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                Safety Eligibility Letter WZ-113
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Work Zone Devices
                          **Code:**
            WZ-113
                          **Date:**
            01/23/2003
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Traffix Devices
                          **Device Description:**
            Extrapolations of various accepted devices
                          **View PDF:**
            wz113.pdf (27.26 KB)
    
    



January 23, 2003
Refer to: HSA-10/WZ-113
Mr. Dave Gertz
TrafFix Devices, Incorporated
220 Calle Pintoresco
San Clemente, California  92672
Dear Mr. Gertz:
Thank you for your letter of
February 28, 2002, requesting Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance
of modifications to your company's portable sign stands and barricades as
crashworthy traffic control devices for use in work zones on the National
Highway System (NHS).  All of the basic
devices had been found acceptable in our letter to you WZ-108 dated February 8,
2002.  You requested that we find these
modified 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.”  We responded via facsimile on March 21,
2002, and expressed concern over the excessive mass of the heavier gage
aluminum and plywood substrates you proposed using with the Big Buster stand.  Subsequently, you had a crash test conducted
using 5/8 inch plywood on the Big Buster and submitted the results on October
15, 2002.
Introduction
A brief description of the
crash-tested devices you requested modifications for are presented below:
A. Big Buster Sign Stand
with 48 x 48 inch aluminum sign. The vertical mast of this stand is
telescoping square aluminum tubes. The aluminum sign is mounted 66 inches above
the ground.
AS TESTED:
Component
Material
Height
  to top
Width
Thickness
WeightLegs
Aluminum
n/a
1.25 in
0.100 in
3 pounds ea.Outer
  Mast
Aluminum
n/a
1.50 in
0.100 in
3 poundsInner
  Mast
Aluminum
n/a
1.25 in
0.100 in
3 poundsSign
Aluminum
133 inches
48 x 48 in
0.080
16 poundsLight
none
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/aREQUESTED MODIFICATION:
Component
Material
Height
  to top
Width
Thickness
WeightSign
Aluminum
133 inches
48 x 48 in
0.100 in
20 poundsSign
Plywood
133 inches
48 x 48 in
2  in
24 poundsSign
Plywood
133 inches
48 x 48 in
5/8 in
30 poundsSigns
Aluminum
133 in min.
60 x 48 vert
0.080
20 poundsSigns
Plywood
133 in min.
60 x 48 vert
5/8 inch
37 pounds
In the testing detailed in
WZ-108 the device caused moderate damage to the windshield.  For that reason we requested a test with a
heavier sign. You had that test run with the following results:
Test
  Number
1Test
  Article
Big Buster Stand with 48x48 Plywood SignHeight
  to Bottom of Sign
66 inchesHeight
  to Top of Sign
3380 mm (133 inches)Flags
  or lights
Type A / Type C warning lightTest
  Article Mass (each)Vehicle
  Inertial Mass
874.4 kg  
  (1928 pounds)Impact
  Speed, Head-on
100.16 km/hr (62.25 mph)Impact
  Speed, 90 Deg.
99.36 km/hr (61.75 mph)Velocity
  Change, Head-on
0.2 m/secVelocity
  Change, 90 deg.
UnknownVehicle
  crush
NoneOccupant
  Compart. Intrusion
NoneWindshield
  Damage
Minor cracking near roof lineIn this test the signs
separated from the mast and rotated over the test vehicle with no contact.
Minor windshield damage resulted from the impact of the mast near the
roofline.  These results are acceptable.
B. Rubber Base Sign Stand
with Pinned Inner Mast, 48 x 48 inch aluminum sign and
B-Light.The
vertical mast of this stand was 1.75 x 1.75 inch square 16 gage steel tubing,
72 inches long.  The 0.080 inch aluminum signs weighed 16
pounds and was supported 12 inches above the ground.  The Type B warning light weighed 4.5 pounds and was attached to
the top of the mast using an Emco plastic flag bracket.
AS TESTED:
Component
Material
Height
  to top
Width
Thickness
WeightBase
Rubber
n/a
17 x 27 in
2 in
40 poundsMast
Steel
72  in
1.75 x 1.75 in
16 gage
9 poundsSign
Aluminum
80 in
48 x 48
0.080 in
16 poundsLight
Type B
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
REQUESTED MODIFICATION:
Component
Material
Height
  to top
Width
Thickness
WeightSign
Aluminum Laminate
80 in max.
