Mini-Course Topics:

Commercial Motor Vehicle Foundation Brakes –  Mr. Walter Dobson

Mr. Dobson will give a classroom presentation on the assembly and disassembly of commercial motor vehicle end-axle foundation brakes. Special attention will be given to brake drum specifications, cam bushing specifications and friction block specifications. After the presentation, attendees will adjourn outside to actually disassemble and reassemble the truck-tractor or semi-trailer’s foundation brakes.

Using Microsoft Excel in Graphing Ford ACM and PCM Data – Sgt. West Brown

Mr. Brown is going to use Microsoft Excel as a tool to graph Ford Motor Company’s powertrain control module data as well as to conduct a vector analysis of the airbag control module data.  If you wish to attend this course, you will be required to bring a laptop computer with at least Microsoft Office 2003 release.  Time permitting, Mr. Brown will also use Microsoft Excel to develop a vector analysis program using the change in velocity provided by the airbag control module.

Damage Profile Analysis – Detective Russell Strickland

Mr. Strickland will present the proper methods and procedures for profiling crush damage on newer model vehicles.  He will discuss “free space” and general rounded vehicle profiles to correctly determine crush depth and total energy transformed to damage.  After his presentation, attendees will adjourn outside to put these techniques to practice by modeling the damage on one of the vehicles used in the crash testing.

Hybrid Vehicles: The New Challenges in Crash Investigation – Sgt. Daniel L. DeRenzy

Sergeant DeRenzy will explain the design types and subtypes of hybrid vehicles, exploring the potential dangers a crash investigator may be exposed to when dealing with these vehicles, and looking at new and proposed technology. He will share data collected during acceleration tests and compare hybrid and non-hybrid data points from common reconstruction sources. After the presentation, attendees will adjourn outside to view an actual hybrid vehicle and see the principals as discussed in the presentation.