A PARAMETRIC STUDY ON HIGHWAY CABLE PERFORMANCE AND ITS EFFECT ON VEHICLE REDIRECTION DYNAMICS

A parametric study of the highway cable barrier system and its effect on vehicle redirection has been carried out using the NRC barrier analysis, as programmed for digital simulation in conjunction with an existing analysis of the vehicle-terrain system. Component data sets were obtained from barrier experimental measurements and a vehicle parameter study. A two-part study was performed. The initial phase dealt with barrier response. An evaluation of the effect of design parameters on design response variables was conducted. The importance of post parameters was highlighted. A means of using these characteristics to improve performance was considered. A brief extension of the analysis to other tension barrier systems has also been included. The second phase considered vehicle interaction with cable barriers, straight and curved, over level and sloping terrain. To do this, system components were chosen so as to represent typical upper and lower bound combinations for the private passenger class of automobile. A number of computer tests were performed with the object of evaluating vehicle response performance as affected by critical barrier and terrain parameters. Correlation with such parameters was established for purposes of mapping bounds of acceptable vehicle performance. The most dominant instability found to occur was a vehicle roll-over condition. /Author/

• Corporate Authors:

  National Aeronautical Establishment, Canada

  Structures and Materials Lab, Montreal Road
  Ottawa, ONo K1A 0RG,   Canada 
• Authors:
  • BASSO, G L
• Publication Date: 1977-2

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 72 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cables; Crash injury research; Crashes; Median barriers; Performance; Research; Simulation; Vehicle dynamics
• Old TRIS Terms: Barrier design
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00164941
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Safety Council Safety Research Info Serv
• Report/Paper Numbers: NAE-MS-139, NRC 15885
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 7 1978 12:00AM