DYNAMIC TESTS OF AN ENERGY-ABSORBING BARRIER EMPLOYING STEEL DRUMS

THE RESULTS OF THREE FULL-SCALE VEHICLE IMPACT TESTS OF AN ENERGY-ABSORBING BARRIER EMPLOYING 55-GAL TIGHT-HEAD STEEL DRUMS ARE REPORTED. THE 19.6-FT LONG TEST BARRIERS WERE DESIGNED AS GORE INSTALLATIONS. THE TESTS WERE CONDUCTED WITH 1968 SEDANS WEIGHING APPROXIMATELY 4,700 LB AND TRAVELING AT SPEEDS OF FROM 54 TO 64 MPH. THE TESTS WERE RUN HEAD-ON AND AT 9 DEG WITH THE BARRIER AXIS INTO THE BARRIER NOSE, AND 11 DEG WITH THE BARRIER AXIS MID-WAY ALONG THE SIDE OF THE BARRIER. THE HEAD-ON AND ANGLE IMPACTS INTO THE NOSE OF THE BARRIER RESULTED IN VEHICLE PASSENGER-COMPARTMENT DECELERATIONS LESS THAN THE 12-G LIMIT SUGGESTED BY THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION. VEHICLE DAMAGE WAS MODERATE. THE VEHICLE REMAINED STABLE AND UPRIGHT DURING IMPACT. THE IMPACT INTO THE SIDE OF THE BARRIER DID NOT PRODUCE COMPLETELY SATISFACTORY RESULTS. THE VEHICLE WAS REDIRECTED BY THE BRIDGE APPROACH GUARD-RAIL BEHIND THE BARRIER. THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT THE BARRIER EFFECTIVENESS IN REDUCING THE SEVERITY OF MOST IMPACTS IS SUCH THAT IT SHOULD BE USED OPERATIONALLY ON AN EXPERIMENTAL BASIS. HOWEVER, FUTURE DESIGN REFINEMENTS ARE NEEDED, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD TO REDIRECTION OF VEHICLES COLLIDING WITH THE SIDE OF THE BARRIER. A STUDY OF ACCIDENT STATISTICS AND HUMAN TOLERANCE TO DECELERATION IS SUMMARIZED. THIS STUDY INDICATED THAT THE DECELERATION IMPARTED TO THE IMPACTING VEHICLE SHOULD BE AS LOW AS POSSIBLE, PERHAPS LOWER THAN IN SOME CURRENT CRITERIA. /AUTHOR/

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  • Supplemental Notes:
    • Sponsored by Committee on Traffic Safety Barriers and Sign, Signal and Lighting Supports and presented at the 50th 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:
    • Nordlin, Eric F
    • Woodstrom, James H
    • Doty, Richard N
  • Conference:
  • Publication Date: 1971

Media Info

  • Media Type: Print
  • Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: pp 123-141
  • Monograph Title: Design of traffic safety barriers
  • Serial:

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00203554
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS, TRB
  • Created Date: Jul 25 1971 12:00AM