Investigation and Validation of V-Ditch Traversability Related to Crash Testing Cable Barrier Systems

The 2016 AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) provides full-scale test matrices for evaluating cable median barriers on level terrain and sloped median ditches. The matrices define the critical placement of cable barriers and test criteria for 4:1 (horizontal to vertical slope) and 6:1 V-ditches to evaluate the safety performance of cable median barriers. Recent full-scale crash testing of cable median barriers under the conditions described in MASH Test No. 3-16 have produced varying results for the stability of small vehicles traversing 4:1 V-ditches. MASH Test No. 3-16 uses a 46-ft-wide V-ditch as measured from slope break point to slope break point, with the cable barrier test article placed 4 ft from the slope break point on the far side of the V-ditch. However, small vehicles have experienced inconsistent stability while traversing the 4:1 V-ditches during crash testing, and the AASHTO Roadside Design Guide (RDG) notes that 4:1 V-ditches are not a preferred configuration for median V-ditches. This raises concerns that the traversability of the V-ditch configuration used in MASH 2016 may be near the limit of vehicle stability. Research is needed to investigate the traversability of 4:1 V-ditches to verify if the current configuration specified in MASH Test No. 3-16 produces sufficient vehicle stability for consistent and reliable test article impact conditions. The objective of this research is to investigate the traversability of 4:1 V-ditches for crash testing of cable median barrier systems.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5699
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $750,000
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 22-67

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Project Managers:

  Turner, Anne-Marie

• Start Date: 20250701
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cables; Crash tests; Ditches; Highway safety; Median barriers
• Identifier Terms: AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01919345
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 22-67
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: May 22 2024 11:49AM