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https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27432/critical-issues-in-transportation-for-2024-and-beyond

VEHICLE IMPACT TESTS IN SIDE DITCHES DURING 2000 AND 2001

TORMAYSKOKEET SIVUOJAAN VUOSINA 2000 JA 2001

This study has been planned for the Finnish Road Administration and the Swedish Road Administration. The results will be used for developing road side design guidelines and for developing a simulation model for slope design. Tests were carried out by the Helsinki University of Technology. In a V-shape ditch with a 1 m high 1:3 inner slope and 2 m high 1:2 outer slope 14 tests were done. Cars had 900 kg or 1500 kg mass, 60, 80 or 100 km/h speed and impact angle of 3, 5, 10 or 20 degrees. In some impacts the car was steered in the ditch by a remote control. ASI and OIV values were measured in some of the impacts. The tests showed: 1. A car normally climbs higher than 2 m upwards from the ditch bottom, when the impact angle is 10 degrees and there is no steering back towards the road during the impact. This is possible even with low speeds, such as 60 km/h. 2. A car can climb up to 1.5 m in other angles, 5 and 20 degrees, as well, when no steering is used. The height was smaller only with 3 degrees angle or when the car was steered. 3. When the angle was 20 degrees the car flew over the inner slope and crashed into the outer slope. It caused pitching or rolling of the car, but the accelerations were not extremely high. In one of the cases the car over-topped the 2 m high outer slope. 4. Steering seems to have caused roll over in one of the steered 10 degrees impacts, too. 5. The wheels of the car lost contact to the 1:3 inner slope for a very short time only when the impact angle was 5 or 10 degrees. 6. If the cars did not go over the outer slope they normally crashed into the end of the ditch which sloped like a small steep sloped intersection. The crash caused high accelerations in some cases. 7. In one of the tests a concrete barrier was installed instead of the outer slope in the bottom of the ditch. The impact caused a roll over. This kind of barriers has a much better performance in a flat area. The effect of rounding of the ditch bottom on the performance, especially at 20 degree angle, may later be studied by means of simulation. In a separate tests four wood poles where installed in front of the end of the intersection at the end of the ditch. As a result there was wooden 1:10 slope instead of the 1:1.5 earth slope at both sides of the intersection. In the impact tests the speed was 80 km/h and there was a quarter off set from the ditch bottom to the centre line of the 900 kg car. In the first test the car over-topped the intersection and landed upright on the asphalt behind the intersection. In the other tests there was 0.2 m thick layer of loose gravel on the asphalt behind the intersection. Then the right corner of the car crashed into the gravel which resulted in severe pitching or rolling over.

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  • Corporate Authors:

    TIEHALLINTO, FINNISH NATIONAL ROAD ADMINISTRATION

    OPASTINSILTA 12 A
    HELSINKI,   Finland  FIN-00520
  • Authors:
    • LEHTONEN, K
    • LAAKSO, K
  • Publication Date: 2003

Language

  • Finnish

Media Info

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00970352
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
  • ISBN: 951-803-002-2
  • Files: ITRD
  • Created Date: Mar 5 2004 12:00AM