U.S. flag An official website of the United States government.
Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

i

Performance evaluation of NCDOT w-beam guardrails under MASH TL-2 conditions.

File Language:
English


Details

  • Creators:
    Fang, Howie ; Gutowski, Matthew ; Li, Ning ; DiSogra, Matthew
  • Corporate Creators:
    University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science
  • Corporate Contributors:
    United States. Federal Highway Administration
  • Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Publication/ Report Number:
    FHWA/NC/2012-11
  • Resource Type:
    Tech Report
  • Geographical Coverage:
    North Carolina
  • Corporate Publisher:
    North Carolina. Dept. of Transportation
  • Abstract:
    This report summarizes the research efforts of using finite element modeling and simulations to evaluate the performance ; of W-beam guardrails for different heights under MASH Test Level 2 (TL-2) and Test Level 3 (TL-3) impact conditions. A ; literature review is included on performance evaluation of W-beam guardrails as well as applications of finite element ; modeling and simulations in roadside safety research. ; The modeling and simulation work was conducted on W-beam guardrails placed at a height of 27, 29 and 31 inches with ; vehicular impacts of a 1996 Dodge Neon and a 2006 Ford F250. All three W-beam guardrail placement heights were ; evaluated and compared to MASH TL-2 conditions, i.e., both vehicles were tested at an impact speed of 44 mph (70 ; km/hour) and a 25 impact angle. The 29- and 31-inch W-beam guardrails were also evaluated under MASH TL-3 ; conditions, i.e., both vehicles were tested at an impact speed of 62 mph (100 km/hour) and a 25 impact angle. ; The simulation results demonstrated the effectiveness of the 27-, 29- and 31-inch guardrails under MASH TL-2 ; conditions. They also showed the effects of guardrail heights on the vehicles’ post-impact responses such as redirection, ; snagging and large exit angles. The use of finite element simulations was shown to be both effective and efficient because ; they were nondestructive, repeatable, modifiable, and inexpensive. Furthermore, finite element simulations can be used to ; study crash scenarios that are difficult and/or extremely expensive to conduct with physical crash testing. Finite element ; modeling and simulations are recommended for future investigations of other research issues.
  • Format:
    PDF
  • Download URL:
    https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/26828/dot_26828_DS1.pdf
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 6.56 MB]
  • Collection(s):
    US Transportation Collection
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha256:f7eed12fe84a27f77cf031e47050ae4296ad304faed6a13ef09ad019546fb55c
PREVIOUS
File Language:
English
ON THIS PAGE
Details
 Found an issue?
Send us an email at:
publishinghd@cdc.gov
ROSA P serves as an archival repository of USDOT-published products including scientific findings, journal articles, guidelines, recommendations, or other information authored or co-authored by USDOT or funded partners. As a repository, ROSA P retains documents in their original published format to ensure public access to scientific information.
BACK TO TOP