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ABSTRACT

The objective of this research project was to develop criteria and methodology to evaluate permanent concrete barriers to MASH 2016 TL-3 and TL-4 without crash testing, and then use that methodology to evaluate the crashworthiness of permanent concrete barrier standard plans provided by the sponsoring agencies of the Midwest Pooled Fund Program. A literature review was conducted to determine evaluation criteria for stability, shape, strength, and anchorage, and a database of permanent concrete barrier crash tests was compiled. The members of the Midwest Pooled Fund Program were surveyed to collect barrier standard plans, and a subset of these barriers were selected for evaluation. A total of 85 permanent concrete barrier configurations were evaluated. In total, 22 barrier configurations were evaluated as crashworthy to MASH TL-4 and an additional 42 configurations were deemed crashworthy to MASH TL-3. Bending and shear capacities were calculated and compared to the design loads for each Test Level. Significant strength overdesign was commonly observed throughout the details provided by the sponsoring agencies, suggesting that agencies could potentially reduce costs for many of their barrier configurations by optimizing reinforcement patterns. Some of the barrier evaluations were inconclusive because no computational method or suitable comparative crash tests were available to justify barrier performance, and this provided insight into potential future research opportunities.

KEYWORDS

Highway safety, roadside appurtances, MASH 2016, permanent concrete barrier

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