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                Safety Eligibility Letter CC-75D
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Barrier Terminals and Crash Cushions
                          **Code:**
            CC-75D
                          **Date:**
            08/18/2011
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Universal TAU-IIR Crash Cushion Systems
                          **Device Description:**
            Universal TAU-11R CCS
                          **View PDF:**
            cc75d.pdf (1.5 MB)
    
    Safety Eligibility Letter CC-75D

			**Download Version**PDF [1.5 MB]

			

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

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

August 18, 2011
In Reply Refer To: 
  HSST/CC-75D
Mr.  Gerrit A. Dyke, P.E.
  Vice  President of Engineering and R & D
  Barrier  Systems, Inc.
  3333  Vaca Valley Parkway, Suite 800
  Vacaville,  CA 95688
Dear Mr. Dyke:
This  letter is in response to your request for the Federal Highway Administration  (FHWA) acceptance of a roadside safety system for use on the National Highway  System (NHS).
Name of system:
Universal  TAU-IIR Crash Cushion SystemsType of system:
  Redirecting  Crash Cushion/Impact AttenuatorTest Level:
NCHRP  Report 350 Test Levels 2 and 3 (TL-2 and TL-3)Testing conducted by:
Safe  Technologies, Inc.Date of request:
December  30, 2010Date initially acknowledged:
January 4, 2011Task Force 13 designator:
SCT  01cYou  requested that we find this system, in its various configurations, acceptable  for use on the NHS under the provisions of the National Cooperative Highway  Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350.
**Requirements**
  Roadside  safety devices should meet the guidelines contained in NCHRP Report 350 if  tested prior to December 31, 2010.  Devices tested after that date must follow the guidelines contained in  the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Official's (AASHTO)  Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH).  The FHWA memorandum “ACTION: Identifying Acceptable Highway Safety  Features” of July 24, 1997, provides further guidance on crash testing  requirements of roadside features, including crash cushions.
**Decision**
  The  various configurations of the TAU-IIR crash cushion shown in Enclosure 1 are  acceptable for use on the NHS at the impact speeds listed.
**Description**
The  TAU-IIR crash cushion uses the same framework as that used in the TAU-II crash  cushion configurations that were accepted by the FHWA in letters CC-75 through  CC-75C. Specifically, the structural  diaphragms, Thrie-beam side panels, slider bolts, backstop assemblies, cables,  and anchoring systems are the same as those originally accepted for use on the  NHS. The TAU-IIR design uses different  energy absorbing cartridges that can be partially self-restoring after some  impacts, thereby reducing the need for immediate repairs. These cartridges are made from proprietary  hyperelastic (HE) polyurethane and are identified as Type1, 2, or 3 depending  on the wall thickness of the cylindrical elements. Dimensions for each type are shown in  Enclosure 2. A typical TL-3 installation is shown in Enclosure 3.
**Crash  Testing**
  Since  only the energy-absorbing elements were changed from the TAU-II design, it was  mutually agreed that only the end-on tests were needed to verify acceptable  crash performance. Tests were conducted on specific configurations to determine  the occupant risk factors for narrow parallel designs, moderately flared  designs and wide designs for TL-2 and TL-3 impact speeds. One test was run with an impact speed of 110  km/h (70 mph). Using finite element  analysis (FEA) and the results of the full-scale tests that were run, a report  prepared by Roadsafe LLC for Barrier Systems, Inc. concluded that the various  configurations shown in Enclosure 1were likely to produce acceptable compliance  with Report 350 evaluation criteria for end-on impacts. The following summaries describe the tests  that were conducted by Safe Technologies, Inc. on specific configurations of  the TAU-IIR:
Narrow  (parallel) at TL-2
  NCHRP  Report 350 tests 2-30 and 2-31 were conducted on a narrow unit at 70 km/h (42  mph) to assess the capacity and occupant risk factors associated with a lower  speed impact by both test vehicles. For test 2-30, the unit was anchored to an  AC base; in test 3-31, a concrete base was used. The TAU-IIR design for both tests consisted  of a 4-bay unit with one Type 3 element nose piece, two Type 1 elements in bay  1, and two Type 2 elements in both bays 3 and 4. Enclosures 3 and 4 show the crash cushion  design and the test summaries for the small car and the pickup truck,  respectively.
