DEFLECTION LIMITS FOR TEMPORARY CONCRETE BARRIERS (REVISED)

Whenever a traffic control plan is developed that utilizes temporary barriers, it is important to define acceptable barrier deflection criteria. However, the acceptable deflection criteria can be expected to vary, depending on the application. When temporary concrete barriers are used on the edge of a bridge, the risk of the entire line of barriers falling off of the deck requires that deflection limits be selected to preclude such behavior in almost all impact scenarios. Hence, it is recommended that at the edge of a bridge deck, design deflection limits should be selected to contain more than 95% of all crashes. In all other barrier applications, the consequences of a barrier exceeding the design deflection criteria are not severe. In these situations, a more modest deflection limit criterion based on an 85th percentile impact condition is more appropriate. Previous crash testing according to NCHRP Report No. 350 has shown that most temporary barrier systems have produced large lateral deflections, high vehicle climb, and high roll angles when subjected to such an extreme impact. However, it is generally accepted that the Test Level 3 (TL-3) strength test with a 3/4-ton pickup truck represents an extreme impact severity that is infrequently encountered in real world accidents. Additional crash tests could be conducted to determine the deflection of temporary barriers at reduced impact condition but the cost would be extremely high. Therefore, computer simulation was used to estimate the deflection of barriers impacted under the 85th percentile impact conditions. Finally, recommendations were made pertaining to the two different design deflection limits that should be used for the Iowa temporary concrete barrier.

• Corporate Authors:

  University of Nebraska, Lincoln

  Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
  2200 Vine Street, Whittier Building
  Lincoln, NE  United States  68583-0853

  Nebraska Department of Roads

  1500 Highway 2, P.O. Box 94759
  Lincoln, NE  United States  68509

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Sicking, D L
  • Reid, J D
  • Polivka, K A
• Publication Date: 2003-6-18

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 20 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Barriers (Roads); Bridges; Compliance; Concrete; Crash tests; Deflection; Pickup trucks; Portable equipment; Recommendations; Simulation; Temporary barriers; Temporary structures; Work zones
• Identifier Terms: NCHRP Report 350
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Research; Safety and Human Factors; Terminals and Facilities; I60: Maintenance; I85: Safety Devices used in Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00962192
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: TRP-03-113-03,, Revised Final Report
• Contract Numbers: SPR-3(017)
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Aug 28 2003 12:00AM