SIMPLIFIED CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING FLEXIBLE BRIDGE RAIL PERFORMANCE

Simplified criteria are derived for evaluating the capacity of a flexible bridge railing system to safely contain impacting vehicles ranging in size from subcompacts to heavy trucks. The evaluation is based on comparison of the static force versus deflection characteristic of the railing system with an associated integral characteristic that is easily obtained. The criteria have been applied to typical high-performance bridge railing designs such as the collapsing ring barrier and another hybrid barrier system. The barrier performance predicted by the simplified criteria agrees well with the dynamic results obtained from full-scale tests and computer simulations. The simplified criteria should prove valuable to the highway engineer in evaluating current and proposed designs of flexible bridge railings and in providing a guide to design improvements if required. /Author/

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1976/566/566-002.pdf
• Record URL:
  • https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=SIMPLIFIED+CRITERIA+FOR+EVALUATING+FLEXIBLE+BRIDGE+RAIL+PERFORMANCE&author=C.+Cantor&author=J.+Bloom&publication_year=1976
• Availability:
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Safety Appurtenances. 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:
  • Cantor, Clarence
  • Bloom, Jeffrey
• Conference:
  • 54th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia
  • Date: 1975-1-13 to 1975-1-17
• Publication Date: 1976

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 13-22
• Monograph Title: Vehicle barrier systems
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 566
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge design; Bridge railings; Bridges; Compact automobiles; Crashes; Deflection; Dynamic tests; Flexibility; Impacts; Improvements; Performance; Simulation; Structural design; Traffic barriers; Trucks
• Uncontrolled Terms: Barriers
• Old TRIS Terms: Barrier design; Critical approach speed; Small car
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Motor Carriers; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00139245
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309024765
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Sep 4 1976 12:00AM