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                Safety Eligibility Letter WZ-219
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Work Zone Devices
                          **Code:**
            WZ-219
                          **Date:**
            12/15/2005
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Missouri DOT
                          **Device Description:**
            Ground Mounted Temp. Sign stand
                          **View PDF:**
            wz219.pdf (246.87 KB)
    
    
Skip to contentSkip to contentUnited States Department of Transportation - Federal Highway AdministrationDOT logo
U.S. Department of Transportation
**Federal Highway Administration**
400 Seventh St., S.W.
Washington, D.C.  20590**December 15, 2005**


**Refer to: HSA-10/WZ-219**

Dr. Ron Faller
	Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
	527 Nebraska Hall
	P.O. Box 880529
	Lincoln, Nebraska  68588-0529

Dear Mr. Faller:
Thank you for your letter of July  22, 2005, requesting the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance of  Missouri's Ground Mounted Temporary Sign Stand as a crashworthy traffic control  device for use in work zones on the National Highway System (NHS). Accompanying your letter were reports of  crash testing you conducted and video of the tests. You requested that we find these devices 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."
**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 are those lightweight devices which are  to be self-certified by the vendor, Category II devices are other lightweight  devices which need individual crash testing but with reduced instrumentation,  Category III devices are barriers and other fixed or heavy devices also needing  crash testing with normal instrumentation, and Category IV devices are trailer  mounted lighted signs, arrow panels, etc. for which crash testing requirements  have not yet been established. 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  follows:
The Missouri ground mounted  portable sign support is a single tube of 1.25 in square galvanized Telespar  steel tubing with 0.125 in wall thickness and a length of 30 in. The tube is mounted to an anchor that consists  of a 0.75 in diameter by 12 in long steel rod with a 6 in wide x 5.25 in high x 0.125  in thick triangle soil plate. A 3 in  diameter washer with a 
0.156-inch thickness was welded to  the steel rod at the top of the attached soil plate. The anchor is ASTM Grade A-513 steel. The vertical tube is welded to the top of the anchor's washer.
The vertical fiberglass rib of the  roll-up sign is secured to the support using a panel-to-post clamp. The clamp is 1.625 in wide x 5 in long  U-shaped with 1 in long legs and a thickness of 0.125 in. It is fabricated from ASTM A-36 steel. A 0.25 in diameter by 2.25 in long ASTM A-307 Grade 2 bolt with nut is  inserted through a hole in the center of the U-shaped clamp and tack welded  around the bolt head.
The sign panel is 48 x 48  reflective vinyl on a crossbrace. The  vertical member is 0.25 in thick x 1.25 in wide by 66 in long with a 0.3125 in  diameter hole drilled 8.25 in from the bottom. The horizontal brace is 0.1875 thick  x 1.25 in wide by 66 in long.
Height to bottom of sign: 18  inches
Height to top of sign: 86 inches
Weight of sign post: 6.0 pounds
Weight of clamp and bolt: 0.5  pounds
Weight of panel and crossbraces:  6.3 pounds
Total weight of system: 12.8  pounds.
**Testing**
Full-scale automobile testing of  an earlier design resulted in an unacceptable amount of windshield damage on  the test vehicle. It was determined  that early release of the sign from the support tube contributed to the damage. The bolt used to apply pressure on the base  of the vertical crossbrace was replaced with a through bolt. This improved the performance to the point  where no significant components of the stand came near the bogie's simulated  windshield.
Bogie vehicle testing was  conducted on the Missouri ground mounted sign supports. Stand-alone examples of the device were  tested in separate runs, one head-on and one turned at
90 degrees.
The tests are summarized in the  table below.NCHRP Report 350    Test 3-71Test Number
MOSBOG-10
MOSBOG-11
MOSBOG-12Sign Stand Tested
Head-on
90 degrees
Head-onMass of Test Vehicle
2,467 poundsImpact Speed, km/hr (mph)
99.3 (61.7)
104.4 (64.9)
100.7 (62.6)Velocity Change m/sec (fps)
0.97 (3.22 fps)
1.5 (4.99)
1.17 (3.81)Extent of contact
Only vinyl*
Only vinyl*
No contactWindshield Damage
None
None
NoneOther notes* Only the retroreflective vinyl sign contacted the  "windshield" vicinity of the bogie.

This crash-testing program used a hard-nosed bogie vehicle  of a mass larger than the standard 820C test vehicle. There are significant constraints involved in using such a  non-standard testing device, some of which are:
The  potential vehicle velocity change must be considered insignificant.
The  crush characteristics of an automobile bumper must not be expected to have a  significant affect  on the trajectory of the test article.
The  profile of the bogie vehicle must be configured to replicate the outline of a  production vehicle. The Midwest Roadside Safety Facility bogie was configured to  replicate the outline of a Geo Metro, a vehicle commonly used in testing of  work zone devices.
No  part of the test article may intrude into the windshield area of the vehicle  after impact.**Findings**
Contact between the test article and the vehicle was limited  to the bumper and hood areas of the bogie.  In some cases the vinyl sign separated from the crossbraces and slid up  and across the windshield but would not have caused any damage at all.
The results of the testing met the FHWA requirements and,  therefore, the Missouri Ground Mounted Temporary Sign Stand described above and  detailed in the enclosed drawings are acceptable for use on the NHS under the  range of conditions tested, when proposed by a State.
Please note the following standard provisions that apply to  the 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.
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 they will meet the crashworthiness       requirements of the FHWA and the NCHRP Report 350.
To       prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of acceptance, designated       as number WZ-219 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.

This       acceptance letter shall not be construed as authorization or consent by       the FHWA to use, manufacture, or sell any patented device for which the       applicant is not the patent holder. The acceptance letter is limited to the crashworthiness  characteristics of the candidate device, 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,

**/original signed by /**
John R. Baxter, P.E.
Director, Office of Safety Design
Office of Safety

Enclosure
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