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                Safety Eligibility Letter CC-123F
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Barrier Terminals and Crash Cushions
                          **Code:**
            CC-123F
                          **Date:**
            12/23/2011
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            EASI
                          **Device Description:**
            TREND 350, Flared
                          **View PDF:**
            cc123f.pdf (593.67 KB)
    
    Safety Eligibility Letter CC-123F


			 

			**Download Version**PDF [549 KB]

			

			DOT logoU.S. Department of Transportation**Federal Highway Administration**

			1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E.Washington, D.C. 20590

			December 23, 2011

			In Reply Refer To: HSST/CC-123F

			

	 Mr. Barry D. Stephens, P.E.
	   Sr. Vice President Engineering
	   Energy Absorption Systems
	   3617 Cincinnati Avenue
	   Rocklin, CA  95678
Dear Mr. Stephens:
TThis letter is in response to your request for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to review a roadside safety system for eligibility for reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program.
Name of device:

					Trinity End Terminal (TRENDTM 350),  FlaredType of device:

					Redirective, Gating End Terminal (W-Beam)Test Level:

					NCHRP Report 350 Test Level 3 (TL-3)Testing conducted by:

					E-Tech Testing Services, Inc.Date of request:
   December 17, 2010Date initially acknowledged:
   October 26, 2011Task Force 13 Designator:
   SEW25; TREND End Terminal Flared**Decision**
The following device was found acceptable, with details  provided below:
 The TRENDTM 350 End Terminal, FlaredBased on a review of crash test results submitted by the  manufacturer certifying the device described herein meets the crashworthiness  criteria of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report  350, the device is eligible for reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway  program.  Eligibility for reimbursement under  the Federal-aid highway program does not establish approval or endorsement by  the FHWA for any particular purpose or use.
 The FHWA, the Department of Transportation, and the United  States Government do not endorse products or services and the issuance of a  reimbursement eligibility letter is not an endorsement of any product or  service.
 **Requirements**
   Roadside safety devices should meet the guidelines contained  in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report 350 (NCHRP Report  350).  The FHWA Memorandum “*ACTION*:  Identifying Acceptable Highway Safety Features” of July 24, 1997, provides  further guidance on crash testing requirements of longitudinal barriers.
 **Description**
   The TRENDTM 350 End Terminal family of products includes the TRENDTM  350 End Terminal, Flared.  This new  product is designed to shield the end of w‐beam guardrail in roadside tangent  and flared installations.  The flared  system is constructed from the same components with the only difference being  the product's installation with a flare relative to the edge of road.  The beginning of length of need (BLON BLON =  the point where 20 degree redirection occurs under 350 guidelines) for the TRENDTM  350 End Terminal, Flared is cited as the third post.
 The TRENDTM  350 End Terminal, Flared is based on AASHTO w-beam rail that has been modified  to include slots. These slots extend the length of the rail from the guardrail  bolts that hold the rail together.  When  an errant vehicle strikes the impact head of the terminal in an end on impact,  the vehicle's energy is safely absorbed by the terminal's rail sections as each  of the adjacent pairs of rail sections slide past each other.  The vehicle's kinetic energy is dissipated by  tearing of the panel slots, re-shaping of the panels by a calibrated fin at the  back of each panel, and by friction.  A  lightweight impact head is attached to the front of the unit to engage the  front of vehicles impacting the nose.
 The TRENDTM 350 End Terminal, Flared uses end terminal  posts and anchorage components that were previously tested to NCHRP 350.  These posts designs, known as the Hinged  Breakaway Assembly (HBA) and Steel Yielding Terminal Post (SYTP), have seen  extensive use in the ET family of end terminals and also have previously been  accepted by the FHWA.  The TRENDTM 350 End  Terminal, Tangent and Flared designs use an HBA post in the first post position  and an SYTP post in the second post position.   These first two posts are joined together by another standard end  terminal component, the Angle Strut.  The  TRENDTM 350 End Terminal, Flared also uses four standard line posts resulting in  total system length of 39 feet 2 inches.   The FHWA letters for the above cited components are HSA-10/CC-12F (HBA  & Angle Strut), HSA-10/CC-12L (W6X8.5 SYTP), and HAS‐10/CC-12Q (ET with  line posts).
Details  of this system are included as an enclosure to this correspondence.****
 **Crash Testing**
 *TRENDTM 350 End Terminal; **Flared** Configuration*:
   Test 3-30 (820C/ 100kph/ 0o/ w/4 Offset):

 Impact speed = 97.0 km/h, Long. ΔV  = 9.8 m/s, Long. Ridedown = -17.3 g▲
   Test 3-35 (2000P/ 100kph/ 20o/ BLON):
     Impact speed = 98.3 km/h, Long. ΔV  = 6.2 m/s, Long. Ridedown = -11.2 g
     