48 x 48 in
2 mm
10 poundsSign
Corrugated Plastic
80 in max.
48 x 48 in
10 mm
8 poundsSign
Roll Up
80 in max
48 x 48
1/4 in thick horiz. rib
4 pounds
The stand performed in an
acceptable manner and was found acceptable in WZ-108.  The modifications substitute lighter substrates for the heavier
sign that was tested.  The lightweight
rigid substrates (aluminum laminate and corrugated plastic) are expected to
perform similar to or better than the tested aluminum sign.  Although a roll-up sign may impact a
windshield with a different pattern of force (i.e., the impact force will be
concentrated at the fiberglass ribs rather than being spread over a wider area
as in the lightweight rigid panels) there was no windshield contact exhibited
in the original test.  Therefore, the
potential for damage using the roll up sign would appear minimal.
C.  Sign Stand.  Rubber
Pole Base with 30 pound ballast, 36 x 36 inch aluminum sign, and light.  The vertical mast of this stand was 2 x 2
inch square 16 gage steel tubing, 66 inches long. The aluminum signs were
supported 18 inches above the ground.
AS TESTED:
Component
Material
Height
  to top
Width
Thickness
WeightBase
Rubber
n/a
16 x 18 in
2 inches
30 poundsMast
Steel
66 in long
2 inches
16 gage
9 poundsSign
0.080 Al
69 inches
36 x 36 in
0.080 in
9 poundsLight
Empco Light
78 inches
n/a
n/a
4.5 pounds
REQUESTED MODIFICATION:
Component
Material
Height
  to top
Width
Thickness
WeightSign
Aluminum Laminate
80 in max.
48 x 48 in
2 mm
10 poundsSign
Corrugated Plastic
80 in max.
48 x 48 in
10 mm
8 poundsSign
Roll Up
80 in max
48 x 48
1/4 in thick horiz. rib
4 pounds
As in the discussion for
request “B” above we expect that the lighter substrates will perform in an
acceptable manner. As the stand was
considered “marginally acceptable” with the solid aluminum sign, performance may
improve with the lighter signs.
D. Type 3 Plastic Barricade
with Plastic Posts and Pinned Rubber Bases, carrying a 48 x 48 inch diamond
sign.
You requested that a single
post sign stand using the same base, post, and sign substrate as was tested in
the Type III Barricade configuration be found acceptable.  We cannot agree to this as the sign stand
configuration is very different from the tested barricade.  Although it supports a sign in a similar
manner to the stands discussed in Sections B and C above, the plastic uprights
will not likely perform in the same manner as the acceptable perforated square
steel tube.  Low mounted sign stands
have been some of the most problematic work zone traffic control devices and
need to be crash tested.
SUMMARY:
The changes to the tested
devices described above in Sections A, B, and C are acceptable as noted
for use on the NHS under the range of conditions tested, when proposed by a
State.
The basic devices were
illustrated in our previous letter, WZ-108.
Please note the following standard
provisions that apply to 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 FHWA
and NCHRP Report 350.
To prevent
misunderstanding by others, this letter of acceptance, designated as number WZ
- 113 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.
Your company's devices
may include patented components and if so are considered
"proprietary."  The use of
proprietary work zone traffic control devices in Federal-aid projects is
generally of a temporary nature.  They
are selected by the contractor for use as needed and removed upon completion of
the project.  Under such conditions they
can be presumed to meet requirement "a" given below for the use of
proprietary products on Federal-aid projects. 
On the other hand, if proprietary devices are specified for use on
Federal-aid projects, except exempt, non-NHS projects, they: (a) must be
supplied through competitive bidding with equally suitable unpatented items;
(b) the highway agency must certify that they are essential for synchronization
with 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, copies of which have been provided with prior
correspondence.Sincerely yours,
Harry W. Taylor,
Acting
Director, Office of Safety Design U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

202-366-4000Subscribe to email updates
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