Citation

Dobrovolny CS, Bligh R, Kiani M, Hangul A. Transp. Res. Rec. 2022; 2676(4): 776-789.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/03611981211065434

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) clarifies appropriate height measures for W-beam guardrails. Identification of existing locations where rail height is lower than recommended by FHWA is common. A research study was conducted to investigate the crashworthiness of raising blockouts on posts to restore barrier height and provide clarification on implementation of such methodology. The researchers evaluated the crashworthiness of raising blockouts by conducting a full-scale Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) Crash Test 3-11 of a 28-in. W-beam guardrail system with composite blockouts raised 4 in. on posts. The 28-in. W-beam guardrail system with raised composite blockouts contained and redirected the 2270P vehicle, and it performed acceptably for MASH Test 3-11. The results of this study include guidance on the procedure for raising blockout mounting height on steel posts to achieve recommended rail height for a W-beam guardrail.

Language: en

Keywords

barriers; infrastructure; roadside safety design; roadway design