     ▲Manufacturer noted that the primary accelerometers recorded a value of -21.2 g for the longitudinal acceleration during Test 3-30 of the TRENDTM 350 End Terminal in the flared configuration.  Analysis of the data and the test vehicle revealed that this was due to a wrinkle in the floorboard, close to the mounting of the primary accelerometer package.  Therefore, backup accelerometer data (i.e. ; -17.3 g) was used to measure occupant risk for this test, as it more closely matches the rigid body motion of the test vehicle, as defined in NCHRP Report 350.
     Test summaries of the above tests are included as an enclosure to this correspondence.
Tests 3-31 through 3-34 and Test 3-39 for the flared system were not run.  The manufacturer requested these tests be waived from the test matrix for the as-stated reasons in Table 1. In addition, the manufacturer indicated the TRENDTM 350 End Terminal family of end terminals uses a common set of hardware, and this hardware was successfully crash tested as per NCHRP Report 350 during the original tangent TRENDTM 350 End Terminal testing.Test #
       Illustration
       Completed
       Notes3-30
       Passed all Occupant Risk Values
       Yes
       Passed all Occupant Risk Values13-31
       Illustration test 3-31
       NO
       The worst case condition for this test is a zero degree impact, as was run during the testing of the TRENDTM End Terminal in the *tangent* configuration.  It should be noted that an angled nose test with the 2000 kg. test vehicle (Test 3-33) was run during the certification of the TRENDTM End Terminal in the *tangent* configuration and the results from this test passed all of the requirements of NCHRP 350.3-32
       Illustration 3-32
       NO
       An angled nose test with the 820C vehicle was run during the certification of the TRENDTM End Terminal in the *tangent* configuration and this test need not be rerun.  Test 3-32 for a *flared* system is less severe, as the angle is greater, increasing the likelihood that the vehicle will gate through the system.3-33
       Illustrration 3-33
       NO
       An angled nose test with the 2000P vehicle was run during the certification of the TRENDTM End Terminal in the *tangent* configuration and this test need not be rerun.  Test 3-33 for a *flared* system is less severe, as the angle is greater, increasing the likelihood that the vehicle will gate through the system.3-34
       Illustration 3-34
       NO
       Test 3-34 (820c) was successfully run into TRENDTM End Terminal in the *tangent* configuration, with smooth vehicle redirection and low occupant risk values.  Test 3-35 (2000p) into the *flared* configuration also yielded smooth vehicle redirection (see next test).  Due to these two successful redirect tests, smooth redirection and low occupant risk values are expected for the 820c, Test 3-34, into the Flared configuration.3-35
       Illistration 3-35
       YES
       Passed all Occupant Risk Values3-39
       Illustration 3-39
       NO
       Test 3-39 was run on the TRENDTM End Terminal in the *tangent* configuration, which is a worst case condition, as the angle is greater.  The *flared* test condition has a lower angle and this test need not be re-run.1The × accelerometer at the vehicle's c.g. recorded a value of -21.2g's during  this test due to a ripple in the floorboard near the accelerometer  mounting.  The backup x accelerometer  recorded a maximum value of -17.3 g's.
     **Findings**
Based on the successful completion of the described NCHRP Report  350 testing, FHWA  concurs that the TRENDTM  350 End Terminal, Flared meets the evaluation criteria for NCHRP Report 350  redirective, gating end terminals at TL-3 impact conditions. FHWA also concurs  with the request for a testing waiver and the reasons for waiver as stated  within this correspondence.
     Since the TRENDTM 350 End Terminal, Flared was tested with  flare rates ranging from 0 (tangent) to 4 feet of offset, the amount of offset  for flared applications can range between the tangent position and fully  flared.  In addition, FHWA also concurs that  the testing of the TRENDTM 350 End Terminal, Flared was conducted at the  worst-case guardrail height of 27‐3/4 inches and it is acceptable to use the  TREND End Terminal when attached to guardrail with heights between 27-3/4  inches and 31 inches. (SGR04a from 27 3⁄4 inches to 30 inches, MGS from 27 3⁄4 inches  to 31 inches, and the various proprietary 31-inch designs.)
     Therefore, the system described and detailed in the attached  form is eligible for reimbursement and should be installed 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 eligibility letters:
     This       letter includes an AASHTO/ARTBA/AGC Task Force 13 designator that should       be used to identify any new or updated Task Force 13 drawings.
       This finding       of eligibility is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the       devices and does not cover their structural features, or conformity with       the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
       Any       changes that may adversely influence the crashworthiness of the device       will require a new letter.
       Should       the FHWA discover that the qualification testing was flawed, that       in-service performance reveals unacceptable safety problems, or that the       device being marketed is significantly different from the version that was       crash tested, we reserve the right to modify or revoke this letter.
       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 review, and that it will meet the crashworthiness       requirements of the FHWA and the NCHRP Report 350.
       To       prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of is designated as number       CC-123F 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 TREND       End Terminal, Flared is a patented product and is considered proprietary. If       proprietary devices are specified by highway agency for use on Federal-aid       projects, except exempt, non-NHS projects, (a) they must be supplied through       competitive bidding with 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       letter shall not be construed as authorization or consent by the FHWA to       use, manufacture, or sell any patented device for which the applicant is       not the patent holder.  The finding       of eligibility letter is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of       the candidate device, 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 Michael S. Griffith */*
      
      Michael S. GriffithDirector, Office of Safety TechnologiesOffice of SafetyEnclosures U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

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