NCHRP Report 350 Compliance Tests of the ET-2000

1996 ◽  
Vol 1528 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayes E. Ross ◽  
Wanda L. Menges ◽  
D. Lance Bullard
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Passenger Car ◽  
Roadside Safety ◽  
Impact Performance ◽  
Crash Testing ◽  
Level 3 ◽  
New Guidelines ◽  
Safety Features ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Crash Tests

The ET-2000 is one of the end treatments currently approved for use with W-beam guardrail systems. The ET-2000 has successfully met all evaluation criteria set forth in NCHRP Report 230. However, with the adoption of NCHRP Report 350 by FHWA as the official guidelines for crash testing of roadside safety features, it became necessary to reevaluate the ET-2000 to the new guidelines. It is noted that one of the design test vehicles specified in NCHRP Report 230, the 2044-kg passenger car, was replaced by a 2000-kg pickup truck (2000P) under NCHRP Report 350 guidelines. The purpose of the crash tests was to evaluate the ET-2000 according to NCHRP Report 350 guidelines. The ET-2000 met NCHRP Report 350 criteria for Performance Level 3 without any design modifications. All findings in this study demonstrate that the impact performance of the ET-2000 was satisfactory.

Enhanced MASH TL-3 Short-Radius System: Promising Design to Accommodate Flat Terrain and Ditches

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (39) ◽  
pp. 155-165
Author(s):  
Akram Y. Abu-Odeh ◽  
Roger P. Bligh ◽  
Christopher Lindsey ◽  
Wade Odell
Keyword(s):  
Impact Angle ◽  
Roadside Safety ◽  
Flat Terrain ◽  
Crash Testing ◽  
Geometrical Constraints ◽  
Level 3 ◽  
Curved Section ◽  
National Cooperative ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Crash Tests

A challenging guardrail installation situation presents itself when two roadways intersect. Combining the guardrails from intersecting roadway results in what is commonly known as a short radius or T-intersection. It is difficult if not physically impossible to provide the required tensile capacity to the geometrical constraints of the curved section. Researchers and practitioners in the roadside safety area have been investigating the short-radius issue for many years. Investigators conducted numerous crash tests for different short-radius guardrail designs, yet none of those designs passed the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 Test Level 3 (TL-3) criteria. In 2009, the crash testing guidelines were updated in the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH). MASH guidelines increased the impact severity for TL-3 tests over those in NCHRP 350. This paper presents a MASH TL-3 short-radius design that was successfully crash tested for both a flat terrain and a 3H:1V sloped terrain behind the installation. The impact conditions adopted from the MASH terminal/crash cushion matrix were MASH 3-33, 3-32, 3-31, and 3-35 for the flat terrain. Additionally, a slightly modified design that was installed in front of a 3H:1V slope was successfully evaluated using MASH 3-33 and 3-32 test conditions. These tests used a 25° impact angle since it was shown to be more critical for installation during simulation of the system.

Box-Beam Burster Energy-Absorbing Single-Sided Crash Cushion

2002 ◽  
Vol 1797 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-81
Author(s):  
John D. Reid ◽  
John R. Rohde ◽  
Dean L. Sicking
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Reverse Direction ◽  
Impact Performance ◽  
Pickup Truck ◽  
Barrier Energy ◽  
Box Beam ◽  
Level 3 ◽  
Energy Absorbing ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Crash Tests

A new box-beam burster energy-absorbing single-sided crash cushion (BEAT-SSCC) was designed and crash tested. This energy-absorbing crash cushion is designed to shield a rigid hazard, such as the end of a concrete safety-shaped barrier. Energy-absorbing capabilities of the BEAT-SSCC are based on the bursting tube technology, similar to that used with the box-beam burster energy-absorbing terminal. Five full-scale vehicle crash tests were conducted to evaluate the impact performance of the BEAT-SSCC in accordance with guidelines set forth in NCHRP Report 350: ( a) Test Designation 3-31—pickup truck head-on test; ( b) Test Designation 3-38—pickup truck critical impact point test (two tests to evaluate two different critical impact points); ( c) Test Designation 3-39—pickup truck reverse direction test at midpoint of crash cushion, and ( d) modified Test Designation 3-39—pickup truck reverse direction test at connection to the concrete barrier. The crash cushion performed as designed, and the BEAT-SSCC meets all evaluation criteria for a Test Level 3 crash cushion set forth in NCHRP Report 350. The BEAT-SSCC is being evaluated by FHWA for approval to be used on the National Highway System.

Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware Crash Testing and Evaluation of Multiple Mailbox Supports for Use with Locking Architectural Mailboxes

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (7) ◽  
pp. 684-695
Author(s):  
Chiara Silvestri Dobrovolny ◽  
Roger P. Bligh ◽  
Justin Obinna ◽  
Mark McDaniel ◽  
Wade Odell
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Impact Performance ◽  
Critical Design ◽  
State Highway ◽  
Crash Testing ◽  
Texas Department ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Crash Tests ◽  
Highway System

With increasing concern about mail-identity theft, there is a growing demand among homeowners and businesses for the use of locking mailboxes for theft deterrence and resistance to vandalism. Lockable mailbox products can be significantly larger and heavier than standard lightweight mailboxes. Therefore, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) requested evaluation of their crashworthiness before permitting their use on the state highway system. Under TxDOT Project 9-1002-12, crash tests were performed following the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) guidelines and procedures to assess the impact performance of lockable, secure mailboxes in both single and multiple mount configurations. Testing of the larger and heavier locking mailboxes on multiple-mount support posts was unsuccessful owing to vehicle windshield deformation and intrusion. This paper describes the efforts to develop and evaluate the crashworthiness of new proposed designs for multiple mailbox supports used with a combination of lockable and standard mailboxes. The crash tests were performed following MASH guidelines and the evaluation criteria. Two proposed designs were evaluated through full-scale crash testing. Both systems satisfied all required MASH evaluation criteria at low and high impact speeds using a passenger car, which was considered to be the critical design vehicle based on the mailbox mounting height.

Flared Energy-Absorbing Terminal Median Barrier

2002 ◽  
Vol 1797 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-95
Author(s):  
John R. Rohde ◽  
John D. Reid ◽  
Dean L. Sicking
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Reverse Direction ◽  
Crash Test ◽  
Impact Performance ◽  
Pickup Truck ◽  
Terminal Set ◽  
Level 3 ◽  
Energy Absorbing ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Crash Tests

The design and crash test results of a median barrier version of the Flared Energy-Absorbing Terminal, known as FLEAT-MT, are presented. This energy-absorbing terminal is designed for use with a W-beam, strong-post median barrier. The FLEAT-MT terminal uses two standard FLEAT terminals, one for each of the two W-beam rail elements. The energy-absorbing capability of the FLEAT-MT terminal is based on the sequential kinking concept, similar to that used with the Sequential Kinking Terminal and FLEAT guardrail terminals. Three full-scale vehicle crash tests were conducted to evaluate the impact performance of the FLEAT-MT terminal in accordance with guidelines set forth in NCHRP Report 350: Test 3-35—pickup truck redirection test (Test No. FMT-1), Test 3-31—pickup truck head-on test (Test No. FMT-2), and Test 3-39—pickup truck reverse-direction test (Test No. FMT-3M). The terminal performed as designed. The FLEAT-MT terminal meets all evaluation criteria for a Test Level 3 median barrier terminal set forth in NCHRP Report 350. The FLEAT-MT terminal is being evaluated by FHWA for approval to be used on the National Highway System.

Crash Testing and Evaluation of Work Zone Traffic Control Devices

1998 ◽  
Vol 1650 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
King K. Mak ◽  
Roger P. Bligh ◽  
Lewis R. Rhodes
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Work Zone ◽  
Work Zones ◽  
Impact Performance ◽  
Crash Testing ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Traffic Control Devices ◽  
Under Construction ◽  
The Impact

