Abstract

Whenever a guardrail terminates within the "clear zone," a crashworthy end treatment is required. To be crashworthy, the end-treatment should not spear, vault, or roll a vehicle during a head-on impact while maintaining vehicle decelerations below recommended limits. As a means of determining types of end treatments currently used in various states and criteria to determine what type to use, a survey letter was sent to each state.

It was found that, generally, the preferred method to use to end roadside steel beam guardrail is to bury the end in a cut slope. When this is not feasible, either a Breakaway Cable Terminal (BCT) or turned-down end treatment is generally used. While the BCT is used mos t often, some states use both, while others use only the turned-down end. There is considerable uniformity in the design of the BCT while there is a substantial diversity in the design of turned-down end treatments.

Recommendations were made concerning the type of end treatments which should be used in Kentucky for roadside steel beam guardrail. A design for a turneddown end treatment was proposed.

Report Date

10-1-1983

Report Number

UKTRP-83-23

Digital Object Identifier

http://dx.doi.org/10.13023/KTC.RR.1983.23

Notes

The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the University of Kentucky, of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, nor of the Federal Highway Administration. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.

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