Robert A. Mehl

Mr. Mehl's main expertise is in the analysis of automotive occupant restraint performance as it relates to air bag (frontal, side, and curtain) and seat belt restraint systems. This work includes issues related to mechanical design, manufacturing, regulatory compliance, and performance issues of passive and active automotive occupant restraint systems. He also has experience in analyzing the crashworthiness performance, including the testing and analysis of motor vehicle crashes involving passenger cars, light trucks, and sport utility vehicles.

Prior to joining Exponent, Mr. Mehl spent several years working with automotive restraint suppliers such as Autoliv and Takata. He has over 14 years of automotive supplier experience in passive/active automotive occupant restraint systems and crashworthiness. He helped develop occupant restraint safety systems for many different types of passenger vehicles, including full-size, compact, SUVs, and light trucks. He has experience analyzing the crash performance, system design, and quality systems for supplemental restraint systems, in particular air bag systems. Experience in computer modeling of vehicle structures and occupant response during vehicle crashes is also a part of his expertise. Mr. Mehl has worked in the automotive industry in both Michigan and Mexico.

His current research includes rollover ejection mitigation studies, which involve analyzing the effect upon occupants for side curtain airbags and seat belt pretensioning devices. In addition to this, he has developed a database that tracks the availability of restraint devices in the passenger vehicle fleet. Among the technologies available in the database are: seat belt pretensioning, all-belts-to-seat (ABTS), side curtains/air bags and rollover-initiated countermeasures (pretensioners/curtains). This data is available by vehicle make/model and in percentage of registered vehicles.

Invited Presentations

Mehl RA. Occupant ejection mitigation devices for automotive rollover crashes. CLE presentation, Snell & Wilmer, L.L.P., Costa Mesa, CA, March 2008.

Mehl RA. Occupant ejection mitigation devices for automotive rollover crashes. CLE presentation, Eldridge, Cooper, Steichen & Leach, P.L.L.C., Tulsa, OK, December 2007.

Mehl RA. Occupant ejection mitigation devices for automotive rollover crashes. CLE presentation Hartline, Dacus, Barger, Dreyer & Kern, L.L.P., Dallas, TX, November 2007.

Mehl RA. Occupant ejection mitigation devices for automotive rollover crashes. CLE presentation Bowman & Brooke, L.L.P., Phoenix, AZ, September 2007.

Mehl RA. Potential litigation fronts—Passive safety systems. Invited talk, Honda Motor Corporation Office of General Counsel, Torrance, CA, February 2007.

• Senior Quality Engineer, Takata Holdings Inc., 2004–2006
• Engineering Program Manager, Autoliv North America, 2000–2004
• General Motors Special Parts Operation (contract), 2000–2000
• Automotive OEMS (Ford, GM, Chrysler) in Detroit (contract), 1992–1999
  

• Society of Automotive Engineers (member)
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers (member)
• Co-chair, Society of Automotive Engineers—Occupant Restraints session