Development of Advanced Finite Element Material Models for Cable Barrier Wire Rope

An improved LS-DYNA model of ¾-in. (19-mm) diameter 3x7 wire rope commonly used in roadside cable guardrail installations has been developed. A Belytschko-Schwer beam element was selected along with material *MAT_166. Numerical noise was reduced using part stiffness damping with a coefficient of 2%, and frequency range damping with a coefficient of 12%. The optimum element length based on timestep, accuracy, and computational cost was determined to be between 0.4 and 0.8 in. (10-20 mm). Dynamic component tests were conducted on wire rope to determine material properties. These tests were simulated and the results compared to the physical tests. The new proposed wire rope model more accurately simulated the wire rope tension and bogie vehicle motion than other previously-developed wire rope models. The wire rope was also modeled in full-scale crash test models using a Chevrolet C2500 pickup model, consistent with NCHRP Report No. 350 TL-3 impact conditions. Results of the crash test and simulation were compared, and the wire rope response was determined to be accurate. Therefore the new wire rope model was determined to be an improvement over existing models of wire rope and is recommended for use in cable guardrail simulations.

• Record URL:
  https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/ndor/92
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Nebraska, Lincoln

  Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
  2200 Vine Street, Whittier Building
  Lincoln, NE  United States  68583-0853

  Mid-America Transportation Center

  University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  2200 Vine Street, PO Box 830851
  Lincoln, NE  United States  68583-0851

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Reid, John D
  • Lechtenberg, Karla A
  • Stolle, Cody S
• Publication Date: 2010-8-2

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 367p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cables; Computer models; Crash tests; Guardrails; Highway safety; Wire rope
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I85: Safety Devices used in Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01340421
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: TRP-03-233-10
• Files: UTC, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: May 18 2011 1:23PM