Narrow  (parallel) at TL-3
  Tests  3-31 and 3-32 were conducted on a narrow, parallel-sided 8-bay design. The tested configuration consisted of a Type  3 element nose piece, three bays containing two Type 1 elements per bay, and  five bays containing two Type 2 elements per bay. Enclosure 5 shows the tested crash cushion design  and the summary sheets for both tests.  This tested TL-3 configuration does not use any Type 3 elements in its  interior bays.
Narrow  (parallel) at TL-3
  Test  3-30 was conducted on a narrow, parallel-sided crash cushion to determine its  crashworthiness at an impact speed of 110 km/h (70 mph). The tested configuration was a 10-bay unit,  consisting of a Type 3 nose piece, three bays containing two Type 1 elements  per bay, four bays containing two Type 3 elements per bay, and three bays  containing two Type 2 elements per bay.  Enclosure 6 shows the tested design and the crash test summary sheet.
Flared  at TL-3
  Test  3-31 was conducted to verify the crashworthiness of a flared side-panel  layout. The TAU-IIR configuration tested  was a seven bay design consisting of a Type 3 nose piece, three bays containing  two Type 1 elements per bay, one bay containing two Type 2 elements, and three  bays containing four Type 2 elements per bay.  Enclosure 7 shows the tested design and the crash test summary sheet.
Wide  (flared) at TL-3
  Tests  3-30 and 3-31 were conducted on a wide-flared unit. The tested design was a  7-bay unit with a Type 3 nose piece, three bays containing two Type 1 elements  per bay and four bays containing four tyle2 elements per bay. Enclosure 8 shows the tested design and the  crash test summary sheet.
**Findings**
  Based  on our review of the information you submitted, the TAU-IIR designs described  above and detailed in the enclosed drawings are acceptable for use on the NHS  under the range of conditions tested, when such use is acceptable to a highway  agency. In addition, any of the  configurations depicted in Enclosure 1 are also acceptable for use on the  NHS. The five TAU-IIR configurations  that were crash-tested were used to validate the FEA model from which the “family”  of designs was created. In comparing the  model results to the full-scale crash tests, it was seen that the model  predictions were almost always conservative (i.e., they over-predicted the  occupant risk factors). Consequently,  the non-tested TAU-IIR configurations may be used with confidence that they  will perform acceptably under the impact speeds listed.
Transportation  agencies specifying the 10-bay 110 km/h (70 mph) design should be advised that  this unit met all NCHRP Report 350 evaluation criteria only for a head-on  impact with the 2000P pickup truck at that speed. The remaining high-speed configurations were  developed through analysis and should be equally acceptable for the head-on  crash with the pickup truck. However, no assumption should be made that the  remaining Report 350 tests for a crash cushion would meet all appropriate  evaluation criteria at a 110 km/h (70 mph) impact speed. There is no federal requirement to specify  crash cushions that exceed TL-3 capacity.
Please  note the following standard provisions that apply to FHWA letters of  acceptance:
This  letter includes an AASHTO/ARTBA/AGC Task Force 13 designation that should be  used when drafting new or revised Task Force 13 drawings.
  This  acceptance is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the systems 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 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 NCHRP Report 350.
  To  prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of acceptance is designated as  number CC-75D 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  Universal TAU-IIR family of crash cushions are patented products and considered  proprietary. If proprietary devices 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  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 George E. Rice, Jr.
			Michael S. Griffith
Director,  Office of Safety Technologies
              Office of SafetyEnclosures U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

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