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                Safety Eligibility Letter B-173
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Longitudinal Barriers and Bridge Rails
                          **Code:**
            B-173
                          **Date:**
            03/25/2008
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Barrier Systems, Inc.
                          **Device Description:**
            ArmorGuard Barrier (Formrely SafeGuard)
                          **View PDF:**
            b173.pdf (5.79 MB)
    
    Safety Eligibility Letter B-173


			
			
			
			 
			**Download Version**PDF [3.94 MB]
			
			DOT logoU.S. Department of Transportation**Federal Highway Administration**
			1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E.Washington, D.C. 20590
			March 25, 2008
			In Reply Refer To: HSSD/B-173
			
			Owen S. Denman, P.E.
			  President and CEO
			  Barrier Systems, Inc. 
			  180 River Road
			  Rio Vista,   California   94571
			Dear Mr. Denman:
			This letter is in response to your request for Federal  Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance of a roadside safety system for use on  the National Highway System (NHS).
			Name of system: ArmorGuardTM Barrier (AGB)
				Type of system: Steel Safety Barriers,  also Moveable Barriers
				Test Level: Test Level 3
				Testing conducted by: Safe Technologies,  Inc.
				Date of request: December 19, 2007
				Date of follow-up: Test summary PDFs  requested and rec’d 3/20/08You requested that we find this system acceptable for use on  the NHS under the provisions of National Cooperative Highway Research Program  (NCHRP) Report 350 “Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance  Evaluation of Highway Features.”
			**Requirements**Roadside safety devices/systems should meet the guidelines contained in the  NCHRP Report 350, "Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance  Evaluation of Highway Features". FHWA Memorandum “Action: Identifying  Acceptable Highway Safety Features” of July 25, 1997, provides further guidance  on crash testing requirements of longitudinal barriers.
			**Description**ArmorGuardTM Barrier (AGB) is  the new name of a steel safety-shaped barrier system tested and accepted as the  SafeGuard Gate System in FHWA Acceptance Letter B-87 dated July 6, 2001, and as  the SafeGuard Link system in B-108 dated November 4, 2002.
			The AGB sections  are constructed of metal and are assembled in 8.5 meter (28 foot) increments.  The sections are hinged at both ends and can be unpinned, jacked up on wheels  and moved in any direction. One end can be unpinned and swung open or both ends  of a section can be released to remove the whole section.
			A drawing of a  typical ArmorGuardTM Barrier Section is shown in Appendix “D”. The length of each AGB including the hinge  assembly is 8.5 m (28 feet) and the effective overall height is 847 mm (33.3  inches). The effective width of the upright portion of the base is 727 mm (28.6  inches) and the effective width of the “T” top section is 513 mm (20 inches). The mass of an 8.5 meter AGB section is  approximately 1350 kg (2,975 lbs.). The  hinge assemblies at each end of the gate are protected from impacts by removable  aluminum or steel covers that are held in place by removable pins. The section  hinges are connected to each other with a 28.6 mm (1.125 inches)  diameter ASTM C1018 steel connecting pin.
			Currently Accepted For    these uses:
					New Testing, proposed    approval for use:Attached to 6 m (20 foot) portable concrete barrier    (B-108, 11/04/2002)
					Test 1 Attached to 3m (10 foot) portable concrete barrier    (Test WGB03)  (Figure    1, enclosed)Single sections used between permanent median barrier (B-87,    07/06/2001)
					Test 2 Multiple sections used between permanent median    barrier (Test WGB04) (Figure 6, enclosed)8 meter panels consisting of two 4 meter panels spliced    together
					Test 3 Solid 8 meter panel sections (Figure 11, enclosed)As shown in the  table above, the purpose of test WGB03 is to have the AGB approved for use in  combination with 3 meter (10 foot) or longer portable concrete barrier sections  attached at the ends. The condition that  is currently approved is with 6 meter (20 foot) sections of portable concrete  barrier attached at the ends. The  concrete barrier segments are not pinned along their length but free to move  except at the  end.
			The second test,  WGB04, was conducted using multiple sections of AGB installed between a  permanent median barrier. The condition  that is currently approved was tested with a single AGB barrier section  installed between permanent median barrier.
			The third test  was run to validate the performance of solid 8 meter panel sections.
			  Previous designs  consist of two 4 meter panels spliced together.
			These tests also  validate the design and performance of an alternate universal transition that  was not previously tested.
			**Request for  Acceptance**
			You specifically  requested the following for the ArmorGuard Link and Gate systems:
			1) The system name changes from SafeGuard Link to ArmorGuard Link  and SafeGuard Gate to ArmorGuard gate.
			2) The application of multiple ArmorGuard  Link segments connected directly to or between permanent barriers.
			3) The application of multiple ArmorGuard  Link segments connected to or between any crashworthy temporary concrete  barrier arrays with minimum barrier lengths of 3 meters.
			4)  The use of the alternative transition assembly as tested for  ArmorGuard Link or Gate systems.
			5) The use of the redesigned bulkheads and full length 8 meter  panels into the ArmorGuard Link and Gate systems.
			**Crash Testing**
			Test Level
                Test Designation
                Impact Conditions
                Impact PointNCHRP 350 Test No.
                Safe Technologies    Test No.
                Vehicle
                Nominal Speed    (km/h)
                Nominal Angle    (deg)3
                3-21
                WGB03
                2000P
                100
                25
                CIP3
                3-21
                WGB04
                2000P
                100
                25
                CIP3
                3-21
                AG8M1
                2000P
                100
                25
                CIPCrash test data summary sheets for these three tests are enclosed for  reference. In each test the vehicle was  redirected without noticeable snagging and did not experience appreciable pitch  or roll.
			**Findings**
			The system described in requests 1 through 5 above and  detailed in the enclosed drawings and crash testing is acceptable for use on  the NHS under the range of conditions tested, when proposed by a State.
			Please note the following standard provisions that apply to FHWA letters of  acceptance:
			This  acceptance is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the systems and  does not cover their 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-173 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.
				ArmorGuard  barriers are patented products and considered proprietary. If proprietary  devices/systems are specified by a highway agency for use on Federal-aid  projects, except exempt, non-NHS projects, they: (a) 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  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. Nicol, P.E.Director, Office of Safety DesignOffice of Safety2 Enclosures U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

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