Safety of work zones is a major area of concern since it is not always possible to maintain a level of safety comparable to that of a normal highway not under construction. Proper traffic control is critical to the safety of work zones. However, traffic control devices themselves may pose a safety hazard when impacted by errant vehicles. The impact performance of many work zone traffic control devices is mostly unknown, and little, if any, crash testing has been conducted in accordance with guidelines set forth in NCHRP Report 350. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has, in recent years, sponsored a number of studies at the Texas Transportation Institute to assess the impact performance of various work zone traffic control devices, including plastic drums and sign substrates, temporary and portable sign supports, plastic cones, vertical panels, and barricades. The results, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are presented for temporary and portable sign supports, plastic drums, sign substrates for use with plastic drums, traffic cones, and vertical panels, whereas those for barricades are covered elsewhere. Most of the work zone traffic control devices satisfactorily met the evaluation criteria set forth in NCHRP Report 350 and are recommended for field implementation. However, some of the devices failed to perform satisfactorily and are not recommended for field applications. The results from these studies are being incorporated into the TxDOT barricade and construction standard sheets for use in work zones.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Dynamic Impact on Universal Breakaway Steel Post

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javad Mehrmashhadi ◽  
Mojdeh A. Pajouh ◽  
John D. Reid
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Numerical Modeling ◽  
Numerical Model ◽  
Dynamic Impact ◽  
Roadside Safety ◽  
Impact Performance ◽  
Component Testing ◽  
Long Span ◽  
Finite Element Package ◽  
The Impact

Abstract A closed guardrail system, known as “bullnose” guardrail system, was previously developed to prevent out-of-control vehicles from falling into the elephant trap. The bullnose guardrail system originally used Controlled Release Terminal (CRT) wood posts to aid in the energy absorption of the system. However, the use of CRT had several drawbacks such as grading and the need for regular inspections. Universal Breakaway Steel Post (UBSP) was then developed by the researchers at Midwest Roadside Safety Facility as a surrogate for CRT. In this study, the impact performance of UBSP on the weak-axis and strong-axis was studied through numerical modeling and component testing (bogie testing). A numerical model was developed using an advanced finite element package LS-DYNA to simulate the impact on UBSP. The numerical results were compared to experimental data. Further research on soil models was recommended. The numerical model will be used to investigate other applications for UBSP such as the Midwest Guardrail System (MGS) long span system, guardrail end terminal designs, or crash cushions.

Crash Testing and Evaluation of Culvert-Mounted Midwest Guardrail System

2020 ◽  
Vol 2674 (7) ◽  
pp. 161-171
Author(s):  
Mojdeh Asadollahi Pajouh ◽  
Robert W. Bielenberg ◽  
Jennifer D. Schmidt-Rasmussen ◽  
Ronald K. Faller
Keyword(s):  
American Association ◽  
Water Drainage ◽  
Test Installation ◽  
State Highway ◽  
Crash Testing ◽  
Test Number ◽  
Box Culverts ◽  
Level 3 ◽  
Crash Tests ◽  
Test Level

Concrete box culverts are usually installed under roadways to allow water drainage without affecting the motoring public. Culvert openings can represent a hazard on the roadside when they do not extend outside of the clear zone, and often require safety treatments in the form of roadside barriers. In this study, a modified design of Midwest Guardrail System (MGS) was evaluated for installation on a low-fill culvert with the strong-post attachment using through-bolts and epoxy anchorage through full-scale crash testing. The test installation consisted of MGS with a 31 in. top rail height, supported by W6 × 9 posts, spaced at 37½ in., attached to a low-fill culvert’s top slab with a 12 in. offset from the back of the post to the culvert headwall. Two crash tests were conducted according to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) 2016 Test Level 3 impact safety criteria. In test number CMGS-1, a 2,428-lb car impacted the MGS attached to the culvert at a speed of 61.3 mph and at an angle of 25.1°. In test number CMGS-2, a 5,013-lb pickup truck impacted the MGS attached to the culvert at a speed of 62.8 mph and an angle of 25.7°. In both tests, the vehicle was safely redirected and captured. Both tests were deemed acceptable according to TL-3 safety criteria in MASH. Recommendations were made for the safe installation of MGS atop low-fill culverts as well as transitions from the standard MGS to the culvert-mounted MGS.

