July 1, 2002 

 HSA-10/B101 

Mr. Michael Adams 

Vice President Sales 

Rhino Safety Barrier LLC 

2500 Gaspar Avenue 

Whiting, Indiana 46394-2175 

Dear Mr. Adams: 

Mr. Edward Cooper’s April 23 letter to Mr. A. George Ostensen, transmitted copies 

of NCHRP Report 350 compliance tests of a water-filled polyethylene barrier 

conducted by MIRA Ltd. in the United Kingdom. Staff review of these reports 

revealed that they did not contain a detailed description of the test article or a 

narrative description of the tests themselves. Revised reports were later received, as 

was a detailed material specification sheet. Although the additional information was 

minimal, you provided detailed descriptions for the connecting bolt sizes and the 

material composition of the deflector strips on June 27. My staff was then able to 

complete its review of the design and testing of your Rhino traffic barrier. 

This barrier is 890-mm high and 690-mm wide at the base. It is made in 2-meter 

long sections of 9-mm thick polyethylene water-filled shells, reinforced with front 

and backside deflector strips and connected with steel-reinforced polyethylene pins 

and 11 gauge galvanized steel “bridging strips.” The deflector strips are made from 

low-density polyethylene with a wall thickness of 9 mm and filled with medium 

density polyurethane foam. The bridging strips span the joint between barrier 

segments and are connected to each other through the barrier with galvanized 

Grade 2 hex head bolts, 19-mm diameter bolts, 290-mm long, with a 100-mm 

minimum thread length. Each section is then filled with 350 liters of water. The test 

installation was 68-m long. Enclosure 1 shows the overall dimensions and major 

components of the Rhino barrier. 

NCHRP Report 350 test 2-11 was conducted on February 20, 2002. The 2000-kg 

pickup truck impacted the test installation approximately 18 meters from the 

upstream end at 69.2 km/h and 25 degrees. The truck was contained and redirected 

with relatively little damage to either the vehicle or the barrier segments. Barrier 

deflection was reported as 4.0 meters. Occupant impact velocity and ridedown 

accelerations were 3.67 m/s and 3.36 g’s, respectively. NCHRP Report 350 test 2-10, 

an 820-kg car impacting at 20 degrees, was successfully run much earlier, on May 

23, 2001. However, the barrier installation was different from the pickup truck test 

- no steel bridging strips were used. Due to the low occupant impact velocity and 
ridedown accelerations reported in this test, my staff concluded that the results 

would have remained acceptable if the strips had been installed. 

Based on our review of the information you provided, the Rhino barrier, with steel 

reinforced connecting pins, side deflector panels, and steel connector strips may be 

considered to be a test level 2 (TL-2) barrier under NCHRP Report 350 evaluation 

criteria and used on the National Highway System (NHS) when such use is deemed 

acceptable to the contracting agency. Since it is a proprietary product, its use on 

Federal-aid projects, except exempt, non-NHS projects, is subject to the conditions 

listed in Title 23, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 635.411, a copy of which is 

enclosed for your ready reference (Enclosure 2). 

 Sincerely yours, 

 (original signed by Harry W. Taylor) 

 for 

 Carol H. Jacoby, P.E. 

 Director, Office of Safety Design 

2 Enclosures