Dr. Zoltan Rado is the director of the Vehicle Surface Interaction research Center and the Crash Safety Research Center at the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute. His research interests include vehicle dynamics: vehicle surface interaction, dynamic frictional characteristics and braking; road surface characteristics; automotive-aviation safety: dynamic vehicle modeling and simulation, finite element analysis; and vehicle crash safety research; advanced vehicle technologies among many others.
Dr. Rado’s applied research initiatives include real-time prediction of aircraft landing dynamics, braking friction and stopping distance from flight data recorder information; winter runway friction measurement research (sponsored by NASA, FAA, Transport Canada, EU); investigation of the braking and frictional behavior of a several different aircraft types involved in runway overrun accidents (Norway, USA, Canada, Japan) worked with different organizations on aircraft braking and aircraft friction modeling and analysis (NASA, NTSB, JAA); a multiphase project to research, define and develop the next-generation highway maintenance vehicle (sponsored by Iowa DOT, Minnesota DOT and Michigan DOT); and the development of one-of-a-kind variable slip friction measurement research equipment; the research and design of special digital algorithms and filtering for inertial accelerometer and inclinometer systems for use in braking and vehicle dynamics research, design and development of ultrasonic and special “Light Slicing” measurement of surface texture for friction research; development of an integrated truck-based surface characteristics measurement system (for The Ministry of Transportation and Water Management, The Netherlands). Dr. Rado presently serves as the chair of:
• Vice-Chairman of ASTM Committee E17 on Vehicle – Pavement Systems; Group II
• Member of the ASTM E17 committee on Vehicle – Pavement Systems
• Member of the ASTM F9 committee on Tires