Energy absorption of gravel mounds for truck escape ramps.

Details

• Creators:
  Beecroft, Gordon
• Corporate Creators:
  Oregon. Department of Transportation. Materials and Research Section
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Escape lanes
  • Arrester beds
  • Trucks
  • Truck mounted attenuators
  • truck escape ramps
  • arrester beds
  • energy attenuators
  • runaway trucks
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA-OR-78-3
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  Oregon. Department of Transportation. Materials and Research Section
• Abstract:
  Escape ramps, used to stop trucks that have had brake failures on long downhill grades, are usually constructed in terrain where an ascending grade can be utilized to assist in stopping the vehicles. An arrester bed of noncompacting gravel is typically used to assist in stopping the truck and to prevent roll-back of trucks after having stopped. In terrain where an ascending grade is not available and the length available for ramp construction is limited, other energy absorbing means are needed. Some use has been made of gravel mounds at the end of escape ramps as an emergency measure to stop vehicles not stopped by the arrester bed. Documentation of the reaction of trucks striking these gravel mounds is very limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reaction of trucks impacting transverse gravel mounds. ; Mounds 1 foot, 2 feet, and 2.5 feet were tested singly and in groups of three. The test vehicles were two-axle dump trucks loaded with gravel. Test speeds were generally at 25 mph and 40 mph. The higher mounds were effective in slowing the truck without driver injury but truck damage in the form of bent tie rods was common and the front axles were bent on several trucks.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  HPR 5149-15
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/22416/dot_22416_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.54 MB]
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c2ae010e7f34f3f9600ba21411b1523f7bb07395879628c6e92989f6f0e4ed2c057d2d7e1e7358ff33293e198c41b05e3adbad78c329e7a5c72681c32e603434