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CONCEPTS FOR IMPROVED TRAFFIC BARRIER SYSTEMS

CONVENTIONAL TRAFFIC BARRIER SYSTEMS ARE PRESENTLY BEING APPLIED WIDELY BY HIGHWAY AND BRIDGE ENGINEERS. ALL OF THESE EXISTING SYSTEMS HAVE SOME DEFICIENCIES THAT MAKE THEIR PERFORMANCE SOMEWHAT LESS THAN IDEAL. NEW CONCEPTS WERE THEREFORE NEEDED FOR ECONOMICAL, STANDARDIZED, LONGITUDINAL TRAFFIC BARRIER SYSTEMS THAT CAN PROVIDE A CONSISTENT DEGREE OF PROTECTION WHEN INSTALLED AS HIGHWAY SHOULDER GUARDRAILS, MEDIAN BARRIERS, AND BRIDGE RAILS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE RESEARCH WAS TO PRODUCE ONE OR MORE TRAFFIC BARRIER SYSTEM DESIGNS, DESCRIBED WITH SKETCHES AND NARRATIVE TO THE DEGREE NECESSARY TO CONVEY UNDERSTANDING, THAT OFFERED PROMISE OF: PREVENTING PENETRATION BY A STANDARD-SIZE U. S. AUTOMOBILE WEIGHING 4,000 TO 5,000 LBS AND IMPACTING AT 25 DEGREES AND 65 MPH; SMOOTHLY REDIRECTING THE ERRANT VEHICLE RELATIVELY PARALLEL TO TRAFFIC FLOW; PROVIDING A RANGE OF CONTROLLED DYNAMIC DEFLECTIONS BY VARYING DESIGN PARAMETERS; RETAINING LONGITUDINAL CONTINUITY FOLLOWING THE COLLISION; ALLOWING ADEQUATE VISIBILITY; BEING CAPABLE OF QUICK AND EASY REPAIR; PERFORMING SATISFACTORILY IN VARIOUS FOUNDATION CONDITIONS; LIMITING DECELERATIONS AT THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF THE VEHICLE TO 5 G LATERAL, 10 G LONGITUDINAL, AND A TOTAL OF 12 G WHEN AVERAGED OVER ANY 200-MILLISEC PERIOD; HAVING REASONABLY LOW FIRST COST AND PLEASING APPERANCE; AND MINIMIZING VEHICLE DAMAGE. WITH THESE OBJECTIVES IN MIND, A TRAFFIC BARRIER DESIGN WAS PREPARED WITH SUBSTANTIATING CALCULATIONS, WHICH INDICATED THAT ALL THE OBJECTIVES WOULD BE MET. /AUTHOR/

  • Supplemental Notes:
    • PROJ NO 22-1
  • Authors:
    • White, W W
    • Shulman, M A
    • Powell, G H
    • Burnett, C R
  • Publication Date: 1972

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Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00203762
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Jan 3 1973 12:00AM