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                Safety Eligibility Letter CC-109A
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Barrier Terminals and Crash Cushions
                          **Code:**
            CC-109A
                          **Date:**
            08/19/2011
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Barrier Systems
                          **Device Description:**
            TL-3 X-TENuator Wide Crash Cushion
                          **View PDF:**
            cc109a.pdf (59.07 KB)
    
    Safety Eligibility Letter CC-109A



			**Download Version**PDF [60 KB]

			

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

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

			August 19, 2011

			In Reply Refer To: HSST/CC-109A

			

	 Mr.  Gerrit A. Dyke, P.E.
	   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:

					X-TENuator Wide (X-TEN Wide)Type of system:

					Variable width Redirective Non-Gating Crash CushionTest Level:

					NCHRP Report 350 TL-3Testing conducted by:

					Safe Technologies Inc.Date of request:

					December 27, 2010Request Initially acknowledged:

					January 4, 2011Task Force 13 designator:

					SCI23bYou  requested that we find alternative widths to your narrow X-TEN crash cushion  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."  The original design described in FHWA  Acceptance letter CC-109 was a parallel-sided attenuator 36-inches  (926-millimeters) wide.
    **Requirements**
      Roadside  safety devices should meet the guidelines contained in the NCHRP Report 350 if  tested prior to December 31, 2010 or 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 system design was found acceptable, with details provided below:
    X-TENuator  Wide variable width Redirective Non-Gating Crash Cushion******Description**
      The  X-TEN system is a redirective, non-gating crash cushion designed to decelerate  an errant vehicle to a safe stop when struck end-on or redirect an errant  vehicle away from roadside or median hazards when impacted along either  side.  The system is comprised of an  energy absorbing nose bracket and cover, dual X-Tension impact heads and  cables, front cable anchors, W-Beam side panels, specially designed posts and  post braces and a separate rigid backstop. Standard W-Beam offset blocks are  used to attach the side panels to the posts.   Enclosure 1 shows both an alternate new narrow design and the new wide  design.
    The  X-TEN Wide design differs from the original design in three significant ways:
    The  Energy Absorbing Nose was replaced with a steel actuator (Enclosure 2) that serves  to reduce the flare of the panels as they move rearward by spreading the impact  heads apart during impact.
      In  lieu of the single support posts used in the narrow X-TEN, the wide design uses  a double row of modified posts that can be adjusted outward, and bracing was  added to provide the appropriate support for side impacts (Enclosures 3 and 4).
      A  collapsible pipe section was added to the backstops to account for the  increased impact forces on the flared system during side impacts near the back  of the system (Enclosure 5).**Crash  Testing**
      The  X-TEN Wide crash cushion was successfully tested at its maximum width of 60  inches (1500 millimeters) under NCHRP Report 350 test designations 3-31, 3-32,  3-37, and 3-38 by Safe Technologies Inc. Test 3-31 was also conducted on the  36-inch (915-millimeter) narrow design using double posts.  In tests 3-31(narrow design), 3-32, and 3-38,  the X-TEN system was attached to a 75-millimeter (3-inch) thick Asphalt  Concrete (AC) pad over 300 millimeters (12 inches) of a dense graded aggregate  with sixty-eight (68) 20-millimeter (3/4-inch) long all thread studs embedded  400 millimeters(16 inches) and epoxied in place.  In tests 3-31 (wide design) and  test 3-37, the X-TEN Wide design was attached  to a 250-millimeter (10-inch) thick Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) pad with  fifty-two (52) 20-millimeter (3/4-inch) long all thread studs embedded 150  millimeters (6 inches) and epoxied in place.   This crash cushion can also be used on a 200-millimeter (8-inch) thick  unreinforced or a 150-millimeter (6-inch) thick reinforced PCC pad.  You will be expected to provide users with  concrete specifications and anchor designs for these applications.
    Enclosures  6 through 10 summarize the results of the tests that were run.
    **Findings**
      The  tests you ran conformed to the matrix agreed to beforehand by members of my  staff, with slight modifications in scope based on your decision to limit  development to a 60-inch (1500 millimeter) wide unit.  Each test met the appropriate Report 350  evaluation criteria.  In your letter, you  have requested FHWA acceptance of the following:
    The  X-TEN Wide system as an NCHRP Report 350 TL-3 design with a backstop width  ranging from 36 inches (915 millimeters) to 60 inches (1500 millimeters) when  secured to an Asphalt Concrete (AC) or Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) base as  described above.
      Acknowledgment  that the X-TEN Wide system has redirective capacity beginning at the impact  head behind the nose cover,
      Acknowledgment  that the X-TEN Wide system can be attached to other roadside barriers by using  standard transitions that have been accepted for attaching "W" profile  guardrails to rigid barrier systems.Based  on our review of the submitted information, including test reports, the X-TEN  Wide system described above and detailed in the enclosed drawings is 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  letter includes a Task Force 13 designator to be used when drafting new of  revised Task Force 13 drawings.
      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 CC-109A 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  X-TEN Wide 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. 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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