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>> One of the key elements
of vehicle crash safety is ensuring the integrity
of the patient compartment during a crash,
allowing for a protected space.
In model year 2017, the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration is expanding the requirement for roof crush
to altered and modified vehicles under 10,000 pounds.
This change will include most van-style ambulances; however,
modular ambulances which are more
than 10,000 pounds fall outside this regulatory requirement.
To ensure modular-style ambulances are built
to manage the impact load from a rollover event,
ambulance manufacturers in conjunction
with government partners have developed SAE J3057.
In a companion effort, ambulance builders are also working
to improve the subfloor strength
so they can be confident the floor substructure has
sufficient strength to manage the new higher loading needed
to retain improved patient cot systems.
Their work has resulted in the development
of a new test described in SAE J3102 to evaluate floor strength
for van and modular ambulances.
This module provides you with the background information
to explain how these tests were developed
and how a successful test benefits you and your patient.
SAE J3057 was developed to ensure a safe space
for patient compartment occupants is maintained while
still allowing the doors to be opened
after a crash or rollover event.
>> In the early days of ambulance testing,
an ambulance patient compartment was tested in the same way
as a school bus -- one and a half times the weight
of the vehicle was applied to the roof
of the patient compartment.
And while the roof was still under load, the doors still had
to be opened with no permanent deformation.
>> In 2007 the ambulance manufacturers increased the load
to two and a half times the weight of the vehicle
to the roof and to the side of the modular body.
While under load, the doors still have
to be able to be opened.
>> As the industry continued to mature, the partners realized
that during an actual rollover some damage would occur
to the patient compartment.
So the new test, SAE J3057,
requires that the patient compartment experience an impact
prior to the 2.5 load being applied.
>> Because we can't roll every ambulance
from every manufacturer, we conducted three different styles
of rollover test and measured the accelerations
and forces at impact.
We used this measured data as the basis
for the impact loading used in the first phase
of the roof crush test described in SAE J3057.
>> Using the data from these tests we developed a two-phase
strength assessment for the patient compartment.
In the first phase the vehicle is impacted with 28,000 pounds
of force at the roof edge just as would be seen
if the vehicle rolled.
>> The second phase simulates the vehicle rolling
over onto its roof.
To be conservative, a load that equals two
and a half times the weight
of the vehicle is applied to the roof.
One way to do this is with a hydraulic press.
>> To pass this test, roof crush is measured
to ensure there's still a survivable space.
After the roof crush, then the doors must be able to be opened
so occupants can get out.
>> If the builder is able to meet this requirement,
the patient compartment passes the testing requirement
for SAE J3057.
>> As part of the research to improve worker
and patient safety, testing was done on the patient cot,
cot mount, and restraints.
During this testing, loads were measured under the test floor
so that ambulance builders have the information they need
to better design the subfloor structure.
To ensure all builders have a way to verify
that their subfloor structure is strong enough to manage loads
from the new cot and cot mount systems,
SAE J3102 was developed.
>> The SAE J3102 test method provides two different options
for testing: An ambulance builder can either complete a
dynamic test where an impact pulse is applied
or the builder can complete static testing.
>> In a dynamic test,
the builder can either use an actual cot with a test dummy
or could use a mass to represent the mount,
cot, and patient weights.
Regardless of the loading method, real cot
or simulated weight, the goal of this test is to ensure
that the mass remains attached to the vehicle ensuring
that the substructure has been able to manage
and distribute the loading without failing.
>> To provide builders with another way to pass this test,
the team also created the static test option.
If a builder wants to install one of the heavier cot systems,
a load approaching 18,000 pounds needs to be applied
to the floor substructure through a load input device.
>> Regardless of the choice -- static or dynamic --
SAE J3102 requires the builder to test in the front,
side, and rear directions.
>> The goal of our work is to make sure EMS workers are
as safe on the job as they would be getting to the job
in their own personal vehicle.
One of the ways we've done that is
by improving modular body strength and subfloor strength
for both modular and van ambulances.
When purchasing your next ambulance,
we strongly suggest your ambulance purchase specification
includes the requirements of SAE J3057 for modular body integrity
and SAE J3102 for subfloor strength.
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