00203554

Component

http://onlinepubs.trb.org...s/hrr/1971/343/343-010.pdf

THE RESULTS OF THREE FULL-SCALE VEHICLE IMPACT TESTS OF AN ENERGY-ABSORBING BARRIER EMPLOYING 55-GAL TIGHT-HEAD STEEL DRUMS ARE REPORTED. THE 19.6-FT LONG TEST BARRIERS WERE DESIGNED AS GORE INSTALLATIONS. THE TESTS WERE CONDUCTED WITH 1968 SEDANS WEIGHING APPROXIMATELY 4,700 LB AND TRAVELING AT SPEEDS OF FROM 54 TO 64 MPH. THE TESTS WERE RUN HEAD-ON AND AT 9 DEG WITH THE BARRIER AXIS INTO THE BARRIER NOSE, AND 11 DEG WITH THE BARRIER AXIS MID-WAY ALONG THE SIDE OF THE BARRIER. THE HEAD-ON AND ANGLE IMPACTS INTO THE NOSE OF THE BARRIER RESULTED IN VEHICLE PASSENGER-COMPARTMENT DECELERATIONS LESS THAN THE 12-G LIMIT SUGGESTED BY THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION. VEHICLE DAMAGE WAS MODERATE. THE VEHICLE REMAINED STABLE AND UPRIGHT DURING IMPACT. THE IMPACT INTO THE SIDE OF THE BARRIER DID NOT PRODUCE COMPLETELY SATISFACTORY RESULTS. THE VEHICLE WAS REDIRECTED BY THE BRIDGE APPROACH GUARD-RAIL BEHIND THE BARRIER. THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT THE BARRIER EFFECTIVENESS IN REDUCING THE SEVERITY OF MOST IMPACTS IS SUCH THAT IT SHOULD BE USED OPERATIONALLY ON AN EXPERIMENTAL BASIS. HOWEVER, FUTURE DESIGN REFINEMENTS ARE NEEDED, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD TO REDIRECTION OF VEHICLES COLLIDING WITH THE SIDE OF THE BARRIER. A STUDY OF ACCIDENT STATISTICS AND HUMAN TOLERANCE TO DECELERATION IS SUMMARIZED. THIS STUDY INDICATED THAT THE DECELERATION IMPARTED TO THE IMPACTING VEHICLE SHOULD BE AS LOW AS POSSIBLE, PERHAPS LOWER THAN IN SOME CURRENT CRITERIA. /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 123-141

1971

Highway Research Record

50th Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board

Print

Appendices (1) ; Figures (23) ; References (15) ; Tables (2)

Angularity; Barriers (Roads); Deceleration; Dynamic tests; Energy absorption; Frontal crashes; Impacts; Loss and damage; Passengers; Vehicles

Barriers

Design; Highways; Passenger Transportation; 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 WATER-FILLED CELLS
• 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