DYNAMIC TESTS OF AN ENERGY ABSORBING BARRIER EMPLOYING WATER FILLED PLATSTIC CELLS

THE RESULTS OF EIGHT FULL-SCALE VEHICLE IMPACT TESTS INTO ENERGY ABSORBING BARRIERS EMPLOYING WATER-FILLED PLASTIC CELLS ARE REPORTED. THIS BARRIER ABSORBS THE ENERGY OF AN IMPACTING VEHICLE THROUGH THE MOVEMENT OF WATER VERTICALLY AS THE FLEXIBLE WATER CELLS ARE COMPRESSED. THE FIRST FOUR TESTS WERE OF BARRIERS APPROXIMATELY 16 FEET LONG EMPLOYING WATER-FILLED PLASTIC CELLS PLACED BETWEEN 6"X6" TIMBER DIAPHRAGMS. SEDANS WEIGHING ABOUT 4700 POUNDS IMPACTED THE BARRIER HEAD-ON AT SPEEDS OF FROM 15 TO 60 MPH. FOUR ADDITIONAL TESTS WERE OF A 19'-6" LONG BARRIER EMPLOYING WATER-FILLED PLASTIC CELLS PLACED BETWEEN PLYWOOD PANELS ORIENTED PERPENDICULAR TO THE BARRIER AXIS. SEDANS WEIGHING ABOUT 4700 POUNDS IMPACTED THE BARRIER ON THE NOSE AND SIDE AT SPEEDS NEAR 60 MPH. RECORDED DATA INDICATED THAT FULLY RESTRAINED OCCUPANTS WOULD SUSTAIN LITTLE OR NO INJURIES. IN ADDDITION, 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. /AUTHOR/

• Corporate Authors:

  California Division of Highways

  Bridge Department
  Sacramento, CA  United States  05914

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Woodstrom, J H
  • Doty, R N
  • Nordlin, E F
• Publication Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Barriers (Roads); Constraints; Crash tests; Energy absorbing materials; Speed; Vehicles; Water
• Uncontrolled Terms: Barriers
• Old TRIS Terms: Energy absorbers
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00219754
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: D-4-69
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Aug 8 1971 12:00AM