FIELD STUDY TO ESTABLISH TRUCK ESCAPE RAMP DESIGN METHODOLOGY

One of the best and most frequently used mechanisms for stopping runaway trucks is the truck escape ramp, particularly the gravel arrester bed. To learn more about the energy-absorbing characteristics of the stone and to develop better design criteria, the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (PTI) conducted full-scale testing of gravel arrester beds. For this study, PTI constructed two 300-ft-long test ramps, one filled with rounded river-bed gravel and the other with more angular crushed gravel. The data taken included entry speed, stopping distance, accelerometer data, cross-section measurements of the ruts left by the truck tires, and distance-versus-time data. River gravel exhibited greater deceleration forces than crushed gravel. The existing Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) beds at Punxsutawney, Pleasant Gap, and Freeport represented the standard of excellence, showing an average deceleration of 0.516 g. However, test results show that a 36-in.-deep bed gave the same results as a bed that sloped to 8 ft deep. Finally, mounds and crash barrels filled with stone were tested and evaluated.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1989/1233/1233-010.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=FIELD+STUDY+TO+ESTABLISH+TRUCK+ESCAPE+RAMP+DESIGN+METHODOLOGY&author=J.+Wambold&publication_year=1989
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309050057
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1233, Design and Testing of Roadside Safety Devices. 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
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Wambold, James C
• Publication Date: 1989

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 94-103
• Monograph Title: DESIGN AND TESTING OF ROADSIDE SAFETY DEVICES
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1233
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alluvium; Arrester beds; Deceleration; Depth; Energy absorption; Escape lanes; Gravel; Performance evaluations; Slopes; Testing
• Uncontrolled Terms: Crushed gravel; River gravel
• Old TRIS Terms: Runaway vehicles; Test results
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Terminals and Facilities; I20: Design and Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00495140
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0-309-05005-7
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Jun 30 1990 12:00AM