At the federal highway administration's federal outdoor impact laboratory (foil), roadside safety hardware impacted by small vehicles at low and high speeds are evaluated using a surrogate (bogie) vehicle which can simulate the impact of a small car at low and high speeds, and a pendulum system designed to simulate low-speed impacts. The limitations of this system are noted, and fhwa's contract to design, install, and validate the operation of an upgraded pendulum system is described. System design is described, as well as system validation. It is noted that because the crush characteristics of the upgraded pendulum are very similar to those of the bogie and an automobile, the pendulum is another surrogate method of determining the low speed breakaway performance of sign and luminaire supports. This and other study findings are discussed.
Abstract