Termination and Anchorage of Temporary Concrete Barrier

Abstract

The research study described herein developed an economical method for terminating and anchoring the upstream end of temporary concrete barrier systems. The termination and anchorage system was designed for use with the Kansas F-shape temporary concrete barrier design that is currently used by several states participating in the Midwest Pooled Fund Program. These efforts were performed in accordance with the Test Level 3 guidelines found in the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware 2008. Criteria governing the design of the termination and anchorage system included development of adequate anchor loads over a finite deflection in order to limit peak loads, mitigation of vertical rotation and tipping of the end barrier about its longitudinal axis, and employing existing roadside safety hardware in the design to limit state hardware inventories. The termination and anchorage system allowed for a significant reduction in the number of barrier segments required upstream from the length of need and for use in anchoring a free-standing TCB system. The anchorage system was configured to effectively constrain the end of the TCB system for impacts as far upstream as the first anchored barrier segment. Full-scale crash testing demonstrated that the impacting vehicle was safely and smoothly redirected, and the test was judged acceptable according to the Test Level 3 safety criteria set forth in the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware 2008.