Y., Jiang, C., Tang, X., & Bastien, C. (2019). Body optimization approach of sedan structure for improving small overlap impact rating. International Journal of Crashworthiness.
• Bastien, C., Sturgess, C. N., Christensen, J., & Wen, L. (2020). A Method to Calculate the AIS Trauma Score from a Finite Element Model. Journal of Mechanics in Medicine and Biology, 20(6).
• Rubrecht, B, Bastien, C, Davies, H, Welling, R, Burnett, R, 2019, ‘Numerical Validation of the Pedestrian Crossing Speed Calculator (PCSC) using Finite Element Simulations’, Global Journal of Forensic Science & Medicine forensic, GJFSM-19-RA-525. Open Access. Volume 1, Issue 4.
• Peres, J, Bastien, C, Christensen, J & Asgharpour, Z 2019, 'A Minimum Area Discrepancy Method (MADM) for Force Displacement Response Correlation', Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering, vol. (In-Press), GCMB-2018-045.
• Bastien, C, Wellings, R & Burnett, B 2018, 'An Evidence Based Method to Calculate Pedestrian Crossing Speeds in Vehicle Collisions' Accident Analysis & Prevention, vol. 118, pp. 66-76. .
• Bastien, C, Blundell, M & Neal-Sturgess, C 2017, 'A Study Into The Kinematic Response For Unbelted Human Occupants During Emergency Braking' International Journal of Crashworthiness.