FULL-SCALE CRASH TESTS OF THE FRAGMENTING-TUBE-TYPE ENERGY-ABSORBING BRIDGE RAIL

FOUR FULL-SCALE CRASH TESTS OF A FRAGMENTING-TUBE-TYPE ENERGY-ABSORBING BRIDGE RAIL WERE CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE CAPABILITIES OF THE SYSTEM. VEHICLE WEIGHTS VARIED FROM 1,560 TO 4,720 LB. DESIRED TEST CONDITIONS WERE 60 MPH WITH AN ANGLE OF ATTACK OF 25 DEG. THREE TESTS WERE CONDUCTED ON THE BRIDGE RAIL AND A FOURTH TEST WAS RUN ON THE TRANSITION ZONE BETWEEN THE GUARDRAIL AND THE BRIDGE RAIL. WHEN THE TRANSVERSE VEHICLE ENERGY LEVEL WAS SUFFICIENT TO ACTIVATE THE ENERGY-ABSORBING FRAGMENTING TUBES, THE VEHICLE WAS REDIRECTED WITH A SIGNIFICANT LOWERING IN THE EXPECTED G LEVELS BECAUSE OF THE DEFORMATION CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SYSTEM. /AUTHOR/

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• Supplemental Notes:
  • Paper sponsored by Committee on Guardrails, Median Barriers, and Sign, Signal and Lighting Supports and Committee on Bridge Design and presented at the 49th 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.
• Authors:
  • Stocker, Arthur J
  • Ivey, Don L
  • Hirsch, T J
• Publication Date: 1970

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 28-37
• Monograph Title: Bridges, foundations and retaining walls
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 302
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge railings; Crash tests; Crashes; Deflection; Energy absorbing materials; Guardrails; Motor vehicles; Specimens; Testing; Tubing
• Uncontrolled Terms: Fragmentation
• Old TRIS Terms: Energy absorbers; Full scale specimens
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Research;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00203470
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Aug 3 1970 12:00AM