United States Department of Transportation
i
Development of a New Generation of Portable Concrete Barriers
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2022-03-01
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[PDF-5.96 MB]
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Edition:Draft Report: June 2020-March 2022
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Abstract:Portable concrete barriers (PCBs) are frequently used to shield motorists where limited deflection is desired during vehicle impacts, such as on bridge decks and in work zones. Most non-proprietary portable barrier systems consist of safety-shape or single-slope barrier segments comprising reinforced concrete and simple pinned connections. These existing barrier configurations face multiple problems: (1) the sloped barrier geometry allows impacting vehicles to climb the front face and roll into the barrier, thus potentially causing unstable vehicle behavior or vehicle rollover; and (2) the barrier joints allow significant rotation prior to transferring load across the joint, resulting in large lateral barrier displacements. The objective of this effort was to develop a high-performance portable barrier system that meets the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) safety criteria while addressing the large deflection, stability, and durability concerns of the current portable concrete barrier designs. First, several design concepts, including various geometries, connections, and materials were brainstormed. The potentially viable designs were further developed and evaluated using advanced computer LS-DYNA simulations. The simulations were compared by barrier displacement, vehicle stability, MASH safety criteria, estimated cost, and barrier weight. Upon completion of the simulation analysis, the simulation results were presented, and a survey was sent to the Midwest Pooled Fund Program member states. Finally, a single design concept that used interlocking and staggered precast concrete segments without the need for connection hardware was selected for fullscale crash testing to MASH safety criteria in separate studies through the Midwest Pooled Fund Program prior to implementation.
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