Simulation of a Crash Test of Minnesota’s Aluminum Type III Barricade

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gale L. Paulsen ◽  
John D. Reid
Keyword(s):  
Contact Friction ◽  
Crash Test ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Roadside Safety ◽  
Vehicle Simulation ◽  
Type Iii ◽  
Crash Testing ◽  
Impact Location ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Being Moved

Full-scale crash testing was performed on Minnesota’s Aluminum Type III Barricade by the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility. Testing consisted of an 820 kg vehicle impacting the barricade at two positions, 0 and 90-degrees, at 100 km/h. This paper documents the modeling effort to simulate the physical crash events using LS-DYNA, a nonlinear finite element analysis program. As is typical for vehicle crash simulation, there were many modeling issues that needed careful attention. Four items of particular concern were (1) contact snagging - the barricade kept hooking on the hood with edge to edge snagging; (2) placement of barricade - small adjustments to the impact location could cause the tire to run over one of the barricade legs, which did not happen during the testing; (3) contact friction - the friction between the barricade and the front of the vehicle played an important role in how the barricade wrapped around and flipped off of the vehicle, and (4) sandbag weight - the weight of the sandbags, which are placed on the legs of the barricade and are used to prevent the barricades from being moved by the wind, makes a difference on how the sign legs flip up into the air when impacted by a vehicle. Simulation results are shown to be fairly accurate for both impact conditions. Future studies on various barricade configurations are now possible using the model developed during this research.

Evaluation of Vertical Wall-To-Guardrail Transition

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali O. Atahan ◽  
Guido Bonin ◽  
Moustafa El-Gindy
Keyword(s):  
Gradual Increase ◽  
Vertical Wall ◽  
Element Model ◽  
Impact Performance ◽  
Injury Criteria ◽  
Crash Testing ◽  
Transition Barrier ◽  
Occupant Injury ◽  
Heavy Truck ◽  
The Impact

Transition barriers are used to connect longitudinal barriers that have different stiffnesses. They are designed to provide a gradual increase in stiffness towards the stiffer barrier section. In this study, a W-beam rail and a W-beam rubrail transition connecting a rigid bridge rail to a semi-rigid guardrail was evaluated using numerical and experimental methods. First, a finite element model of the transition design was constructed and validated using a 2000 kg pickup truck impact. Then, a series of vehicle models, i.e., 900 kg compact automobile, 8000 kg single unit truck and finally 30,000 kg heavy truck was used to evaluate the impact performance of the same transition design numerically. Simulation results predict that the double W-beam transition barrier performs acceptably in containing and redirecting all vehicles except 30,000 kg heavy truck. Occupant injury criteria were also found to be acceptable for all the cases, except 30,000 kg truck impact. Performing further simulations with vehicle sizes heavier than 8,000 kg that exist in crash testing guidelines is recommended to evaluate the acceptability limit of existing W-beam rail and a W-beam rubrail transition.

A Base Study to Investigate MASH Conservativeness of Occupant Risk Evaluation

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Silvestri Dobrovolny ◽  
Harika Reddy Prodduturu ◽  
Dusty R. Arrington ◽  
Nathan Schulz ◽  
Stefan Hurlebaus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Evaluation ◽  
Injury Risk ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Oblique Impact ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Crash Test ◽  
Vehicle Interior ◽  
Impact Performance ◽  
Space Model ◽  
The Impact

The Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) defines crash tests to assess the impact performance of highway safety features in frontal and oblique impact events. Within MASH, the risk of injury to the occupant is assessed based on a “flail-space” model that estimates the average deceleration that an unrestrained occupant would experience when contacting the vehicle interior in a MASH crash test and uses the parameter as a surrogate for injury risk. MASH occupant risk criteria, however, are considered conservative in their nature, due to the fact that they are based on unrestrained occupant accelerations. Therefore, there is potential for increasing the maximum limits dictated in MASH for occupant risk evaluation. A frontal full-scale vehicle impact was performed with inclusion of an instrumented anthropomorphic test device (ATD). The scope of this study was to investigate the performance of the Flail Space Model in a full scale crash test compared to the instrumented ATD recorded forces which can more accurately predict the occupant response during a collision event. Results obtained through this research will be considered for better correlation between vehicle accelerations and occupant injury. This becomes extremely important for designing and evaluating barrier systems that must fit within geometrical site constraints, which do not provide adequate length to redirect test vehicles according to MASH conservative evaluation criteria.

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