Mid-America Transportation Center Summer Institute 2012 Presented by David Gutierrez, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Midwest Roadside Safety Facility

1. Roadside Safety in the
Classroom
David Gutierrez, B.S.C.E., E.I.T.
Graduate Research Assistant
Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
June 13, 2012

2. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
History
 1974 – Started at UNL by Dr. Edward R.
Post
 1990 – Officially named Midwest Roadside
Safety Facility (MwRSF)
 Formation of the Midwest State’s Regional
Pooled Fund Program
 1992 – New Director, Dr. Dean Sicking

3. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
 Internationally-known research facility
 Expertise in roadside and motorsports safety
 Part of Nebraska Transportation Center - UNL
 MwRSF staff
 3 faculty (2 academic & 1 research)
 4 engineers & 2 post-doctorial
 4 research/technical staff & 1 office manager
 9 graduate & 14 undergraduate students

4. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Sponsors
• State DOTs
• FHWA
• Private industry
• Motorsports
organizations

5. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Why is Roadside Safety Important?
 Approximately
40,000 vehicle
accident fatalities per
year
 30% of these involve
run off road
accidents
 Estimated cost have
reached well over
$50 billion annually

6. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Roadside Safety is Working
 For the past 40 years the number of
fatalities per year has remained nearly the
same
 Vehicle traffic has increased 2.5 times
 Fatalities per vehicle mile has decreased by ½
 Due to increases in roadside safety and
vehicle safety as well as roadway
geometrics

7. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Roadside Safety Devices
 Types of Devices
 End terminals and crash cushions
 Flexible barriers (i.e. cable systems)
 Semi-rigid barriers (i.e. guardrail systems)
 Rigid barriers (i.e. concrete bridge rails)
 Race track safety
 Portable and permanent signs
 Poles

8. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Evaluation Criteria
 Structural adequacy
 Vehicle must be brought to a controlled stop or
redirected back toward roadway
 Vehicle trajectory
 Cannot touch ground behind barrier
 Vehicle must remain upright (no rollover)
 Occupant safety requirements
 Occupant deceleration limits
 Occupant compartment integrity

9. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Cable Median Barrier
 Purpose: Develop a cable
median barrier to be used
in a 4:1 V-ditch to prevent
vehicles from crossing
over into oncoming traffic
 MASH testing required in
several locations

10. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Research Continues
 7 tests
 3 with original bracket
 4 with keyway bolt
 Research on keyway bolt continues
 Research shifted to 6:1 V-ditch

11. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Standard W-Beam Guardrail
 Designed in early 1960’s
for large sedans
 Top mounting height – 27
5/8 in.
 6-ft 3-in. post spacing
 8 in. blockouts
 Worked for over a quarter
century

12. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
W-Beam Guardrail Weaknesses
 Vehicles with high
centers of gravity
 Installation height
sensitivity
 Rail ruptures

13. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Midwest Guardrail System (MGS) Design
 Top rail height raised over 3 in. (from 27
5/8 in. to 31 in.)
Blockout depth increased (from 8 in. to 12
in.)
Rail splices moved to midspans

14. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
MGS Applications
 On flat ground
 Behind a curb
 Over a low-fill culvert
 With 5:1 flare
 Attached to approach guardrail transition
 On a slope
 Without blockouts
 On a MSE wall
 With wood posts

15. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Computer Simulations
 Used for analysis
and prediction of
complex physical
events
 Reduction of tests
 Prototype simulation
 Finite Element
Analysis with LS-
DYNA

16. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Motorsports Needs
 High-speed oval track
racing
 Vehicle containment
provided by concrete
walls
 Serious driver injuries
and fatalities an issue
 Need for improved
safety

17. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Racing = Dangerous Impacts
 6 to 10 times more severe than highway
impacts

18. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Research Objective/Design Considerations
• Improve safety for high-energy crashes into
containment walls
 120–150 mph & 20-25 degrees
• Design
 Extend impact event, absorb kinetic energy, lower
impact forces
 Reduce vehicle decelerations
• Sponsored by IMS, IRL, and NASCAR

19. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Steel And Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER)
Barrier
Steel Tubular Panel
Trapezoid Foam Blocks
Nylon Straps

20. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Results - NASCAR Testing
Peak
Upper
Peak Peak
Impact Neck
Barrier Longitudinal Lateral
Severity Force HIC
Feature Deceleration Deceleration
(kip-ft)a b b Along
(G’s) (G’s)
Z-Axis
(N)
Curved
Concrete 436.45 46.13 80.12 6,310 4122
Wall
Curved 25.32 70.20 1,738 971
SAFER 436.53
Barrier (-45%) (-12%) (-72%) (-76%)

21. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Results - IRL Testing

22. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Different Applications of SAFER Barrier
 SAFER emergency gate
 SAFER Barrier with alternative backup
structure
 SAFER Barrier on Portable Concrete
Barriers (PCB)

23. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Key Concepts
 Math (calculus for AP credit if possible)
 Chemistry (physical/chemical properties)
 Physics (forces, moments, gravitational
forces, energy, pressure)
 Drafting (AutoCAD, SolidWorks)
 Computer literacy
 Technical report writing

24. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Key Concepts
 Presentation skills (public speaking)
 Working in teams
 Creativity
 Be aware of environmental impacts

25. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Curriculum Ideas
 SAFER Barriers
 Computer activities
 Drafting
 Computer simulation games
 Newton’s law activities (F=ma)
 Point load vs. distributed load (penny boat
activity)
 Put a budget on projects

26. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
Curriculum Ideas
 Work in teams
 Make students present their ideas
 Question their ideas
 Why does/doesn’t this work?
 If you could redesign it, what would you
change?
 Why did you choose to do it this way?
 Is there a better/cheaper way?