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                Safety Eligibility Letter B-223
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Longitudinal Barriers and Bridge Rails
                          **Code:**
            B-223
                          **Date:**
            08/22/2011
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Armorflex
                          **Device Description:**
            TL-2 Armorzone Plastic Barrier and Terminal
                          **View PDF:**
            b223.pdf (526.27 KB)
    
    Safety Eligibility Letter B-223



						
**Download Version**PDF [115KB]

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

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

			August 22, 2011

			In Reply Refer To: HSST/B-223 and

HSST/CC-119



			Mr. Dallas James
			  Armorflex International Ltd.
			  8 Paul Matthews Road,
			  North Harbour 0751
		    New Zealand
			Dear Mr. James:
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:

        	 ArmorZoneTM Plastic Longitudinal Barrier; and,
 Plastic End TreatmentType of system:

        	 Longitudinal Barrier and End TreatmentTest Level:

        	 NCHRP Report 350 Test Level 2 and MASH Test  Level 2Testing conducted by:

        	 Holmes Solutions Ltd (HSL) and Safe  Technologies, Inc (STI).Date of request:

        	 December 14, 2010Request initially acknowledged:
      	   December 17, 2010Task Force 13 Designator:
      	   SWM17 (Barrier)SCI29 (End treatment)You requested that we find your 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" and the AASHTO "Manual for Assessing Safety  Hardware" (MASH).
**Requirements**
  Roadside safety devices should meet the guidelines  contained in the NCHRP Report 350 when tested prior to January 1, 2011, and the  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' Manual for  Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) if tested after that date.  The FHWA Memorandum "Identifying Acceptable  Highway Safety Features" of July 25, 1997 provides further guidance on crash  testing requirements of longitudinal barriers.****
**Decision**
  The following devices are found to be acceptable, with  details provided below:****
ArmorZoneTM Plastic Longitudinal Barrier Mash  TL-2 Design (System "B")
  ArmorZoneTM Plastic End Treatment NCHRP Report  350 Design (System "C")The following  device was not found acceptable:
ArmorZoneTM Plastic Longitudinal Barrier NCHRP  Report 350 Design (System "A")**Description**
ArmorZoneTM  is a relatively low cost longitudinal barrier designed with an integral end  treatment for use in work zone applications.   The system will contain or redirect an errant vehicle when impacted  beyond the beginning length of need, and is a gating design when impacted at or  nearer to the upstream end terminal.   Each ArmorZoneTM unit is made from High Density Polyethylene  (HDPE).  It is a one piece roto-molded  unit with a fill hole located on the top for internal access and a drain hole,  complete with bung, at the bottom.  The  original design was filled with 520 liters (137 gallons) of water.  The modified design, tested with the MASH  pickup truck, contained 440 liters (116 gallons).  The unit also has a series of 'through holes'  which provide additional strength to the barrier during impact and also allow  the unit to maintain its shape when filled with water.  The units tested to MASH specifications each  contain a 2152-millimeter (85-inch) galvanized steel bar, 75-millimeter (3-inch)  wide by 6-millimeter (1⁄2-inch) thick.  The  steel bar is fitted through each unit, approximately 120-millimeters (5-inches)  from the top of the barrier, and has 2 holes at either end which line up with  the connection holes at each end of the HDPE unit. The ArmorZoneTM unit  has a nominal joined length of 2000-millimeters (79-inch), is 450-millimeters  (18-inch) wide and 860-millimeters (34-inch) high.  When multiple units are connected to each  other and filled with water, they form a longitudinal barrier.  They are connected with 'twin pin' connectors,  consisting of two 37-millimeter (11⁄2-inch) diameter by 850-millimeter (331⁄2-inch)  long steel pipes complete with internal RHS reinforcement.  Enclosure 1 shows the design details for the  MASH design.  The NCHRP Report 350 design  is identical but does not include the steel bar.
The  ArmorZoneTM end treatment is similar in appearance to the barrier  segments, but is not filled with water and has additional holes and slots which  reduce the strength of the unit to ensure crashworthiness. It does not include  the steel bar found in the MASH barrier units. Enclosure 2 shows these details.
In  all ArmorZoneTM installations, every unit forming the barrier (except  the ArmorZoneTM end treatment unit) must be filled with the correct  amount of water.  Also the individual  units must be connected to each other with the 'twin pin' connector but not  fixed or anchored to the ground in any way.
**Crash Testing**
**Testing  Summary and Results for the ArmorZoneTM longitudinal barrier:**

