Report Result

REPORT NUMBER

AUTHORS

PUBLICATION DATE

ABSTRACT

Based on the proposed changes to the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report No. 350 guidelines, NCHRP Project 22-14(2) researchers deemed it appropriate to evaluate a strong-post W-beam guardrail systems prior to finalizing the new crash testing procedures and guidelines. For this effort, the modified G4(1S) W-beam guardrail system was selected for evaluation. One full-scale vehicle crash test was performed on the longitudinal barrier system in accordance with the Test Level 3 (TL-3) requirements presented in the Update to NCHRP Report No. 350. For the modified G4(1S) testing program, a 2270P pickup truck vehicle, which was a ¹/₂-ton, four-door vehicle with a 711 mm (28 in.) c.g. height, was used. The modified G4(1S) W-beam guardrail system, mounted at the metric top rail height of 706 mm (27.75 in.), provided an acceptable safety performance when impacted by the ¹/₂-ton, four-door pickup truck, thus meeting the proposed TL-3 requirements presented in the Update to NCHRP Report No. 350.

KEYWORDS

Highway Safety, Roadside Appurtenances, Longitudinal Barriers, Guardrail, Crash Test, Compliance Test, NCHRP 350 Update

REPORT