United States Department of Transportation
i
Pendulum Testing of BCT Wood Posts FOIL Tests: 91P039 Through 91P045
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1995-01-01
[PDF-825.48 KB]
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Abstract:In the summer of 1991, a research project was conducted at the Federal Outdoor Impact Laboratory (FOIL) in McLean, Virginia, to investigate vehicle side impacts with guardrail terminal ends. Four terminal end designs were tested using 1985 Honda Civics. The four designs were a standard breakaway cable terminal (BCT), an eccentric loader terminal, a modified eccentric loader terminal (MELT), and a MELT for side impact. The first three designs were tested and the terminals did not function as anticipated. The lead posts of the terminal did not break away. A study was conducted to investigate the breakaway performance of the lead wood post. The wood post performance testing was conducted at the FOIL using the facility's 1850-lb (839-kg) pendulum. These tests were conducted on both used and new wood posts at 20 mi/h (32 km/h). This report documents the results of seven 20-mi/h (32 km/h) pendulum tests to measure the breakaway force required to break away a BCT post. Tests conducted on five standard BCT posts varied from post to post. However, even the weakest BCT post demonstrated a breakaway force higher than an automobile door could produce. Therefore, two posts were modified to reduce the required breakaway force. Explanations for the variance in performance between standard BCT posts are discussed
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