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                Safety Eligibility Letter WZ-96
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Work Zone Devices
                          **Code:**
            WZ-96
                          **Date:**
            10/31/2001
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Memo to Florida Division
                          **Device Description:**
            Florida DOT Fiberglass Composite Sign Stand for Maintenance Work Zones
                          **View PDF:**
            wz96.pdf (713.53 KB)
    
    Safety Eligibility Letter WZ-96

            
            	
          DOT logo
            	U.S. Departmentof Transportation**Federal Highway Administration
                400 Seventh St., S.W.Washington, D.C.  20590**
			Subject:
                    INFORMATION: Florida  DOT Submission of Fiberglass Composite Sign  Stand for Maintenance Work Zone UseDate:From:
                    Frederick G. Wright, Jr.Program  Manager, SafetyReply to Attn. of:
                    HSA-1\WZ-96To:
                    Mr. James St. JohnDivision  AdministratorTallahassee,  FloridaThis  is in response to your office memorandum of August 14 of requesting Federal  Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance of Florida’s Fiberglass Composite Sign  Stand as a crashworthy traffic control  device for use in maintenance work zones on the National Highway System  (NHS). Accompanying your memo was a  report of informal crash testing conducted by the Florida Department of  Transportation (FDOT). You requested that we find these temporary  ground-mounted roll-up sign stands acceptable for use on the National Highway  System under the provisions of National Cooperative Highway Research Program  (NCHRP) Report 350 “Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance  Evaluation of Highway Features.”
            **Introduction**
              The  FHWA guidance on crash testing of work zone traffic control devices is  contained in two memoranda. The first,  dated July 25, 1997, titled “Information: Identifying Acceptable Highway Safety  Features,” established four categories of work zone devices: Category I devices  were those lightweight devices which could be self-certified by the vendor,  Category II devices were other lightweight devices which needed individual crash testing, Category III  devices were barriers and other fixed or massive devices also needing crash  testing, and Category IV devices were trailer mounted lighted signs, arrow  panels, etc. The second guidance  memorandum was issued on August 28, 1998, and is titled “INFORMATION: Crash Tested Work Zone Traffic Control  Devices.” This later memorandum lists  devices that are acceptable under Categories I, II, and III.
            A  brief description of the devices for which FDOT is requesting acceptance  follows:
            
              The  stand consists of a 12-inch pointed steel base with a fin welded to the top to  allow field personnel to use body weight and a hammer to install the base level  with the ground. A 60-inch long  fiberglass angle mast measuring 1.5 x 1.5 x 0.25-inches in cross section is  bolted to the steel base with two 5/16-inch diameter x 3/4 inch long bolts with  nylon lock nuts. Two 11/16th-inch holes are drilled 12-inches above the base,  one in each “side” of the fiberglass angle, to facilitate breakaway. (The location of these holes is such that  they will be approximately 2-inches above the ground when the stand is  installed.) The 48-inch diamond roll-up  sign is supported by 3/16-inch thick by 1.25-inch wide fiberglass spreaders  which are bolted to the fiberglass angle by two 5/16-inch diameter by 1.25-inch  long bolts. The top connection bolt is  7-inches below the top of the fiberglass angle, resulting in a sign mounting  height of approximately 15-inches from the ground to the bottom point of the  sign.
          **Testing**
                Informal  automobile and pick-up truck testing was conducted on the Fiberglass Composite  Sign Stand. The complete devices as  tested are shown in the Enclosure 1.  Four tests were run, each at a nominal speed of 20  miles per hour. Two versions of the base  were tested, one with two bolts and one with three bolts attaching the  composite angle to the steel base. The  tests are summarized in the following table:
Test #1
                  1
                  2
                  3
                  4Vehicle
                  Ford    F-150
                  Ford    F-150
                  Chev.    Cavalier
                  Chev.    CavalierBase version
                  2-bolt
                  3-bolt
                  3-bolt
                  2-boltVehicle damage
                  None
                  None
                  Grill    Scratched
                  Grill    Scratched**Findings**
          The  composite mast broke readily in each of the tests and the fiberglass spreaders  remained with the mast. Damage was  limited to minor scratching of the grill on the passenger car used. Although the tests conducted did not consist  of a full matrix as provided for in NCHRP Report 350, they do provide enough  information to allow us to rule on this device.
              This  FDOT Fiberglass Composite Sign Stand is unlike other temporary sign stands that  are free-standing and are often placed directly on the traveled way  pavement. Free-standing devices must be  crash tested at 
                100  km/hr (62 mph) and must not cause excessive damage to the windshield of the  test vehicle. Roadside mounted breakaway  supports, like the FDOT stand, need only meet a change-in-velocity criteria,  and may be tested at 35 km/hr (22 mph) with results extrapolated to the higher  speed if necessary. From the design of  the support and the results of these low speed tests it is clear that the  velocity change of any impacting vehicle with be insignificant, and that a high  speed test is not necessary. The  strength of the composite angle is similar to many delineator posts that have  been used successfully in many states, and the holes drilled near the base  enhance the breakaway performance. The  use of fabric/roll-up signs further reduces the likelihood of serious  windshield damage.
              The  results of the testing met the FHWA requirements and, therefore, the devices  described above and shown in the enclosed drawings for reference are acceptable  for use on the NHS under the range of conditions tested, when proposed by a  State.
              Please  note the following standard provisions which apply to FHWA letters of  acceptance:
              Our  acceptance is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the devices 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 device 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 device being  marketed is significantly different from the version that was crash tested, it  reserves the right to modify or revoke its acceptance.
                The  Florida DOT 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 they will meet the crashworthiness  requirements of FHWA and NCHRP Report 350.
                To prevent misunderstanding  by others, this letter of acceptance, designated as number WZ-96 shall not be  reproduced except in full. This letter,  and the test documentation upon which this letter is based, is public  information. All such letters and documentation may be reviewed at our office  upon request.Return to top U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

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