APR 4 !a89 

REFER TO: 

HNG-14 

John F. Boozer, III, P.E. 

Product Development Engineer 

Shakespeare Products Group 

Electronics and Fiberglass Division 

Route 3 P.0. Box 733 

Newberry, South Carolina 29108 

Dear Mr. Boozer: 

Your December 1, 1988, request for Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 

acceptance for use on Federal-aid highway projects of direct burial breakaway 

fiberglass light poles manufactured by your company has been reviewed. In 

support of this request you submitted four Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) 

reports (Project No. 06-2128), dated September 1988, containing pendulum tests 

on two different poles in "strong" soil. You submitted additional information 

on March 13 responding to specific questions we posed concerning design 

details of the poles. The supplemental information also included video tapes 

and reports of two tests in "weak" sail conducted at your company's facility. 

Your March 23 supplement covered calculations for using multiple mast arms. 

Instrumented 1,800-pound pendulums fitted with 10 stage crushable noses were 

used to perform the tests. The luminaire mounting heights for the SWRI tests 

were 40 and 30 feet for poles BC47-18N58K448W and BH35-18N58G20, respectively. 

The luminaire mounting heights for the tests at Shakespeare's facility were 40 

and 30 feet far pales BC47-18N5BK08 and 8H35-18N2BG20, respectively. The 

vertical shafts of the supports consisted of two sections, an above-ground 

section slipped inside and banded to a fiberglass sleeve base. The SWRItested poles were buried in NCHRP Sl (strong) soil and the Shakespeare-tested 

poles were buried in S2 (weak) soil. Embedment was up to the top of the 

sleeve base. The measured and extrapolated results from the tests are shown 

an enclosure 1. 

This information shows that the actual test and calculated changes in pendulum 

velocity and pale stub height meet provisions of Section 7 of the 1985 

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) 

"Standard Specifications for Structural Supports for Highway Signs, Luminaire 

and Traffic Signals." Therefore, the tested Shakespeare direct burial 

fiberglass light poles will be acceptable far use an Federal-aid projects if 

proposed by a State. The tested poles were representative of Shakespeare's 

line of direct burial breakaway light poles. Our acceptance is extended to 

include the following poles as detailed in your catalog: 

Acceptable Pole Series 

8H20 8H24 BH30 8H35 

8S30 8S35 

BX30 BX35 

BA41 BA47 

8830 8835 8841 8847 

BC30 BC35 BC41 8C47 
Enclosure 1 

Mounting 

Height 

Test DesigNumber nation Feet 

;I; 

BC47-lBN5BK44BW 40 

BC47-18N5BK44BW 40 

;:; 

BH35-lBN5BG20 

BH35-lBN5BG20 :: 

Inhouse-l BC47-lBN5BK08 40 

Inhouse- BH35-18N2BG20 30 

Pole 

Height 

cgtP:e, 

38.08 

38.08 

28.08 

28.08 

38.08 

28.08 

Butt lop Delta 

Diam Diam Velocity 

20 MPH 

Inches Inches FPS 

11.9 6.60 12.6 

11.9 6.60 11.0 

8.38 4.63 3.7 

8.38 4.63 4.0 

11.63 6.63 11.8 

8.25 4.9 8.83 

See "Spec Data" 

Sheet For Codes 

*Calculated N/A Not Available 

Delta V 

Velocity 

60 MPH* 

FPS 

8.9 

:*: 

314 

N/A 

N/A 

Stub 

Height 

Inches 
LS 6 cl CONT 

The tests were conducted using a single a-foot mast arm on each test pole 

while your catalog indicates up to four mast arms may be used. Our acceptance 

covers poles with one or two mast arms of lengths from 4 feet to 15 feet. 

Your calculations show that breakaway performance requirements are met even 

when using up to four 15-foot mast arms attached at 90 degrees apart around 

the pole, however, we are concerned that mast arms oriented parallel to the 

roadway might enter a vehicle after impact. This configuration should not be 

used in the highway environment unless subjected to further testing. 

