Federal Science and Technology: The Pursuit of Excellence - Appendix

Transport Canada

Transport Canada (TC) is actively involved in transportation S&T/R&D. Through its Transportation Development Centre, it manages a multimodal R&D program that focusses on improving safety, security, energy efficiency, environmental sustainability, and accessibility. This work is augmented and complemented by specific R&D conducted by the department’s modal groups.

Highlights of Research Achievements

Security and Counterterrorism

TC continues to work to improve aviation and marine security through technological innovation. The department works closely with federal partners through the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Research and Technology Initiative, and the Public Security Technology Program, and with U.S. security authorities. Advanced, reliable and efficient technologies continue to be developed on a priority basis for the detection and containment of explosives and other threats, integrated security systems, and human-machine interfaces.

Air Safety

TC is an international leader in winter operations research, focussing on critical safety issues such as aircraft icing, runway operations and de-icing, and the development of an international runway friction index.

Research into cabin safety issues involves flammability, emergency evacuation procedures, fire detection and suppression, and incident/accident analysis. Full-scale simulations were underway to determine factors that affect the ability of passengers to rapidly evacuate an aircraft cabin.

Four Canadian airlines have initiated flight data monitoring programs, which will be key components of the TC-encouraged Safety Management Systems.

R&D in aerodrome operations included the examination of new technologies and strategies to prevent runway incursions, new technologies to reduce the incidence of aircraft bird strikes, and ways to improve aircraft braking performance on wet runways.

Marine Safety

Following up on previous R&D involving continuous water injection technology, an in-house-designed system is undergoing trials along with a sophisticated system for monitoring engine performance.

Preliminary performance-based guidelines were developed, and model testing was conducted, with the goal of creating new design standards to be used to evaluate evacuation systems for offshore platforms.

Laboratory and field testing of life rafts and materials has suggested that the costly annual process of life raft inspection could safely be extended to as much as five years.

An integrated advanced radar system combining several new technologies has undergone a series of trials aboard a shuttle tanker that is in regular service to an offshore oil platform.

Tests were performed in a scale mock-up, with the goal of examining firefighting systems for tunnel areas of self-unloading bulk carriers — one of the most difficult areas to reach with some fire equipment.

Road Safety

Planning was underway for the in-service testing portion of a pilot evaluation of commercial vehicle on-board recorders and associated technologies. On-board recorders and similar technologies, such as smart cards, could replace traditional recording devices and create electronic files, storing important information with ease.

TC’s school bus crash-avoidance program is evaluating and testing technologies to protect pedestrians around school buses. Evaluation criteria have been developed and weighted, and data collection is underway to determine the effectiveness of two prestop warning systems.

Advanced pedestrian-protection systems, including a system that warns if a child is in the danger zone at a bus stop, have been evaluated. The results of this research will be used to support the development of new regulations.

Rail Safety

Direction 2006, a cooperative venture between TC and various other organizations, aims to reduce incidents at highway-railway-grade crossings by 2006. A wide range of projects have been undertaken recently involving the placement of locomotive horns, a model for estimating accident risk at specific grade crossings, and methods of warning of a second approaching train.

TC assisted in organizing a workshop to review the state of R&D on ground hazards. This program has been developing a risk-based approach and analytical tools to predict and prevent accidents from natural hazards.

Transportation of Dangerous Goods

A cooperative research venture between TC and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railway Administration examined the effect of low-temperature impacts on tank cars. New coupling equipment, or draft gear, may be designed to help attenuate these forces. Another study attempted to develop a system for monitoring longitudinal and vertical coupler forces in tank cars.

A revised thermal model was developed that can analyze defects in the insulation that protects tank cars from fire in an accident, with work continuing to improve the software and increase its capacities.

A recently completed project tested the performance standard for steel drums, and determined whether all new packaging is capable of meeting the performance levels required by the tests. The study results will be presented to the International Organization for Standardization to help in the choice of a standard drop test.

Intelligent Transportation Systems

Research into dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) and advanced traveler information systems continued. One project tested the use of transponder-equipped vehicles as traffic-monitoring probes; another study investigated whether DSRC could be used to provide real-time, location-sensitive information on traffic and routing matters. A program of research and testing of transponders for DSRC applications has produced prototypes of a new multi-application transponder. Potential applications and test sites are being investigated.

The evaluation of a tracking beacon that could be integrated into mobile phones has proceeded as a follow-up to the examination of cellular telephone technology as a low-cost localizing and tracking system.

Accessibility

Work is currently underway, in cooperation with the Canadian Institute for the Blind, on standards for acceptable pedestrian crossings. Also, a joint TC-industry project examined safety concerns related to personal use vehicles. In the field of air accessibility, one project studied the boarding equipment and practices used on smaller regional aircraft, and performed tests on common aircraft types.

Human Factors Research

A fatigue-management program for marine pilots has been developed. It addresses the issues of dealing with heavy workloads in stressful environments, and includes training modules to teach pilots coping strategies.

An important joint agreement has been signed between TC and various Canadian provincial and U.S. authorities to continue research into recommended practices for the management of commercial driver fatigue. The program incorporates fatigue/wellness education, screening for sleep disorders, and the development of scheduling guidelines and policies to manage fatigue effectively.

Sustainable Development

TC’s commitment to reducing the impact of transportation on human health and the environment involves:

• reducing emissions;
  
  
• increasing fuel efficiency;
  
  
• investigating new fuels and new propulsion technologies;
  
  
• increasing the integration of urban transit systems; and
  
  
• increasing the overall efficiency of the system.

TC’s multifaceted electric and hybrid-electric vehicle evaluation program is examining the current state of the technology, and includes work to develop a battery temperature control system for electric vehicles in cold climates. To date, a prototype system has been installed in a postal van. Also, a prototype of a lightweight, hybrid, accessible taxi has been developed, and a multimode electric bus prototype under development has undergone vehicle performance tests.

Research into advanced bus technology continues. Reducing the weight of a bus is one method of reducing fuel consumption and GHG gas emissions, and results have shown that a 20-percent weight reduction is possible using advanced materials for the structure of the bus. The results of a preliminary study also suggest that the use of lightweight metal matrix composite materials in brake materials would reduce weight and be more cost-effective.

Climate Change

TC’s involvement in the Government of Canada’s Action Plan on Climate Change includes five research programs:

• Urban Transportation;
  
  
• Freight Transportation;
  
  
• Vehicle Efficiency;
  
  
• Future Fuels; and
  
  
• Fuel Cell Vehicles.

The programs take a balanced approach towards vehicle and fuel technology, behaviour change, and infrastructure. In the new Technology and Innovation Initiative Advanced End-Use Efficiency, TC is leading the Expert Group on Transportation Research and Development.

Technology Transfer

TC hosted several workshops and other technology-transfer events during the past year, including those on accessibility, highway–railway grade crossing research, locomotive emissions, aircraft de-icing, and anti-icing. A review of TC’s intellectual property and licencing agreements was also undertaken.

Transport Canada’s Strategy

In helping to prepare Canada’s transportation system to optimize transformative technological opportunities in the 21st century, TC conducted a study of the department’s S&T/R&D activities. As a result, the department will adopt a more coordinated and strategic approach to broaden and strengthen support for S&T/R&D activities and knowledge flows. To this end, TC will realign and enhance existing departmental capacities and approaches, and encourage innovation to benefit transportation users. The kind of forward thinking and innovation that drives TC’s S&T/R&D activities is helping to meet the department’s goal of creating “the best transportation system for Canada and Canadians.”

Contact Information
Research and Development
Transport Canada
Tel.: (613) 991-6027
Web site: www.tc.gc.ca