scholarly journals Two Test Level 4 Bridge Railing and Transition Systems for Transverse Timber Deck Bridges

2000 ◽  
Vol 1696 (1) ◽  
pp. 334-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald K. Faller ◽  
Michael A. Ritter ◽  
Barry T. Rosson ◽  
Michael D. Fowler ◽  
Sheila R. Duwadi
Keyword(s):  
Forest Products ◽  
Service Level ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Performance Criteria ◽  
Transition Systems ◽  
Roadside Safety ◽  
Safety Standards ◽  
Crash Tests ◽  
Test Level ◽  
The U.S

The Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, in cooperation with the Forest Products Laboratory, which is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, and FHWA, designed two bridge railing and approach guardrail transition systems for use on bridges with transverse glue-laminated timber decks. The bridge railing and transition systems were developed and crash tested for use on higher-service-level roadways and evaluated according to the Test Level 4 safety performance criteria presented in NCHRP Report 350: Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features. The first railing system was constructed with glulam timber components, whereas the second railing system was configured with steel hardware. Eight full-scale crash tests were performed, and the bridge railing and transition systems were acceptable according to current safety standards.

Development of a 34-in. Tall Thrie-Beam Guardrail Transition to Accommodate Future Roadway Overlays

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (2) ◽  
pp. 489-501
Author(s):  
Scott K. Rosenbaugh ◽  
Ronald K. Faller ◽  
Jennifer D. Schmidt ◽  
Robert W. Bielenberg
Keyword(s):  
Full Scale ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Performance Criteria ◽  
Concrete Barriers ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Level 3 ◽  
Crash Tests ◽  
Test Level

Roadway resurfacing and overlay projects effectively reduce the height of roadside barriers placed adjacent to the roadway, which can negatively affect their crashworthiness. More recently, bridge rails and concrete barriers have been installed with slightly increased heights to account for future overlays. However, adjacent guardrails and approach transitions have not yet been modified to account for overlays. The objective of this project was to develop an increased-height approach guardrail transition (AGT) to be crashworthy both before and after roadway overlays of up to 3 in. The 34-in. tall, thrie-beam transition detailed here was designed such that the system would be at its nominal 31-in. height following a 3-in. roadway overlay. Additionally, the upstream end of the AGT incorporated a symmetric W-to-thrie transition segment that would be replaced by an asymmetric transition segment after an overlay to keep the W-beam guardrail upstream from the transition at its nominal 31-in. height. The 34-in. tall AGT was connected to a modified version of the standardized buttress to mitigate the risk of vehicle snag below the rail. The barrier system was evaluated through two full-scale crash tests in accordance with Test Level 3 (TL-3) of AASHTO’s Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) and satisfied all safety performance criteria. Thus, the 34-in. tall AGT with modified transition buttress was determined to be crashworthy to MASH TL-3 standards. Finally, implementation guidance was provided for the 34-in. tall AGT and its crashworthy variations.

Approach Guardrail Transition for Single-Slope Concrete Barriers

1996 ◽  
Vol 1528 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald K. Faller ◽  
Ketil Soyland ◽  
Dean L. Sicking
Keyword(s):  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Vehicle Crash ◽  
Concrete Barriers ◽  
Level 3 ◽  
Crash Tests ◽  
Test Level

An approach guardrail transition for use with the single-slope concrete median barrier was developed and crash tested. The transition was constructed with 3.43-mm-thick (10-gauge) thrie-beam rail and was supported by nine W6 × 9 steel posts. Post spacings consisted of one at 292 mm (11.5 in.), five at 476 mm (1 ft 6.75 in.), and three at 952 mm (3 ft 1.5 in.). A structural tube spacer block (TS 7 × 4 × 3/16) was also developed for use with the thrie-beam rail. Two full-scale vehicle crash tests were performed, and the system was shown to meet the Test Level 3 requirements specified in NCHRP Report 350: Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features.