Test 2-10 and 2-11 were  conducted by Holmes Solutions Limited in New Zealand. Both tests were run on  the original all-plastic barrier design (System "A") and on 50-meter (164-foot)  long installations with the impact points 13.6 meters (45 feet) from the  upstream end.  Though Test 2-10 met NCHRP  Report 350 evaluation criteria, in Test 2-11, the pickup truck was re-directed  and came to rest on top of the barrier after very nearly going over the  top.  Barrier deflection was reported to  be 2.1 meters (83 inches).  Because the  truck was not contained by the barrier, FHWA considers this result a failure of  the NCHRP Report 350 version of the device. Enclosures 3 and 4 are summaries of  both tests.
Test 2-11 was re-run by Safe  Technologies, Inc. using the MASH pickup truck to validate the design changes  noted above (the addition of an internal steel bar and another 'through hole',  plus reducing the water volume by 80 liters (21gallons). This test installation  was also 50 meters (164 foot) long but the impact point was 23 meters (75 feet)  from the upstream end.  The pickup truck  was smoothly re-directed with a maximum barrier deflection of 4.1meters (13.5  feet). Enclosure 5 is the test summary sheet (System "B").


  **Testing  Summary and Results for the ArmorZoneTM end treatment:**

Each of the three end treatment  tests were conducted by Safe Technologies, Inc. (System "C').  Tests 2-40 and 2-41 were run on 26-meter  (85-foot) long installations backed up to free-standing concrete barrier  segments.  In both tests the vehicles  were brought to controlled stops and the occupant risk values where within the  preferred limits. However, in Test 2-40, the end treatment and adjacent barrier  units slid up and across the hood of the small car, resulting in extensive  windshield damage.  Enclosures 6 and 7  are summaries of these two tests.
Test 2-43 was run on a  40.2-meter (132-foot) long installation.   The vehicle gated through the system as designed and came to rest  approximately 30 meters (98 feet) downstream on the backside of the test  installation.  Enclosure 8 is the test  summary sheet.
NCHPR Report 350 requires five  tests for a non-redirective, gating terminal or crash cushion.  You omitted Test 2-42 from the test matrix  for the end treatment because Test 2-40 is a worse case test for occupant risk  for the 820C vehicle and Test 2-43 is a worse case test for vehicle trajectory  with the 2000P vehicle rather than the small car.  The FHWA agrees with your reasoning for  omitting Test 2-42.
You  also omitted Test 2-44 which is intended to test the crashworthiness of a  non-redirective terminal used to shield a rigid object.  Because your barrier is not rigid, it is more  appropriate to determine the point at which the barrier/terminal combination  ceases to be gating but, instead, captures or redirects an impacting  vehicle.  The FHWA agrees with your  analysis that NCHRP Report 350 Test 2-11 is a good substitute for Test 2-44  since that test was run with the impact point 13.6 meters (45 feet) from the  upstream end and the vehicle was redirected.   Your MASH Test 2-11was run with the impact point 23 meters (75 feet)  from the upstream end of the test installation and the heavier MASH truck was  also redirected.  Since the Test 2-11  impact angle is 25 degrees and the 2-44 impact angle is only 20 degrees, we  agree that test 2-44 can be waived.   Based on these two barrier tests, the  beginning length of need point should begin approximately 13.6 meters (45 feet)  downstream from the nose of the installation for the Report 350 design and 23  meters (75 feet) downstream for the MASH design.  Should you wish to establish a length of need  closer to the beginning of the barrier, additional testing will be required to  determine the point at which containment or redirection can be attained.**Findings**
  You requested FHWA acceptance of the following two  configurations for the ArmorZoneTM longitudinal barrier:
NCHRP  Report 350 TL-2 design
  MASH  TL-2 design.In addition, you requested FHWA acceptance of the  following configuration for the ArmorZoneTM 
  end treatment:
NCHRP Report 350 TL-2 designSystems "B" and "C" described above and shown in the Enclosures successfully passed all conducted testing.  System "A" failed NCHRP Report 350 Test 2-11 due to vehicle override.  The Occupant Impact Velocities (OIV) and  Occupant Ridedown Accelerations (ORA) for all other tests were below the  preferred limits.  However, because your  barrier is a "soft" system, deflections can be high and vehicles impacting the  terminal at an angle can travel a significant distance behind the barrier.  Thus, it is important that all users be aware  of deflection distance requirements and of the necessity to keep the area  behind and beyond the terminal clear of workers and/or construction materials  and equipment.
In summary, with the exception of system "A" above, the remaining systems described above (B & C) 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.
Please note the following standard provisions that apply  to FHWA letters of acceptance:
This acceptance letter provides an  AASHTO/ARTBA/AGC Task Force 13 designator that should be used to create a new  or revised Task Force 13 drawing.
  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 NCHRP Report 350  or MASH.
  To prevent misunderstanding by others, this  letter of acceptance is designated as number B-223/CC-119  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 ArmorZoneTM system is a patented product 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 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 Michael S. Griffith */*
      
      Michael S. Griffith
        Director, Office of Safety  Technologies
        Office of SafetyEnclosures U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

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WASHINGTON, DC 20590

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