USDepartment

of Transportation

Federal Highway

Administration REFER TO:

HNG-14

Mr. William H. Coy

PrecisionForm Incorporated

148 West Airport Road

Lititz, Pennsylvania 17543

Dear Mr. Coy:

This is in response to your January 11 letter to Mr. James H. Hatton

requesting acceptance by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the

PrecisionForm breakaway coupler for use with luminaire supports on Federal-aid

highway projects. You referenced tests conducted at the Federal Outdoor

Impact Laboratory assessing compliance of these couplers with FHWA breakaway

requirements, which cite Section 7 of the 1985 American Association of State

Highway and Transportation Officials' (AASHTO) Standard Specifications for

Structural Supports for Highway Signs, Luminaires and Traffic Signals.

The PrecisionForm coupler is a machined breakaway coupler which is somewhat

similar to the "Alcoa coupler" currently manufactured by your company. Your

designation for the PrecisionForm coupler is "PFI 200-1," while the

designation for the Alcoa coupler is "PFI 100-l."

The tests were run with an instrumented 1,800-pound bogie vehicle fitted with

a 10 stage crushable nose which simulates the left quarter point of a 1979

Volkswagen Rabbit. Details of the tested hardware and the test results are

sunnnarized below:

Test Number 87FO73 87FO74

Mounting Height 53 feet - 2 inches 53 feet - 2 inches

Pole Type Aluminum Aluminum

Bolt Circle Diameter 15 inches 15 inches

Pole Wall Thickness 0.25 inches 0.25 inches

Pole, Arm, & Lum. Wt. 523 pounds 523 pounds

Test Speed 20.7 m.p.h. 61.2 m.p.h.

Test Delta V 12.4 f.p.s. 10.3 f.p.s.

Stub Height 2.5 inches 2.5 inches

This information shows that the tested pole-coupler combinations will meet the

change in velocity and stub-height requirements adopted by the FHWA.

The PrecisionForm breakaway couplers designated "PFI 200-1," as shown on the

enclosed drawing, when used with conventional luminaire support and luminaire

combinations weighing no more that 800 pounds, are acceptable for use on

Federal-aid highway projects, if proposed by a State. (Our 8OO-pound

limitation on support weight is based on a mathematical extension of available

data.)
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This acceptance is limited to the breakaway ,characteristics of the couplers 

and does not cover their structural features. Presumably, you will supply 

potential users with sufficient information on structural limitations, 

including resistance to torsion and overturning, and on installation 

requirements to ensure proper performance. We anticipate that the States will 

require certification from PrecisionForm that the couplers furnished have 

essentially the same chemistry, mechanical properties, and geometry as those 

used in the tests, and that supports with the couplers will meet the FHWA 

breakaway requirements. 

Since your company's coupler is a proprietary item, to be used in a 

Federal-aid highway project it; (a) must be supplied through competitive 

bidding with equally suitable unpatented items; (b) the specifying State 

highway agency must certify that it is essential for synchronization with 

existing highway facilities, or that no equally suitable alternate exists; or 

(c) it 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, a copy of which is enclosed for your 

information. 

Sincerely yours, 

L. A. Staron 

Chief, Federal-Aid and Design Division 

Enclosures 
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yllou 

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PFI 200-1 BREFiKRWAY SUPPORT FOR I”-8 NC WCHOR BOLT lb? I”. 

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