Development of Energy-Absorbing Composite Utility Pole

2003 ◽  
Vol 1851 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Foedinger ◽  
John F. Boozer ◽  
Maurice E. Bronstad ◽  
James W. Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Energy Absorption ◽  
Functional Performance ◽  
Weight Ratio ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Performance Criteria ◽  
Electrical Safety ◽  
Roadside Safety ◽  
Utility Pole ◽  
Utility Poles ◽  
Energy Absorbing

The serious hazard presented by unforgiving timber utility poles installed along the nation’s roadways has long been recognized by the roadside safety community. However, relatively little attention has been devoted to the development of safer utility poles beyond breakaway timber pole designs. A new generation of utility pole designs that use energy-absorbing composite materials offers a solution to the development and implementation of safer utility poles that have a cost advantage over breakaway timber poles and can be tailored to achieve the desired functional performance and energy absorption characteristics inherently without the need for additional strength members or add-on energy absorption devices. This research has resulted in the development of an energy-absorbing fiberglass-reinforced composite (FRC) utility pole design that meets structural performance requirements for environmental loading in accordance with the National Electrical Safety Code for Class 4 poles and safety performance criteria in compliance with NCHRP Report 350 Test Level 2 conditions for utility poles. Developmental testing and analyses were performed to support the development of a prototype design for demonstration testing. Full-scale crash testing has demonstrated the ability of the composite pole to absorb the vehicle’s impact energy by progressive crushing and fracture propagation as the vehicle is brought to a controlled stop. In addition to offering improved safety performance, the energy-absorbing FRC pole provides significant functional advantages, such as reduced weight, an improved strength-to-weight ratio, increased longevity, ease of installation, low maintenance, and resistance to environmental degradation.

Development and Testing of a Test Level 4 Concrete Bridge Rail and Deck Overhang

2020 ◽  
Vol 2674 (8) ◽  
pp. 455-465
Author(s):  
Scott K. Rosenbaugh ◽  
Jennifer D. Rasmussen ◽  
Ronald K. Faller
Keyword(s):  
Single Unit ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Performance Criteria ◽  
Front Face ◽  
Vehicle Stability ◽  
Concrete Bridge ◽  
Yield Line Theory ◽  
Line Theory ◽  
Test Level

A Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH)-compliant Test Level 4 (TL-4) concrete bridge rail was optimized to satisfy MASH TL-4 design loads, maximize vehicle stability, minimize installation costs, and mitigate the potential for deck damage by minimizing loads transfer to the deck. Additionally, the bridge rail was designed with a 39 in. installation height so that it would remain crashworthy after future roadway overlays up to 3 in. thick. The barrier had a front face with a 3-degree slope from vertical to promote vehicle stability during impacts while also providing some slope to allow for slipforming installations. Yield line theory was utilized to design both interior and end regions of the barrier. Further, minimum deck strengths were determined and a deck overhang design procedure was provided for users desiring to modify their existing deck details. Finally, MASH Test 4-12 was conducted on the new bridge rail to evaluate its safety performance criteria, damage to the barrier and a critical deck configuration, and its working width. In test 4CBR-1, the 22,198 lb single-unit truck impacted the concrete bridge rail at a speed of 57.6 mph and an angle of 16 degrees. The single-unit truck was successfully contained and redirected, and all safety performance criteria were within acceptable limits as defined in MASH. Therefore, test 4CBR-1 was determined to be acceptable according to MASH Test 4-12. Conclusions and recommendations for implementation are provided.

Transitions from Guardrail to Bridge Rail That Meet Safety Performance Requirements

2000 ◽  
Vol 1720 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Eugene Buth ◽  
Wanda L. Menges ◽  
King K. Mak ◽  
Roger P. Bligh
Keyword(s):  
Full Scale ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Steel Bridge ◽  
Performance Requirements ◽  
Box Beam ◽  
Crash Tests ◽  
Test Level

Three guardrail-to-bridge rail transitions were developed and subjected to full-scale crash tests. The transitions were ( a) a nested W-beam with W-beam rub rail that transitioned from a W-beam guardrail to a vertical concrete parapet bridge rail, ( b) a nested thrie-beam that transitioned from a W-beam guardrail to a tubular steel bridge rail, and ( c) a tubular steel transition that transitioned from a weak-post box-beam guardrail to a tubular steel bridge rail. The nested W-beam and the tubular steel transitions were tested and met NCHRP Report 350 Test Level (TL)-3 requirements. The nested thrie-beam transition was tested and met TL-4 requirements.

