Road restraint systems evaluation is a new subject that has been covered by some countries in Europe. It is one of the most important steps into the creation of a general European Road Restraint System Normative. In this work, an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of UNE 135900 is performed. Also, considering the results of the analysis, a new set of requirements for a new testing protocol are presented. The main findings on the subject are that the UNE 135900 protocol is probably a first attempt in a regulation like this and can still be improved so that the development of the road restraint systems becomes more competitive and adds higher levels of safety for the users. The actual normative only evaluates one impact angle, with two different velocities and three impact locations. This is very descriptive, yet having another impact angle and a different development system will increase quality and safety levels in road restraint systems. The new proposed system will include previous design stages based on simulation of subsystems, real subsystem tests, full system simulation with different angles and a real test with the different angles. These new parameters, combined with the mandatory UNE 135900 norm will certify that the evaluated road restraint system complies with the minimum requirements and even exceed the expectations of the system. (Author/publisher)
Abstract