DYNAMIC TESTS OF AN ENERGY-ABSORBING BARRIER EMPLOYING WATER-FILLED CELLS
THE RESULTS OF FOUR FULL-SCALE VEHICLE-IMPACT TESTS INTO ENERGY-ABSORBING BARRIERS USING WATER-FILLED PLASTIC CELLS AND CARTRIDGES ARE REPORTED. THIS BARRIER ABSORBES THE ENERGY OF AN IMPACTING VEHICLE THROUGH THE MOVEMENT OF WATER HORIZONTALLY AS THE BARRIER IS SHORTENED AND VERTICALLY THROUGH ORIFICES AS THE FLEXIBLE WATER CELLS AND CARTRIDGES ARE COMPRESSED. THE RECORDED VEHICLE PASSENGER-COMPARTMENT DECELERATIONS INDICATED THAT, ALTHOUGH UNRESTRAIN OCCUPANTS WOULD SUSTAIN MODERATE TO SEVERE INJURIES, IN MOST CASES, FURING 60-MPH COLLISIONS WITH THIS BARRIER DESIGN, FULLY RESTRAINED (SEAT BELT AND SHOULDER HARNESS) OCCUPANTS WOULD SUSTAIN LITTLE OR NO INJURIES DURING THE MAJORITY OF 60-MPH IMPACTS INTO THE NOSE OR SIDE OF THE BARRIER. IN ADDITION, THE BARRIER DID NOT GENERATE UNSTABLE VEHICLE BEHAVIOR AND, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BRIDGE APPROACH GUARDRAIL BACKSTOP, EFFECTIVELY REDIRECTED A VEHICLE IMPACTING FROM THE SIDE. THE OVERALL BARRIER PERFORMANCE SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OVER THE CONCRETE WEDGE-SHAPED DEFLECTORS CURRENTLY IN USE IN CALIFORNIA ON OFF-RAMP GORES. /AUTHOR/
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Supplemental Notes:
- Sponsored by Committee on Traffic Safety Barriers and Sign, Signal and Lighting Supports and presented at the 50th 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:
- Nordlin, Eric F
- Woodstrom, James H
- Doty, Richard N
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Conference:
- 50th Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board
- Location: Washington District of Columbia, United States
- Date: 1971-1-18 to 1971-1-22
- Publication Date: 1971
Media Info
- Media Type: Print
- Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
- Pagination: pp 100-122
- Monograph Title: Design of traffic safety barriers
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Serial:
- Highway Research Record
- Issue Number: 343
- Publisher: Highway Research Board
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Barriers (Roads); Deceleration; Dynamic tests; Energy absorption; Impacts; Injuries; Manual safety belts; Motion; Passengers; Speed; Vehicles; Water
- Uncontrolled Terms: Barriers
- Old TRIS Terms: Cartridge; Cells
- Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Passenger Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00203553
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Jul 25 1971 12:00AM