@

US Department 400 Seventh St. SW
of Transportation OCT 1 7 1996 Washington. D C. 20590
Federal Highway

Administration

Refer to: HNG-14

J. M. Essex, P.E.

Vice President, Sales

Energy Absorption Systems, Inc.
One East Wacker Drive

Chicago, Illinois 60601

Dear Mr. Essex:

My June 21 acceptance letter to Mr. Roger Egan restricted the use
of your QuadGuard impact attenuator to locations where reverse

direction hits were unlikely, pending development and testing of,
suitable transition designs. '

On October 3 Messrs. Bernard and Stevens provided members of my
staff with a copy of your October 1 letter to Mr. Gerald Eller,
which forwarded data on three reverse-direction crash tests that
were run on transition designs for use with the QuadGuard in
locations where reverse-direction hits are possible. In your
letter you requested the Federal Highway Administration's
acceptance of these specific designs. The test results are
documented in a report by E-TECH Testing Services, Inc. dated
September 1996 and entitled "NCHRP Report 350 Crash Test Results
for the QuadGuard Transitions." The specific tests run and their
results are shown as Enclosure 1. The two designs tested are
Enclosures 2 and 3.

Having reviewed these data, we have concluded that the tested,
reverse~direction transition designs satisfactorily meet the
evaluation criteria appropriate for a TL-3 appurtenance. Thus,
they are acceptable for use with the QuadGuard attenuator at
locations where reverse-direction impacts are possible. We noted
that the wood-post, w-beam transition was tested in a weak soil
and with rail on only one side of the posts, as in a roadside
(guardrail) installation. We consider this test as also
supporting acceptance of the wood-post, w-beam guardrail-
QuadGuard transition in strong soil and a comparable median
barrier-QuadGuard transition in either soil. It also supports
our acceptance, for use in either soil type, of a wood-post,
thrie-beam barrier transition to the QuadGuard in either a
guardrail configuration (as shown in Enclosure 4) or a median
barrier configuration.


t= .000 SEC

(= FINAL

Overhead View

Test Article - Side View

Installation Length, (m)

‘Size and/or dimension and material

of key clements

Foundation Type aad Coadition

Test Vehicle

Gross Static.
Impact Conditions

E-TECH Testing Services, Inc.

159-058
M96

Energy Absorption Systems
Quad Guard CZ system
6.4

6 bay system, 7 energy
absorbing cartridges

Sm Asphalt Concrete, .15m
Compacted Subbase

Production Model
2000P

1974 Chevrolet
3/4Ton Pickup

2036
2037
N/A

2037

Exit conditions
Speed (km/h)
Angle (deg)

Occupant RiskV:

PHD (optional)
ASI (optional).
Test Article Deflections (m)

Vehicle Damage
Exterior
vps
coc
Interior
OCDI ...

Post-Impact Vehicular Behavior (deg)

Maximum Roll Angle
Maximum Pitch Angle
Maximum Yaw Angle

Figure 2. Summary of Results - QuadGuardTM CZ Test 159-058

64.80

TAS
7.62

46.72
8.54
1091
13.59
148

NIA
N/A
LFQ6
1ILDEW2
LE0O10000
-129

3.35
3207


We noted that in the test of the concrete-safety-shape-to-
QuadGuard transition the concrete safety shape was reinforced and
anchored to prevent movement. An equivelant design must be used
in the field to ensure satisfactory performance.

In summary, the QuadGuard may now be used on the National Highway
System, when requested by a highway agency, in bi-directional
applications with a wood-post, w-beam or thrie-beam guardrail or
median barrier in either strong or weak soil or with an
adequately reinforced and anchored vertical-face (as shown in
Enclosure 5) or safety-shape concrete barrier when an appropriate
one of the previously described transition designs is used.

By copy of this letter, the FHWA field offices will be informed
of our action. Please address any questions or comments to
Mr. James Hatton at (202) 366-1329.

Sincerely yours,

Seppo I. Sillan, Acting Chief
Federal-Aid and Design Division

5 Enclosures

Lv
Supplement to Geometric and Sa

fety D
Letter cc-35 (cc-358) ¥ Design Group Acceptance


Q

US. Department

400 Seventh St. S.W
of Transportation Washington, DC. 20590
Federal Highway
Administration AUG 5 1996

Refer to: HNG-14

Mr. Roger N. Egan

Senior Vice President

Sales & Marketing

Energy Absorption Systems, Inc.
One East Wacker Drive

Chicago, Illinois 60601

Dear Mr. Egan:

In your June 24 letter to Mr. Gerald L. Eller, you requested the
Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) acceptance of the
QuadGuard CZ for use as a temporary crash cushion in work zones.
You stated that the QuadGuard C% is essentially identical to that
used in a permanent installation except for its anchoring system.
Based on an analysis of the full-scale crash tests conducted to
certify the permanent QuadGuard as a National Cooperative Highway
Research Program Report 350 TL-3 attenuator, you concluded that
test 3-37 (2000-kg pickup truck at 100 km/h impacting at

20 degrees at the beginning of the attenuator length of need)
would be the most severe test of the anchoring system. The

test 3-37 was successfully run and reported in "Quad Guard CZ
Anchoring Test" prepared by Mr. John V. Machado and dated

June 17, Revision A. The specific anchoring system used was the
"MP-3 Longbolt System," which uses a two-part polyester grout to
anchor 20-mm diameter x 460-mm long threaded rods to a foundation
of 150-mm deep asphalt over a 150-mm deep compacted subbase. The
rods are to be embedded to a minumum depth of 410 mm in 22-mm
diameter drilled holes. A total of 50 anchors are needed. The
anchor system is shown in Figure 1 and the summary test results
are shown in Figure 2.

Based on the test results, we conclude that the QuadGuard CZ
qualifies as a TL-3 attenuator when anchored as tested. When
used in a location subject to reverse-direction impacts, a crash-
tested transition design should be used to prevent snagging on
the back end of the QuadGuard unit. Subject to the foregoing,
the QuadGuard CZ may be used on projects on the National Highway
System (NHS) when requested by a State agency. Since the
QuadGuard CZ is a proprietary device, its use on Federal-Aid


projects, except exempt, non-NHS projects, is subject to the
conditions stated in Title 23 Code of Federal Regulations,
Section 635.411.

Sincerely yours,

Dawid het

fr Seppo I. Sillan, Acting Chief
| Federal-Aid and Design Division
J

2 Enclosures

Supplement to Geometric and Roadside Design Acceptance
Letter Cc-35 {cc - 354)


QuadGuardTM CZ

MP-3 Longbolt System - 3/4" X 18" Threaded Rod
/ Two Part Polyester Grout

L EL y

Asphalt et, EL ¥ > 1

~ oe Hoot 15m

“ay 2 : t

Compacted 4a 2 }
Subbase 4 2 15m
: H

Soil

Figure 1. Anchoring Details - QuadGuardTM CZ Test 159-058