Publisher's Synopsis
Portable concrete barriers (PCBs) are used to redirect errant vehicles to keep them passing to opposing lanes and to ensure safety of the people and any objects behind the barriers. In the state of Indiana, increments to the PCBs, such as L-shaped steel plates, have been applied to enhance the safety performance of these barriers. In this study, finite element (FE) analyses are performed to evaluate the safety performance of PCBs with and without the increments and get thorough information about the increments applied. A full-scale crash test (INDOT, 2001) was executed for an impact to the PCBs with a 2000 kg pickup truck at an angle of 25 degrees and an initial velocity of around 100 km/hr in accordance with National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 guidelines for Test Level 3 safety performance. Aforementioned full-scale crash test data are used to validate the FE model constructed. Roadside Safety Verification and Validation Program (RSVVP) was used to compare the crash test and FE model results quantitatively. Validating the results of the initial FE model lead the way in confidence to implement the increments in the following FE models.
