Interpretation ID: aiam1114
Vice President
Safety & Reliability
AM General Corporation
Wayne
MI 48184;
Dear Mr. Stewart: This is in reply to your letter of March 22, 1973, concerning th conformity of buses manufactured by AM General Corporation with paragraph S5.1.1 of Standard No. 217, Bus Window Retention and Release.' Your letter states, enclosing a drawing, that the side sash construction in these buses includes an aluminum tie bar that connects the upper and lower portion of the sash, and is located on the inside and at the center of the glass. You state this configuration precludes testing as specified in S 5.1.1, which specifies that the head form applying the load be placed at the center of the glazing. You request that the standard be revised to permit testing with the head form located as close as possible to the center of the glazing.; Based on the information you have provided, we are of the opinion tha the configuration of this window should be treated under paragraph S5.1 as two separate windows, even though only one sheet of window glazing is used. The tie bar appears to be an integral part of the window sash, and by preventing an occupant from contacting the window at that point, performs essentially the same function as a conventional divider strip. Consequently, we would expect to test this window configuration by applying the head form to the center of each half of the glazing surface.; Yours truly, Richard B. Dyson, Assistant Chief Counsel