AN IMPACT ENERGY ATTENUATING DEVICE COMBINED WITH GUARDRAIL-LIKE STRUCTURES

THIS NEW ENERGY ABSORBING BRIDGE RAIL CONCEPT WAS DESIGNED TO REDIRECT AN ERRANT VEHICLE PARALLEL TO THE NORMAL TRAFFIC FLOW WITH A MINIMUM OF DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE AND, MORE IMPORTANT, TO REDUCE THE INJURIES TO THE PASSENGERS OF THE VEHICLE TO A TOLERABLE LEVEL. ENERGY ABSORPTION IS ACCOMPLISHED UTILIZING AN AEROSPACE DEVELOPED ENERGY ABSORBER - THE "FRAGMENTING" TUBE. IN ADDITION, A NEW DESIGN CONCEPT IS INTRODUCED WHEREBY A BOX BEAM TYPE RAIL, CANTILEVERED FROM BACKUP POSTS, IS ALLOWED 2 FT. OF ENERGY ABSORPTION PRIOR TO "BOTTOMING OUT" AGAINST A BACKUP SYSTEM WHICH CAN BE DESIGNED TO BE STIFF ENOUGH TO RETAIN HEAVIER VEHICLES SUCH AS BUSES AND TRUCKS. THE CANTILEVERED DESIGN MINIMIZES DAMAGE FROM POST SNAGGING. BASED ON THE RESULTS OF FOUR FULL-SCALE CRASH TESTS CONDUCTED AT THE TEXAS TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE, THIS CONCEPTUALLY NEW ENERGY ABSORBING TYPE BRIDGE RAIL SYSTEM SHOWS DEFINITE PROMISE WHEN COMPARED TO THE PRESENT "RIGID POST" DESIGNS. /AUTHOR/

• Corporate Authors:

  Southwest Research Institute

  6220 Culebra Road, P.O. Drawer 28510
  San Antonio, TX  United States  78228-0510

  Bureau of Public Roads /US

  400 7th Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Woolam, W E
• Publication Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Box beams; Bridge railings; Energy absorbing materials; Energy absorption; Guardrails; Impacts; Tubing
• Uncontrolled Terms: Fragmentation
• Old TRIS Terms: Energy absorbers
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00219740
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Bureau of Public Roads /US
• Contract Numbers: DOT-FH-11-6863
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 14 1970 12:00AM