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Title:

Evaluation of the Midwest Guardrail System Stiffness Transition with Curb
Cover of Evaluation of the Midwest Guardrail System Stiffness Transition with Curb

Accession Number:

01556618

Record Type:

Component

Availability:

Transportation Research Board Business Office

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Abstract:

A W-beam to thrie beam stiffness transition with a 4-in. tall concrete curb was developed to connect 31-in. tall w-beam guardrail, commonly known as the Midwest Guardrail System (MGS), to a previously-developed thrie beam approach guardrail transition system. This upstream stiffness transition was configured with standard steel posts that are commonly used by several State Departments of Transportation. The toe of a 4-in. tall sloped concrete curb was placed flush with the backside face of the guardrail and extended the length of the transition region. Three full-scale crash tests were conducted according to the Test Level 3 (TL-3) safety standards provided in American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' (AASHTO’s) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH). During the first test, MASH test no. 3-20, the 1100C small car extended and wedged under the rail and contacted posts while traversing the curb. Subsequently, the W-beam rail ruptured at a splice location, and the test was deemed a failure. To prevent guardrail rupture, the stiffness transition was modified to include a 12-ft 6-in. long, nested W-beam rail segment upstream from the W- beam to thrie beam transition element. A repeat of MASH test no. 3-20 was performed on the modified system, and the 1100C small car was successfully contained and redirected. During a third full-scale test, MASH test no. 3-21, a 2270P pickup truck was successfully contained and redirected. Following the crash testing program, the system was deemed acceptable according to the TL-3 safety performance criteria specified in MASH.

Supplemental Notes:

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AFB20 Roadside Safety Design.

Monograph Accession #:

01550057

Report/Paper Numbers:

15-4502

Language:

English

Corporate Authors:

Transportation Research Board

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Authors:

Rosenbaugh, Scott K
Schmidt, Jennifer D
Faller, Ronald K

Pagination:

21p

Publication Date:

2015

Conference:

Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Meeting

Location: Washington DC, United States
Date: 2015-1-11 to 2015-1-15
Sponsors: Transportation Research Board

Media Type:

Digital/other

Features:

Figures; Photos; References; Tables

Subject Areas:

Design; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I34: Steels and Metals; I82: Accidents and Transport Infrastructure; I85: Safety Devices used in Transport Infrastructure

Source Data:

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2015 Paper #15-4502

Files:

PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Created Date:

Dec 30 2014 1:29PM