IMPACT ATTENUATORS: A CURRENT ENGINEERING EVALUATION (WITH DISCUSSION)

This study, sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and conducted by ENSCO, Inc., used full-scale crash testing of small and large test vehicles to investigate the impact performance of inertial barrel and energy absorbing impact attenuator systems. Special emphasis was placed on impact performance of minicompact sedans. In all, 20 tests were performed: 16 with inertial barrels and 4 with an energy absorbing system. The 16 inertial barrel tests studied the effects of the following crash scenarios: large car versus small car, angled versus head-on positions, pea gravel versus sand fill material, frozen versus nonfrozen sand fill, loose sand versus bagged sand and two different brands of attenuator barrels. The four energy absorbing system tests used a six-bay Guard Rail Energy Absorbing Terminal (GREAT) system and studied the effects of head-on versus angled positions and large car versus small car impacts. All tests used instrumented dummies and all tests generated a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) digital data tape. Results of the program showed large and small car performance to be generally acceptable when using NCHRP 230 and dummy analysis procedures. In one test (C-04) the large car exhausted the capacity of a six-bay GREAT system.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1988/1198/1198-007.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=IMPACT+ATTENUATORS%3A+A+CURRENT+ENGINEERING+EVALUATION+(WITH+DISCUSSION)&author=J.+Hinch&author=D.+Sawyer&author=D.+Stout&author=M.+Hargrave&author=R.+Owings&publication_year=1988
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309047722
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1198, Roadside Safety Features. 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
• Authors:
  • Hinch, John
  • Sawyer, Douglas
  • Stout, Dale
  • Hargrave, Martin
  • Owings, Raymond
• Discussers:
  • Tamanini, F J
• Publication Date: 1988

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 76-89
• Monograph Title: Roadside safety features
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1198
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Barriers (Roads); Compact automobiles; Crash cushions; Crash tests; Crashes; Dummies; Energy absorption; Frontal crashes; Frozen soils; Gravel; Guardrail terminals; Impact; Inertia (Mechanics); Inertial navigation systems; Large automobiles; Loose soils; Miniature automobiles; Performance evaluations; Sand; Testing
• Uncontrolled Terms: Impact angle
• Old TRIS Terms: Barrel barriers; Large car; Small car; Test results
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors; I85: Safety Devices used in Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00490179
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309047722
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Dec 31 1989 12:00AM