Usage of recycled plastic bottles in roadside safety devices

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to explore the potential of the recycled plastic bottles for the use in a roadside barrier. An analytical method was developed to assess the effectiveness of various bottle energy-absorbing materials as energy-absorbing components of a roadside crash barrier. Based upon results of a literature survey, an analytical model was developed and coded into a computer program. The model was used to perform statistically design material experiments to assess the potential of a crash barrier design and determine the optimal configuration. The main conclusion is that the analytical barrier model provides a simple and direct means to assess the non-linear crush behaviour of a series of impacting bodies. Also, recycled plastic bottles appear to offer a roadside crash barrier whose impact severity index is on the road order of 10 percent of the severe-injury threshold. Further refinement of the car-barrier model would be required to permit a more through investigation of crash barrier design analysis.