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                Safety Eligibility Letter B-183
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Longitudinal Barriers and Bridge Rails
                          **Code:**
            B-183
                          **Date:**
            11/26/2008
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            NUCOR Steel Marion
                          **Device Description:**
            NU Cable -- plastic or steel sockets
                          **View PDF:**
            b183.pdf (689.77 KB)
    
    Safety Eligibility Letter B-183


			 
			**Download Version**PDF [278 KB]
			
			DOT logoU.S. Department of Transportation**Federal Highway Administration**
			1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E.Washington, D.C. 20590
            
            	  November 26, 2008
			In Reply Refer To: HSSD/B-183
			
			Mr. Rick Mauer
				Outside National Sales Representative
				Nucor Steel Marion Inc.
				P.O. Box   837
				Greenland,   NH 03840
				
			Dear Mr. Mauer:
			
			This letter is in response to your request for Federal  Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance of a modification to Nucor Steel  Marion roadside safety systems for use on the National Highway System (NHS).
			Name of  system:
					Nu-Cable Systems – Use  of Plastic or Steel SocketsUse  of driven steel socketsType of  system:
					Cable BarrierTest Level:
					NCHRP Report 350 TL-3  and TL-4Testing  conducted by:
					Holmes Solutions of New Zealand andTexas  Transportation InstituteDate of  request:
					July 25, 2006You requested that we find these modified systems 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 systems should meet the guidelines contained  in the NCHRP Report 350. The FHWA  Memorandum “Action:  Identifying Acceptable Highway Safety Features” of July 25, 1997, provides further guidance on crash testing  requirements of longitudinal barriers.
			**Description**
				The Nu-Cable barrier systems  consist of three or four steel cables mounted on 4 lb/ft Nucor Steel Marion  Rib-Bak u-channel posts. These systems  were found acceptable in the following FHWA acceptance letters:
			B-96  August 30, 2002  3-strand  roadside or median barrier
				B-96A  October 12, 2005   Alternative  post and foundation designs
				B-167  February 24, 2008   4-strand  Nucor Wire Rope Barrier System TL-4			
			**Crash Testing**
			  All test level 3 (TL-3) and TL-4 barriers  were tested in either plastic socket sleeves (New   Zealand tests) or steel socket sleeves (Texas tests) encased in a rebar fortified  concrete foundation. No difference in  performance was noted between the two types of sleeves. Your request is to allow the  interchangeability of the two foundation systems on your Nu-Cable systems. We concur in this request for new  installations. When barrier  installations are damaged to the degree that the post foundations are affected,  repairs should be made using the same foundation systems they were tested with  to the extent practicable.
			 You also requested the use of  driven steel socket sleeves for 4-pound-per-foot u-channel posts, as shown in  the enclosed drawing. Informal vehicle  testing in standard soil showed no perceptible movement of the socket.
			 **Findings**
			 	The following Nu-Cable System modifications acceptable for  use on the NHS under the range of conditions tested, when such use is  acceptable to a highway agency:
			1) Posts mounted in plastic socket sleeves encased in a rebar  fortified concrete foundation,
				2) Posts mounted in steel socket sleeves encased in a rebar  fortified concrete foundation,
				3) Posts mounted in driven socket sleeves with soil plates.
			Please note the following standard  provisions that apply to the 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-183 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 Nu-Cable barrier systems are patented  products 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 David A. Nicol
							David A. Nicol
							Director, Office of Safety Design
							Office of SafetyEnclosures
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