EFFECT OF VEHICLE COLLISION WITH ALUMINUM ROADSIDE SIGN STRUCTURES MOUNTED ON FRANGIBLE BASES

ROADSIDE SIGN STRUCTURES ARE USUALLY LOCATED ADJACENT TO A TRAFFIC LANE AND BECAUSE OF THEIR LOCATION GIVE RISE TO A SAFETY HAZARD. NUMEROUS COLLISIONS WITH THESE STRUCTURES HAVE BEEN REPORTED AND IN MANY INSTANCES SERIOUS INJURY OR FATALITIES HAVE OCCURRED. THE RESULTS OF THE MATHEMATICAL SIMULATION OF VEHICLE COLLISION WITH SINGLE AND DUAL SUPPORT ALUMINUM ROADSIDE SIGN STRUCTURES MOUNTED ON FRANGIBLE BASES IS PRESENTED. THE STUDY WAS PERFORMED WITH THE AID OF A MATHEMATICAL MODEL VERIFIED BY A FULL-SCALE CRASH TEST AND ANALYZED SIGN AND SIGN SUPPORT CONFIGURATIONS THAT ARE TYPICAL OF ROAD-SIDE SIGN STRUCTURES PROPOSED BY THE STATE OF MAINE. THE EQUATIONS OF MOTION PREDICTING THE RESPONSE OF THE SYSTEM WERE SOLVED NUMERICALLY AND A COMPUTER WAS USED TO OBTAIN THE RESULTS. SOME FINDINGS OF THE STUDY REVEAL THAT LOW-SPEED COLLISIONS (15-20 MPH) NORMALLY CAUSE THE SUPPORT TO HIT THE WINDSHIELD AREA OF THE VEHICLE; MEDIUM-SPEED COLLISIONS (30-45 MPH) WITH THE SINGLE SUPPORT STRUCTURE CAUSE THE SUPPORT TO STRIKE THE TOP OR TRUNK AREA OF THE VEHICLE; AND MEDIUM- AND HIGH-SPEED COLLISIONS WITH THE DUAL SUPPORT STRUCTURE CAUSE THE POST TO CLEAR THE VEHICLE. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1970/306/306-006.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Paper sponsored by Committee on Guardrails, Median Barriers, and Sign, Signal and Lighting Supports. 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:
  • MARTINEZ, J E
  • Hirsch, T J
  • Baskurt, Yuce
  • Jumper, J J
• Publication Date: 1970

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 58-70
• Monograph Title: Geometric design, protective barrier systems, luminaire supports
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 306
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aluminum; Breakaway supports; Crash tests; Crashes; Information processing; Mathematical models; Motion; Roadside; Sign supports; Signs; Simulation; Speed; Testing
• Old TRIS Terms: Sign structures
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Research;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00203476
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Sep 21 1970 12:00AM