BREAK-AWAY ROADSIDE SIGN SUPPORT STRUCTURES

THE BASIC CONCEPT OF THE BREAK-AWAY SIGN SUPPORT IS TO PROVIDE A STRUCTURE THAT WILL RESIST WIND LOADS YET FAIL, AT PRESELECTED LOCATIONS, WHEN STRUCK BY A VEHICLE. WITH THREE PROPERLY DESIGNED CONNECTIONS AT CRITICAL LOCATIONS THE SUPPORT WILL BE STABLE AND WILL POSSESS THE BREAK-AWAY CHARACTERISTICS WHEN STRUCK BY A VEHICLE. THE MAJOR OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH WAS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR THE DESIGN OF SAFE BREAK-AWAY CANTILEVER SUPPORTS. EMPHASIS WAS PLACED ON DEVELOPING DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE THREE CRITICAL CONNECTIONS. THE INFORMATION WAS DEVELOPED THROUGH LABORATORY TESTS AND THE USE OF A MATHEMATICAL MODEL AND CONFIRMED THROUGH FULL-SCALE CRASH TESTS AND INDICATIONS OF IN-SERVICE PERFORMANCE FROM ACCIDENT RECORDS. ALTERNATIVE TYPES OF ROADSIDE SIGN SUPPORTS WERE SUBJECTED TO FULL-SCALE CRASH TESTS TO DETERMINE PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS. /BPR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Hpr-2/104/, BPR-EPR 11-3550
• Corporate Authors:

  Texas A&M University, College Station

  College Station, TX  United States  77840
• Authors:
  • Edwards, T C
  • Olson, R M
• Publication Date: 1967-10

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aerodynamic force; Breakaway supports; Cantilevers; Crash tests; Crashes; Design; Impacts; Laboratory tests; Mathematical models; Roadside structures; Sign supports; Signs; Specimens; Testing; Vehicles; Wind
• Uncontrolled Terms: Design criteria; Wind load
• Old TRIS Terms: Full scale specimens; Inservice; Sign structures
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; Research; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00207855
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Bureau of Public Roads /US
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 16 1994 12:00AM