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

Evaluating the performance of guardrail posts installed by driving through asphalt layers.

File Language:
English


Select the Download button to view the document
Please click the download button to view the document.

Details

  • Creators:
  • Corporate Creators:
    Georgia Institute of Technology. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Corporate Contributors:
    United States. Federal Highway Administration
  • Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Publication/ Report Number:
    FHWA-GA-15-1321
  • Resource Type:
    Tech Report
  • Geographical Coverage:
    Georgia
  • Corporate Publisher:
    Georgia. Department of Transportation. Office of Research
  • Abstract:
    The preferred procedure for guardrail installation in the State of Georgia includes a layer of asphalt (usually

    referred to as a “mow strip”) placed to retard vegetation growth around the guardrail. The objective of this multi-phase

    research program is to develop effective alternatives to post installation methods that incorporate a leave-out around the

    post. The work described in this report represents Phase I of the overall research effort. The research team evaluated

    the structural performance of guardrail posts installed in accordance with current GDOT (Georgia Department of

    Transportation) procedures that include an asphalt mow strip, as well as alternative installation options developed in

    conjunction with GDOT personnel. The current state of practice related to the use of asphalt vegetation barriers in the

    United States was identified through on a nationwide survey. An experimental program was carried out in accordance

    with applicable AASHTO guidelines. In parallel with the experimental program, a three dimensional finite element

    model was developed for a guardrail post installed through an asphalt layer. Results from the experimental program

    and finite element analyses were used to develop a series of quantitative criteria to evaluate the performance of the

    various post/mow strip configurations. Parametric studies were conducted on pertinent geometric variables in terms of

    the quantitative performance criteria. The results of this Phase I research program demonstrate that (1) there are

    potential combinations of mow strip thickness and rear distance that are likely to result in satisfactory dynamic

    performance, and (2) two techniques appear effective in reducing the ground-level restraint imparted by a mow strip on

    a guardrail system: decreasing the mow strip rear distance behind the post, and pre-cutting the mow strip in the region

    behind the post.

  • Format:
    PDF
  • Collection(s):
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha256:7c5241e8f8ffa90621e615e1b38d279f8b3918769a7ee770a07b040aef0c34b6
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 12.92 MB ]
PREVIOUS
File Language:
English
ON THIS PAGE
Details
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