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                Safety Eligibility Letter B-185
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Longitudinal Barriers and Bridge Rails
                          **Code:**
            B-185
                          **Date:**
            12/08/2008
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Nucor Steel Marion Inc.
                          **Device Description:**
            Nu-Guard 27 Barrier System
                          **View PDF:**
            b185.pdf (516.69 KB)
    
    Safety Eligibility Letter B-185

			 
			**Download Version**PDF [517  KB]
			
			DOT logoU.S. Department of Transportation**Federal Highway Administration**
			1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E.Washington, D.C. 20590
			December 8, 2008
			In Reply Refer To: HSSD/B-185
			
			Mr. Rick Mauer
            	Outside National Sales Representative
                Nucor Steel Marion Inc.
                P.O. Box 837
                Greenland, NH  03840
            Dear Mr. Mauer:
            This letter is in response to your request for Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
acceptance of a modification to a Nucor Steel Marion W-beam barrier for use on the National
Highway System (NHS).
      Name of  system:
                Nu-Guard 27 Barrier SystemType of  system:W-beam guardrailTest Level:NCHRP Report 350 Test Level-3 (TL-3)Testing  conducted by:Holmes Solutions of New ZealandDate of request:
                July 25, 2008You requested that we find this modified system acceptable for use on the NHS under the  provisions of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350  "Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features."
      **Requirements**
      Roadside safety systems should meet the guidelines contained in the NCHRP Report 350.  The FHWA Memorandum "ACTION: Identifying Acceptable Highway Safety Features" of  July 25, 1997, provides further guidance on crash testing requirements of longitudinal barriers.
      **Description**
      The TL-3 Nu-Guard barrier system consists of Nucor Strong Posts which are hot rolled high  tensile steel fabricated into a U cross section of approximately 2" deep and 3-1/2" wide. The  weight of each post is 5 pounds per foot. A slot, 3/4" wide is located 1" down from the top of  the posts in the middle of the cross section. The slot has a total length of 7". All posts are  78" long and hot dip galvanized. When Nucor posts are used with 27" high non-proprietary  W-beam guardrail systems, they are used with the original plastic blockouts, 14" x 3-5/8"  which are used to space the guardrail 8" from the face of the U posts. The plastic blockouts are  manufactured from a 50 percent blend of new and recycled high density polyethylene (HDPE).

            This system was originally found acceptable in the following  FHWA Acceptance Letter:
            B-162 September 11, 2007 TL-3 U-channel post,  w-beam rail  27 in w/blockout 31" w/o blockout &  median version
              B-162B June 27, 2008 TL4 31" w/o blockoutYour present request is for the TL-3 Nu-Guard 27 w-beam barrier system *with blockouts* to be  accepted for use if installed between 27 inches and 31 inches above the nominal ground line.
      **Crash Testing**
      Full scale crash testing was conducted on the 27-inch high version with 8-inch deep blockouts  and on the 31-inch high version without blockouts. Performance was verified with the pickup at  the 27 inch height and with the small car at the 31 inch height. It is apparent that the taller  31-inch rail, with or without blockout, would perform better with the pickup as the additional  height would be advantageous with the taller light truck category. The only performance  question would be with the small car and the blocked-out 31-inch tall barrier. Because blockouts  have been used to enhance the performance of w-beam barriers by reducing vehicle contact with  the posts and helping to keep the rail at a proper height to redirect impacting vehicles, we concur  that blockouts may be used at rail heights between 27 inches and 31 inches on the NHS under the  range of conditions tested, when such use is acceptable to a highway agency.
            Please note the following standard  provisions that apply to FHWA letters of acceptance:
            This acceptance is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the system and does not  cover its structural features, nor conformity with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control  Devices.
              Any changes that may adversely influence the crashworthiness of the system will require a  new acceptance letter.
              Should the FHWA discover that the qualification testing was flawed, that in-service  performance reveals unacceptable safety problems, or that the system being marketed is  significantly different from the version that was crash tested, we reserve the right to modify  or revoke our acceptance.
              You will be expected to supply potential users with sufficient information on design and  installation requirements to ensure proper performance.
              You will be expected to certify to potential users that the hardware furnished has essentially  the same chemistry, mechanical properties, and geometry as that submitted for acceptance,  and that it will meet the crashworthiness requirements of the FHWA and the NCHRP   Report 350.
              To prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of acceptance is designated as number  B-185 and shall not be reproduced except in full. This letter and the test documentation upon  which it is based are public information. All such letters and documentation may be  reviewed at our office upon request.
              The Nu-Guard barrier systems are patented products and considered proprietary. If  proprietary systems are specified by a highway agency for use on Federal-aid projects, except  exempt, non-NHS projects, (a) they must be supplied through competitive bidding with  Archived –  For  Research  and  Historical  Purposes  Only  3  equally suitable unpatented items; (b) the highway agency must certify that they are essential  for synchronization with the existing highway facilities or that no equally suitable alternative  exists; or (c) they must be used for research or for a distinctive type of construction on  relatively short sections of road for experimental purposes. Our regulations concerning  proprietary products are contained in Title 23, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 635.411.
              This acceptance letter shall not be construed as authorization or consent by the FHWA to use,  manufacture, or sell any patented system for which the applicant is not the patent holder.  The acceptance letter is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the candidate  system, and the FHWA is neither prepared nor required to become involved in issues  concerning patent law. Patent issues, if any, are to be resolved by the applicant.Sincerely yours,
						Signature of David A. Nicol
						David A. NicolDirector, Office of Safety DesignOffice of SafetyEnclosures U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

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