The acceptance is limited to breakaway characteristics of the poles and does 

not cover their structural features. Presumably, you will supply potential 

users with sufficient information on structural design and installation 

requirements to ensure proper base performance. 

We anticipate that the States will require certification from Shakespeare that 

poles furnished have properties comparable to those used in the tests and that 

the Poles will meet the 1985 AASHTO change in velocity requirements as 

modified by the FHWA. 

Sincerely yours, 

Enclosure 

(/ L. A. Staron 

4 

,V Chief, Federal-Aid and Design Division 
U.S. Decmmllr 

of Tmnspwtokm 

Fedora nbghway 

Adnlhlistmtbn REFER TO: 

HNG-14 

John F. Boozer, III, P.E. 

Product Development Engineer 

Shakespeare Products Group 

Route 3, P.O. Box 733 

Newberry, South Carolina 29108 

Dear Mr. Boozer: 

This is in response to your letter of February 20 to Mr. Thomas 0. Willett in 

which you requested Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance of a 

45foot mounting height for your company's direct burial "BY series light 

poles. Our previous acceptance, dated April 4, 1989, included these 47-foot 

long poles, but the 'I-foot embedment limited the mounting height to 40 feet. 

You now propose to extend the mounting height of the BC-47 pole with a special 

mast arm to achieve the 4%foot height. 

In support of this request, you sent an analysis dated February 7 by 

Dr. Raymond P. Owings of Rhomicron, Inc., which assumes there would be no 

significant difference between poles in velocity change under 20 m.p.h. test 

conditions. This assumption is reasonable since pole dimensions have 

relatively little influence during low speed crashes--it is the breakaway 

mechanism itself which causes the greatest portion of the velocity change. 

The analysis indicated that the expected change,in velocity of a 1,800-pound 

car during a 60 m.p.h. test with an extended BC-47 pole would still be within 

the 16-foot-per-second limit recognized by FHWA. 

We, therefore, concur that the K-47 pole with a mast arm which increases 

the luminaire mounting height to 45 feet would be acceptable for use on 

Federal-aid projects, subject to the same limitations in our April 4, 1989, 

letter, a copy of which is enclosed for your reference. 

Sincerely yours, 

L. A. Staron 

Chief, Federal-Aid and Design Division 

Enclosure 
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REFER TO: 

HNG-14 

John F. Boozer, III, P.E. 

Product Development Engineer 

Shakespeare Products Group 

Route 3, P.O. Box 733 

Newberry, South Carolina 29108 

Dear Mr. Boozer: 

This is in response to your letter of February 20 to Mr. Thomas 0. Willett in 

which you requested Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance of a 

45foot mounting height for your company's direct burial "8C" series light 

poles. Our previous acceptance, dated April 4, 1989, included these 47-foot 

long poles, but the 7-foot embedment limited the mounting height to 40 feet. 

You now propose to extend the mounting height of the BC-47 pole with a special 

mast arm to achieve the 45foot height. 

In support of this request, you sent an analysis dated February 7 by 

Dr. Raymond P. Owings of Rhomicron, Inc., which assumes there would be no 

significant difference between poles in velocity change under 20 m.p.h. test 

conditions. This assumption is reasonable since pole dimensions have 

relatively little influence during low speed crashes--it is the breakaway 

mechanism itself which causes the greatest portion of the velocity change. 

The analysis indicated that the expected change in velocity of a 1,800-pound 

car during a 60 m.p.h. test with an extended BC-47 pole would still be within 

the 16-foot-per-second limit recognized by FHWA. 

We, therefore, concur that the BC-47 pole with a mast arm which increases 

the luminaire mounting height to 45 feet would be acceptable for use on 

Federal-aid projects, subject to the same limitations in our April 4, 1989, 

letter, a copy of which is enclosed for your reference. 

Sincerely yours, 

dL?& 

C. A. Staron 

Chief, Federal-Aid and Design Division 

Enclosure 
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