April 12, 2002

HSA-10/CC52B

Mr. Dave Gertz

Director of Engineering

TrafFix Devices, Inc.

220 calle Pintoresco

San Clemente, California 92672

Dear Mr. Gertz:

In your March 12 letter to Mr. Richard Powers of my staff, you requested
the Federal Highway Administration=s (FHWA) approval of a change to the
TrafFix Sand Barrel design that had been first accepted by my office on
July 10, 1998 and modified on November 3, 1999. This first modification
used the same two-piece containers for the 200, 400, and 700-pound (90,
180, and 320-kg) modules, with the 700-pound (320-kg) module filled to
the top with sand. The original design required the 700-pound (320-kg)
module to be inverted and filled to one inch (25 mm) from the top with
sand. Your current request asked for acceptance of a change in the
materials specifications and the manufacturing process of these
two-piece barrels. These barrels would now be made by injection molding
with polypropylene, rather than by rotational molding (rotomolding) with
polyethylene. The two larger single-piece barrels will continue to be
rotomolded using high-density polyethylene. Product and manufacturing
specifications for these proposed change to the TrafFix Devices sand
barrels are enclosed.

To verify performance of the modified design, you conducted National
Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 test 3-30, a
head-on impact at a nominal speed of 100 km/h with a small car. Crash
performance was nearly identical to previous tests and all evaluation
criteria were satisfactorily met. However, the vehicle used in the test
exceeded the upper weight tolerance recommended in NCHRP Report 350 by
approximately 50 kg. My staff has advised me that the heavier vehicle
would not have been acceptable for use in a certification test, but
because the purpose of the test was to demonstrate the fracture
characteristics of the new design and the occupant impact velocity and
the ridedown accelerations were below the *preferred* Report 350
evaluation criteria and significantly lower than the *allowable maximum*
values, I am willing to accept the test results with the heavier
vehicle. My staff also noted that the report does not identify or
describe the changes you made in your manufacturing process that
required the test. This information is contained only in your cover
letter. Please be advised that any future reports that do not include
the minimum information described in Chapter 6 (Test Documentation) of
NCHRP Report 350 will be returned without action. In spite of these
shortcomings, your requested manufacturing change is considered
acceptable and the new injection-molded combination TrafFix Sand Barrels
may be used in sand barrel arrays on the National Highway System.

As with all FHWA acceptance letters, this acceptance is based on the
reported crash test performance of the new design and does not address
the long-term durability of your product. We assume that adequate
quality control procedures will remain in effect to ensure that the
barrels sold remain similar to those that were tested. As part of that
quality control, we expect continued surveillance of the performance of
your new product under field conditions as part of an informal
in-service evaluation to ensure that there are no long-term problems
associated with either the new material or with the new manufacturing
process.

Sincerely yours,

(original signed by A. George Ostensen)

A. George Ostensen

Program Manager, Safety

Enclosure