00203553

Component

http://onlinepubs.trb.org...s/hrr/1971/343/343-009.pdf

THE RESULTS OF FOUR FULL-SCALE VEHICLE-IMPACT TESTS INTO ENERGY-ABSORBING BARRIERS USING WATER-FILLED PLASTIC CELLS AND CARTRIDGES ARE REPORTED. THIS BARRIER ABSORBES THE ENERGY OF AN IMPACTING VEHICLE THROUGH THE MOVEMENT OF WATER HORIZONTALLY AS THE BARRIER IS SHORTENED AND VERTICALLY THROUGH ORIFICES AS THE FLEXIBLE WATER CELLS AND CARTRIDGES ARE COMPRESSED. THE RECORDED VEHICLE PASSENGER-COMPARTMENT DECELERATIONS INDICATED THAT, ALTHOUGH UNRESTRAIN OCCUPANTS WOULD SUSTAIN MODERATE TO SEVERE INJURIES, IN MOST CASES, FURING 60-MPH COLLISIONS WITH THIS BARRIER DESIGN, FULLY RESTRAINED (SEAT BELT AND SHOULDER HARNESS) OCCUPANTS WOULD SUSTAIN LITTLE OR NO INJURIES DURING THE MAJORITY OF 60-MPH IMPACTS INTO THE NOSE OR SIDE OF THE BARRIER. IN ADDITION, THE BARRIER DID NOT GENERATE UNSTABLE VEHICLE BEHAVIOR AND, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BRIDGE APPROACH GUARDRAIL BACKSTOP, EFFECTIVELY REDIRECTED A VEHICLE IMPACTING FROM THE SIDE. THE OVERALL BARRIER PERFORMANCE SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OVER THE CONCRETE WEDGE-SHAPED DEFLECTORS CURRENTLY IN USE IN CALIFORNIA ON OFF-RAMP GORES. /AUTHOR/

Sponsored by Committee on Traffic Safety Barriers and Sign, Signal and Lighting Supports and presented at the 50th Annual Meeting. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved

01410278

pp 100-122

1971

Highway Research Record

50th Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board

Print

Appendices (1) ; Figures (31) ; References (8) ; Tables (2)

Barriers (Roads); Deceleration; Dynamic tests; Energy absorption; Impacts; Injuries; Manual safety belts; Motion; Passengers; Speed; Vehicles; Water

Barriers

Design; Highways; Passenger Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment

TRIS, TRB

Jul 25 1971 12:00AM

• CRASH TEST PERFORMANCE OF A PROTOTYPE LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE ENERGY-ABSORBING GUARDRAIL SYSTEM
• DYNAMIC EVALUATION OF TIMBER POSTS FOR HIGHWAY GUARDRAILS
• DYNAMIC TESTS OF AN ENERGY-ABSORBING BARRIER EMPLOYING STEEL DRUMS
• Dynamic Tests of the California Type 20 Bridge Barrier Rail
• EVALUATION OF TIMBER WEAK-POST GUARDRAIL SYSTEMS
• GENERAL COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR ANALYSIS OF AUTOMOBILE BARRIERS
• PERFORMANCE OF THE HI-DRO CUSHION CELL BARRIER VEHICLE-IMPACT ATTENUATOR
• SCALE-MODEL TEST OF AN ENERGY-ABSORBING BARRIER
• WATER-PLASTIC CRASH ATTENUATION SYSTEM: TEST PERFORMANCE AND MODEL PREDICTION