Crash barrier design
Discussion
In my job driving around Scotland, I've noticed that the roads people are replacing the sloping ends of metal crash barriers with a vertical yellow & black plate, which I assume is energy-absorbing to some degree. I concede that the old design could cause vehicles to overturn, but I'm concerned that a direct hit to one of these plates, an immovable object, at motorway speeds will wreck a vehicle & its occupants.
Does anybody have knowledge of the research behind this engineering? Opinions welcome.
Does anybody have knowledge of the research behind this engineering? Opinions welcome.
Plastic chicken said:
In my job driving around Scotland, I've noticed that the roads people are replacing the sloping ends of metal crash barriers with a vertical yellow & black plate, which I assume is energy-absorbing to some degree. Opinions welcome.
Maybe it's to stop the vehicle from possibly launching itself off into a field?
Vaux said:
Plastic chicken said:
In my job driving around Scotland, I've noticed that the roads people are replacing the sloping ends of metal crash barriers with a vertical yellow & black plate, which I assume is energy-absorbing to some degree. Opinions welcome.
Maybe it's to stop the vehicle from possibly launching itself off into a field?
The sudden stop when you hit the vertical barrier (even an energy absorbing one) sounds to me less appealing than being deflected off into a field.
Best wishes all,
Dave.
TripleS said:
The sudden stop when you hit the vertical barrier (even an energy absorbing one) sounds to me less appealing than being deflected off into a field.
Not sure. A nice, relatively safe stop or being launched skywards, to roll and land upside down in a river or on another road? Or bouncing sideways across onto the opposite carriageway into the path of poor innocent motorists?
Maybe I should write for Brake?
I have witness a Ford Sierra hitting a section of hard shoulder crash barrier just at the point where it raised up out the ground, the car hit it sideways at about 50 mph after fish tailing out of control, he fell asleep and passed me up the HS he flicked left then right then left agian then rode up the crash barrier at 90 degrees passenger side first.
No harm done, IMO a light weight car would ride on top of it like a scalextric car and a medium truck or heavy car would flatten it while staying on it.
Unfortunatly 2 guys in a car on a wet night lost control and hit some fault barrier and it entered their car like a hot knife in butter and removed all four legs, they where Jehovah's witnesses and blood tranfusions where refused, one died , one lived.
After that they all seemed to be changed, I think they are more dangerous but what do I know.
No harm done, IMO a light weight car would ride on top of it like a scalextric car and a medium truck or heavy car would flatten it while staying on it.
Unfortunatly 2 guys in a car on a wet night lost control and hit some fault barrier and it entered their car like a hot knife in butter and removed all four legs, they where Jehovah's witnesses and blood tranfusions where refused, one died , one lived.
After that they all seemed to be changed, I think they are more dangerous but what do I know.
TripleS said:
Vaux said:
Plastic chicken said:
In my job driving around Scotland, I've noticed that the roads people are replacing the sloping ends of metal crash barriers with a vertical yellow & black plate, which I assume is energy-absorbing to some degree. Opinions welcome.
Maybe it's to stop the vehicle from possibly launching itself off into a field?Best wishes all,
Dave.
Well, natural selection I suppose.
Slowly Slowly said:
Unfortunatly 2 guys in a car on a wet night lost control and hit some fault barrier and it entered their car like a hot knife in butter and removed all four legs, they where Jehovah's witnesses and blood tranfusions where refused, one died , one lived.
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