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                Safety Eligibility Letter B-196
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Longitudinal Barriers and Bridge Rails
                          **Code:**
            B-196
                          **Date:**
            09/09/2009
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            TrafFix Devices
                          **Device Description:**
            Water Wall with internal cables TL-1, TL-2, and 
TL-3
                          **View PDF:**
            b196.pdf (1.27 MB)
    
    Safety Eligibility Letter B-196

			 
			**Download Version**PDF [831 KB]
			
			DOT logoU.S. Department of Transportation**Federal Highway Administration**
			1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E.Washington, D.C. 20590
			September 9, 2009
			In Reply Refer To: HSSD/B-196
			
			Mr. Geoff Maus
            	Chief Design Engineer
                TrafFix Devices, Inc.
                160 Avenida La Pata
            San Clemente, CA  92673
         	Dear Mr. Maus:
            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:
    TrafFix Devices, Inc., Sentry Water-Cable BarrierType of system:
    Water filled barrierTest Level:
    NCHRP Report 350 TL-1, TL-2 and TL-3Testing conducted by:
    Karco Engineering, LLCDate of request:
    January 21, 2009Date of completed package:
    July 27, 2009Request initially acknowledged:
    January 26, 2009You requested that we find this system acceptable for use on  NHS under the provisions of the 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 TrafFix Devices, Inc., Sentry Water-Cable Barrier was  designed without the need for an external attached structure to meet Test Level  2 (TL-2) and TL-3 barrier performance. A  second design objective was to produce a product with minimal lateral  deflection of the barrier. Each section  is a freestanding longitudinal wall unit with an approximate width, height, and  length of 25 inches by 46 inches by 84 inches (635 mm x 1092 mm x 2032 mm)  respectively.
            Each section has 11 connecting lugs, 5 on one end, and 6 on  the opposite end. The four upper lugs on  each barrier section contain one each independent corrosion resistant steel wire  rope molded into the Sentry Water-Cable Barrier. The four wire rope pieces in each section act  similarly to a cable barrier when impacted.  A 1.25-inch (31.8-mm) diameter steel T-pin drops through the 1.5-inch (38.1-mm) diameter holes in  the lugs, linking the sections together.  The shell of each section is made up of high density polyethylene  (HDPE).
            Water-Cable Barrier wall sections are set in position,  connected by the T-pin and T-pin clip, and filled with water. The empty weight of each Water-Cable Barrier  section is approximately 165 pounds (75 kg).  The weight of each Water-Cable Barrier section when filled with water is  approximately 2,150 pounds (975 kg). The  TrafFix Devices, Inc., Sentry Water-Cable Barrier does not use an external  structure to achieve TL-2 or TL3 barrier performance, reducing the chance of  improper assembly of the barrier.
            **Crash Testing**Three full scale crash tests were performed on a series of  25 linked Water Wall sections. The Water Wall sections were filled with  water; no sections were anchored to the ground.  The impact point was the center of the thirteenth barrier section from  the beginning of the series. The 25 linked Sentry Water-Cable  Barrier sections provided a tested length of approximately 158 feet (48  m). The Water-Cable Barrier system  length and impact point were chosen to replicate previous tests performed on  products of this category. The impact  point at the center of the Water-Cable Barrier was also deemed to be “worst  case”, as it is the mid point between the supported ends. The test data summary sheets for the three  tests, NCHRP Report 350 Test 2-11, 3-10, and 3-11 are enclosed for  reference. In each case the vehicle was  captured by the barrier system with the vehicle experiencing substantial  pitching and yawing. However, the  vehicle remained upright in contact with the barrier and did not rebound into  adjacent lanes. All occupant risk values  were within allowable limits. The design  deflection distance, as recorded in Test 3-11, was 9 feet (2.74 m).
            **Findings**You requested the following FHWA Acceptance conditions for  the Sentry Water-Cable Barrier:
            Request #1: Longitudinal Barrier at Test Levels TL-3, TL-2,  and TL-1
            Request #2: Longitudinal Channelizing Device at Test Levels  TL-3, TL-2 and TL-1.
            We concur that the system described above and detailed in  the enclosed drawings is acceptable for use on the NHS above as a barrier and a  longitudinal channelizing device under the range of conditions tested and as  expanded in Requests #1 and #2, when such use is acceptable to a highway agency. TL-1  performance is assumed based on the successful TL-2 and TL-3 testing.
            Please note the following standard provisions that apply to 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 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 FHWA and NCHRP Report 350.
                To prevent misunderstanding by others, this  letter of acceptance is designated as number B-196 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.
                Because some water ballasted barriers and  channelizers are similar in appearance, FHWA recommends labeling each unit or  module to indicate limitations on use. When  used as a barrier all hardware, both internal and external that was used in the  crash testing, shall be installed per the manufacturer’s instructions. Recommended  guidance for such labels may be found on the Web site of the AASHTO/AGC/ARTBA  Task Force 13 at http://www.aashtotf13.org.
                The TrafFix Devices, Inc., Sentry Water-Cable  Barrier 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 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 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, P.E.Director, Office of Safety DesignOffice of SafetyEnclosures U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

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