HYDRAULIC-PLASTIC CUSHIONS FOR ATTENUATION OF ROADSIDE BARRIER IMPACTS
A REVIEW OF ACCIDENT EXPERIENCE SHOWS THAT COLLISION WITH FIXED HIGHWAY OBSTACLES IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR. CUSHIONS CONSTRUCTED OF WATER-FILLED PLASTIC CELLS HAVE BEEN TESTED AND FOUND EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING THE SEVERITY OF BARRIER IMPACTS. HUMAN TOLERANCE DATA ARE BRIEFLY REVIEW. ACCELERATION PULSEFORMS RECOMMENDED IN THE LITERATURE ARE DISCUSSED IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT RESEARCH DEALING WITH VEHICLE-OCCUPANT-RESTRAINT INTERACTIONS. A VEHICLE PULSEFORM INCORPORATING A HIGH-G, SHORT-TIME, INITIAL PULSE IS SUGGESTED FOR CONSIDERATION. DATA OF SEVERAL CUSHIONED AND UNPROTECTED BARRIER COLLISIONS ARE COMPARED IN TERMS OF VEHICLE CRUSH, VEHICLE REBOUND AND COEFFICIENT OF RESTITUTION, MEASURED VEHICLE ACCELERATION HISTORIES, AND THE GADD INDEX OF SEVERITY APPLIED TO VEHICLE MEASUREMENTS. THE COMPARISONS SHOW A SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE IN SURVIVABILITY FOR CRASHES INVOLVING CUSHIONED BARRIERS. SOME ASPECTS OF THE CELLULAR CUSHION CONSTRUCTION ARE PRESENTED IN THE LIGHT OF DESIGN FLEXIBILITY AND MAINTAINABILITY. /AUTHOR/
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Supplemental Notes:
- Paper sponsored by Committee on Guardrails, Median Barriers, and Sign, Signal and Lighting Supports and presented at the 48th 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.
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Authors:
- Warner, Charles Y
- Publication Date: 1969
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
- Features: Figures; References; Tables;
- Pagination: pp 24-34
- Monograph Title: Development of safer roadside structures and protective systems
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Serial:
- Highway Research Record
- Issue Number: 259
- Publisher: Highway Research Board
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Acceleration (Mechanics); Barriers (Roads); Cellular structures; Crashes; Cushioning materials; Hydraulics; Impacts; Injury severity; Plastics; Single vehicle crashes; Vehicles
- Uncontrolled Terms: Attenuation; Barriers; Fixed object; Severity
- Old TRIS Terms: Cushioning
- Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Vehicles and Equipment;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00203416
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Aug 4 1994 12:00AM