Citation

Noel JS, Hirsch TJ, Buth CE, Arnold A. Transp. Res. Rec. 1981; 796: 31-35.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1981, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Recent and ongoing research studies have addressed the problem of improving the performance of bridge-railing systems and extending the range of vehicles that can be restrained. This paper summarizes the results of one of these studies. A series of full-scale crash tests was completed that used several representative vehicle geometries and weights and an instrumented concrete barrier. The measured resultant loads, locations, and distributions are tabulated and discussed. Because the wall is relatively rigid - at least in comparison with most bridge railings - it is an obvious conclusion that the reported force magnitudes represent an upper limit. They are expected to be considerably smaller for collisions with more-compliant barriers. An equal corollary is that the contact duration will be longer.