Design and Testing of Tie-Down Systems for Temporary Barriers

2003 ◽  
Vol 1851 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bob W. Bielenberg ◽  
Ronald K. Faller ◽  
John D. Reid ◽  
John R. Rohde ◽  
Dean L. Sicking
Keyword(s):  
Bridge Deck ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Performance Criteria ◽  
Crash Test ◽  
Concrete Bridge ◽  
Safety Standards ◽  
Vehicle Crash ◽  
Rigid Attachment ◽  
Level 3 ◽  
Concrete Bridge Deck

Two tie-down temporary barrier systems were developed and crash tested according to the safety performance criteria provided in NCHRP Report 350: Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features. Both tie-down systems were designed to reduce barrier displacements and to retain deflected barriers on the bridge deck edge. The first system consisted of a steel tie-down strap concept for use with the Iowa F-shape temporary concrete barrier. At each barrier joint, the trapezoidal-shaped strap retained the vertical pin and was attached to the concrete bridge deck using two drop-in anchors. An acceptable fullscale vehicle crash test of the tie-down strap concept was conducted according to the Test Level 3 (TL-3) impact safety standards in NCHRP Report 350. The second tie-down system was developed for use with Iowa’s steel H-section temporary barrier. A new barrier connection was developed to simplify barrier attachment and to accommodate deviations in horizontal and vertical alignment. It consisted of two steel shear plates positioned within an opening on the adjacent barrier section and held in place with two steel drop pins. Four steel angle brackets were welded to the barrier’s base to allow for rigid attachment to the concrete bridge deck with drop-in anchors. Two full-scale vehicle crash tests were conducted on the steel H-barrier system according to TL-3 impact safety standards found in NCHRP Report 350. After an unacceptable first test, the system was successfully tested with minor design modifications.

Dynamic Evaluation and Implementation Guidelines for a Nonproprietary W-Beam Guardrail Trailing-End Terminal

2013 ◽  
Vol 2377 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Mongiardini ◽  
Ronald K. Faller ◽  
John D. Reid ◽  
Dean L. Sicking
Keyword(s):  
Safety Performance ◽  
Crash Test ◽  
Impact Location ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Level 3 ◽  
Implementation Guidelines ◽  
Potential Risks ◽  
Departments Of Transportation ◽  
Crash Tests ◽  
Test Level

Most state departments of transportation use simple adaptations of crashworthy guardrail end terminals, which typically include breakaway posts and an anchor cable, for downstream anchorage systems. The guardrail safety performance for vehicular impacts occurring in close proximity to these simplified, downstream anchorage systems is not well known. Further, the length of need (LON) for the downstream end of these systems has yet to be adequately determined. This research project assessed the safety performance of the Midwest Guardrail System (MGS) for impacts occurring in close proximity to a nonproprietary, trailing-end guardrail terminal under the Test Level 3 conditions of the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware. The two research objectives were to (a) determine the end of the LON for impacts with light pickup trucks and (b) investigate potential risks for a small passenger car to become unstable when striking the downstream end of the MGS anchored by the nonproprietary, trailing-end terminal. Numerical simulations were carried out to identify the most critical impact location for the 1100C small car and the end of the LON for the 2270P pickup truck. In full-scale crash tests, considerable snag of the 1100C vehicle occurred; however, occupant risk values and vehicle stability were within acceptable limits. The crash test with the 2270P pickup indicated that the end of the LON was located at the sixth post from the downstream-end post. Guidelines were proposed for installing the MGS to shield hazards in close proximity to the tested nonproprietary, trailing-end terminal.

