MPC |
Title: | Development and Testing of Crashworthy Ipe Bridge Rails |
Principal Investigators: | Paul Heyliger |
University: | Colorado State University |
Status: | Completed |
Year: | 2013 |
Grant #: | DTRT12-G-UTC08 (SAFETEA-LU Extension) |
Project #: | MPC-416 |
Keywords: | bridge cables, bridge railings, crashworthiness, data collection, guardrails, highway safety, rural highways |
The objectives of this project are to: 1) Completely characterize ipe specimens in terms of the full elasticity stiffness tensor components for use in engineering structural applications; 2) Complete impact tests on prototype ipe bridge rails to determine dynamic toughness under standard conditions. These will include basic rail configurations and sandwich-type structures that soften the apparent rail structure while maintaining the ultimate strength. These will be completed for varying angles of attack of the oncoming vehicle, with visual inspection used to detect and quantify levels of damage; 3) Quantify these rail structures in terms of performance metrics compared to more standard metal and large-wood railing systems composed of other wood species.
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