ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – A new safety training course is on the horizon for employees who are responsible for maneuvering large military vehicles at the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center. The Advanced Driver Skills Course aims to provide deeper understanding of vehicle dynamics to equip drivers with the skills to intuitively react in critical driving situations to improve safety during testing.
Following an incident review of a vehicle operating unexpectedly on a test course, Aberdeen Test Center engineer and vehicle dynamics expert, Bernard Duplan, couldn’t help but think there was a better way to train the organization’s military vehicle operators to be better prepared for unexpected events on the test course.
“We work with heavy trucks and military vehicles that move fast. If something happens, it can’t be undone, so safety is always the most important,” said Duplan.
Late last year, a vehicle incident during testing was initially blamed on an equipment failure. After watching the on-board video and hearing the driver’s account, the equipment failure theory didn’t add up in Duplan’s mind or explain why the incident happened. Duplan was determined to solve the puzzle and figure out why.
Since he was young, Duplan was always curious and wanted to understand why – why something happened or why something worked.
“When I was about nine, I saw a diagram of an engine in a motorcycle book”, said Duplan. “It was well-illustrated and showed all the parts, how they worked and how the air flowed through the engine. It was fascinating, and I had an ‘a-ha’ moment of how this thing made of metal could come to life... how something worked.”
Duplan’s lifelong curiosity and inquisitive nature helped shape his 17-year career at ATC. He began as a field engineer in the Automotive Instrumentation Division, installing data collection devices and sensors onto vehicles – an essential aspect of ATC’s mission.
Test data collected from those sensors tells the story of what is happening as a test item goes around the track and ultimately informs fielding decisions of systems provided to our warfighters.
Duplan’s experience became expertise, which informs his analysis. “As a test engineer, when I’m out on a test, I watch the vehicle, and I can see what it’s doing. This provides context so the data traces and squiggly lines make sense. They fill in the details,” said Duplan. “When we have an incident, the opposite is true. The hardest part is having the details but not knowing the real story or the bigger picture, but I like the detective work.”
Still in search of why the vehicle incident happened, Duplan was stumped. ‘How can I put myself in this situation?’ he asked himself.
He recalled his 15 years of experience in amateur autocross and professional driver training courses. “Having classroom instruction, then going out to drive and feeling it firsthand is a great way to reinforce any lesson in vehicle dynamics - by actually being in the driver’s seat,” said Duplan.
Putting himself in the driver’s seat, or the closest thing to it, motivated Duplan to combine the available data to get the experience and the different perspective he sought.
First, Duplan visualized the data collected by the vehicle’s on-board Advanced Distributed Modular Acquisition System (ADMAS) with an image of a steering wheel and accelerator pedal, resulting in an animation that showed how the wheel turned and when the pedal was pressed throughout the incident. Next, he used MATLAB data analysis software to overlay and synchronize the animation to the on-board video that was captured during the test.
The new video gave a different picture, and Duplan had his ‘a-ha’ moment. He sent the video to a colleague and asked for their interpretation before sharing his. Both came to the same conclusion – there was no equipment deficiency, but instead a gap in driver training.
Presenting the full story and root cause of the incident to Aberdeen Test Center’s leadership paved the way for development of a three-tier driver training program, designed to augment the existing driver training courses.
In the first tier is existing Test Course Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) training. This level is for anyone operating a vehicle on the test courses, including non-test vehicles. Operators begin with a few hours of classroom instruction to learn the basics of operating on automotive test courses – things like standard operating procedures, rules, test course layout and track direction.
The second tier is for operators who perform Reliability Availability and Maintainability (RAM) and durability testing and operate over various types of terrain. This training adds to the first tier with an introduction to vehicle dynamics in a classroom setting. Operators then receive hands-on instruction in a training vehicle to better equip them with the skills to handle critical situations.
The third tier of the training, which is the newest addition to the program, is for performance operators and expands on the first two tiers with a focus on expanding the hands-on portion of training to include high-speed dynamic maneuvers that reach and potentially exceed a vehicle’s performance limits.
The aim of including vehicle dynamics instruction is to teach the operators how the vehicle will handle, why it handles that way, how it feels when it does, and how to subconsciously react the right way to safely mitigate or prevent an unexpected driving event.
“Safety is important in testing because we want everyone to go home at the end of the day”, said Duplan. “I think it’s helpful to learn vehicle dynamics, have instruction, then go out and drive to feel it firsthand.”
There are several third-tier classes planned for the next 3 quarters. The class size is limited to six operators to ensure each one receives ample time in the driver’s seat. A team of instructors will provide this enhanced training over the coming months in between their normal testing duties, with the goal of reaching all the vehicle operators.
Although Duplan still supports field testing, his years of experience in vehicle dynamics, instrumentation, and his tenacious curiosity are invaluable to answering testing challenges that arrive daily in new vehicles with software-driven autonomy and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
“The nice thing about working at Aberdeen Test Center is our leaders like to invest in our people,” said Duplan. “I have taken a few courses and programs to gain knowledge and skills needed to test vehicles with autonomy and AI. The breadth and depth of these fields is daunting, so there is always more to learn, but personally, I like the opportunity and the challenge. I think it is imperative to stack these skillsets onto the existing automotive expertise. While they may seem like two separate fields of study, the interactions between the machine driver and the mechanical vehicle need to be understood to deliver a safe and effective system.”
One of the most unmistakably wonderful things about Duplan is how he applies his leadership qualities to make a lasting impact. His knowledge, inquisitive nature, determination, and his enthusiasm to learn and willingness to teach are a testament to his dedication, not only to safety in testing and for our warfighters, but to the people around him.
With Duplan in the driver’s seat, Aberdeen Test Center and the Army are well prepared to solve future testing challenges, whatever technology may arrive.
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