This paper reports on a side impact crash testing program which the authors are conducting under contract with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The testing program is made up of three categories of crash tests: 1) Demonstration Tests, 2) Impact speed Sensitivity Tests, 3) Retrofit Design Tests. The Demonstration Tests demonstrate the performance characteristics of guardrail ends and various end treatment under side impact conditions. The impact conditions for these tests were chosen based on a 90 percentile values found in an accident data analysis. The objective in conducting the Impact Speed Sensitivity Tests is to determine the effect of impact velocity on occupant risk for two of a given asphalt-aggregate pair; (c) specialty tests that address specific problems involving asphalt-aggregate interactions such as the limestone reactivity test; and (d) a more complete understanding of absorption and the optimization of the Rice method.
Samenvatting