Report Result

TRP-03-414-24

Karla Lechtenberg (Polivka), Erin Urbank, Ronald Faller

2024-02-27

<p>The New York State Department of Transportation&rsquo;s (NYSDOT&rsquo;s) box beam to Weak-Post W-beam transition system had not yet been evaluated to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials&rsquo; (AASHTO&rsquo;s) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware, Second Edition (MASH 2016) safety performance criteria. For its continued use on the National Highway System, the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF) conducted two full-scale crash tests on the box beam to weak-post W-beam transition system. The system consisted of 32-in. (813-mm) tall, 12-gauge (2.6-mm), W-beam, which decreased in height through a transition cover to match the box beam height of 27 in. (686 mm). Each box beam section measured 6 in. (152 mm) x 6 in. (152 mm) x 3/16 in. (5 mm) thick and was 215&frac12; in. (5,474 mm) long. The box beam to weak-post W-beam transition was evaluated according to MASH 2016 test designation no. 3-21 with 5,139-lb (2,331-kg) and 5,165-lb (2,343-kg) pickup trucks for test nos. NYBWT-2 and NYBWT-3, respectively. In test no. NYBWT-2, the transition was impacted at a speed of 63.5 mph (102.2 km/h) and an impact angle of 25.1 degrees, resulting in moderate system and vehicle damage. The system in test no. NYBWT-3 was identical to test no. NYBWT-2, except the impact occurred in the reverse direction. In test no. NYBWT-3, the transition was impacted at a speed of 62.5 mph (100.5 km/h) and an impact angle of 25.7 degrees, resulting in moderate system and vehicle damage. Both tests successfully met all evaluation criteria in MASH 2016 for test designation no. 3-21. No impact testing was performed using test designation no. 3-20.</p>

<p>Highway Safety, Crash Test, Roadside Appurtenances, Compliance Test, MASH 2016, Box Beam, W-Beam, Weak Post, Transition. Compliance Test</p>

TRP-03-414-24.pdf