Guardrail Connection for Low-Fill Culverts

2003 ◽  
Vol 1851 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karla A. Polivka ◽  
Ronald K. Faller ◽  
John R. Rohde
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Simulation Modeling ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Dynamic Testing ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Rigid Foundation ◽  
Level 3 ◽  
Crash Tests ◽  
Test Level

A W-beam guardrail system was developed for attachment to the top slab of a low-fill concrete culvert. The guardrail design was constructed with a single, 2.66-mm-thick W-beam rail totaling 53.34 m in length. Over the culvert, W150×13.5 steel posts 946 mm long spaced 952.5 mm on center supported the W-beam rail. The research study included dynamic testing with a bogie vehicle and steel posts attached to a rigid foundation, computer simulation modeling with BARRIER VII, and two full-scale vehicle crash tests. The crash tests used three-quarter-ton pickup trucks and were conducted in accordance with the Test Level 3 (TL-3) requirements specified in NCHRP Report 350: Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features. The first test was successfully conducted on the guardrail system with the back sides of the posts positioned 457 mm away from the front of the culvert’s headwall. The second test was unsuccessfully performed on the guardrail system with the back sides of the posts positioned 25 mm away from the front of the headwall. The safety performance of the W-beam guardrail system attached to the top of a low-fill concrete culvert was determined to be acceptable according to the TL-3 criteria found in NCHRP Report 350. Recommendations for the final placement of the guardrail system with respect to the culvert headwall are also made.

NCHRP Report 350 Compliance Testing of the Beam-Eating Steel Terminal System

1998 ◽  
Vol 1647 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian G. Pfeifer ◽  
Dean L. Sicking
Keyword(s):  
Terminal System ◽  
Roadside Safety ◽  
Safety Standards ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Compliance Testing ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Most Significant Change ◽  
Energy Absorbing ◽  
Crash Tests ◽  
New Criteria

An energy-absorbing guardrail terminal was developed at the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility in 1994 that met the safety criteria set forth in NCHRP Report 230. This terminal, known as the beam-eating steel terminal, or BEST, relies on the cutting of steel W-beams to absorb the energy of impacting vehicles. Since that time, a new set of safety standards has been developed to replace those set forth in NCHRP Report 230. These new criteria are published in NCHRP Report 350, with the most significant change being the replacement of the 2041-kg (4,500-lb) sedan test vehicle with a 2000-kg (0.75-ton) pickup. To ensure that the BEST system would perform well under these new, and more stringent, criteria, the system was subjected to the matrix of full-scale vehicle crash tests required by NCHRP Report 350. Several design changes were made to the terminal system during this development to improve the performance of the system. The results of this successful program are reported.

Development, Crash Testing, and Evaluation of Steel-Post Trailing-End Guardrail Anchorage System

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110319
Author(s):  
Mojdeh Asadollahi Pajouh ◽  
Karla Lechtenberg ◽  
Ronald Faller ◽  
Tewodros Yosef
Keyword(s):  
Safety Performance ◽  
Reverse Direction ◽  
Roadside Safety ◽  
Safety Requirements ◽  
Component Testing ◽  
Crash Testing ◽  
Anchorage System ◽  
Structural Capacity ◽  
Departments Of Transportation ◽  
Crash Tests

Trailing-end guardrail anchorage systems are widely used by most state departments of transportation (DOTs) and generally consist of simple adaptations of crashworthy end terminals. The safety performance and structural capacity of these trailing-end anchorage systems, when reverse-direction impacts occur near the end, is imperative in crashworthiness of guardrail systems. In 2013, a non-proprietary trailing-end anchorage system with a modified breakaway cable terminal (BCT) was developed by the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF) for the Midwest Guardrail System (MGS). Although this trailing-end guardrail anchorage system adequately met the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) TL-3 safety requirements, the use of two breakaway wood posts was deemed by some users to have several drawbacks. Thus, there was a critical need to develop a non-wood option to anchor the downstream end of the W-beam guardrail system, which led to the need to develop a steel-post trailing-end guardrail anchorage system for use with the MGS. Following the design and component testing of such a system, two full-scale crash tests were performed according to the MASH 2016 test designation nos. 3-37a and 3-37b. In the first test, a 2270P pickup truck struck the guardrail system and was adequately contained and redirected. In the second test, an 1100C small car struck the barrier and safely gated through the barrier. Both tests were deemed acceptable according to TL-3 safety criteria in MASH 2016. Recommendations are provided for the installation of a steel-post trailing-end guardrail anchorage system when used in combination with MGS.

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