0 

U.S. Department 

of Transportation 

Federal Highway 

Administration 

May 12, 2021

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

In Reply Refer To: 

HSST-1/ CC-166 

Mr. Roberto Impero 

Industry AMS srl 

Via Dante Giacosa 

Marcianise (CE), 81025 

Italy 

Dear Mr. Impero: 

This letter is in response to your February 24, 2021 request for the Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA) to review a roadside safety device, hardware, or system for eligibility 

for reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program. This FHWA letter of eligibility is 

assigned FHWA control number CC-166 and is valid until a subsequent letter is issued by 

FHWA that expressly references this device. 

Decision 

The following device is eligible within the length-of-need, with details provided in the form 

which is attached as an integral part of this letter: 

• Ermes End Terminal 

Scope of this Letter 

To be found eligible for Federal-aid funding, new roadside safety devices should meet the crash 

test and evaluation criteria contained in the American Association of State Highway and 

Transportation Officials’(AASHTO) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH). 

However, the FHWA, the Department of Transportation, and the United States Government do 

not regulate the manufacture of roadside safety devices. Eligibility for reimbursement under the 

Federal-aid highway program does not establish approval, certification or endorsement of the 

device for any particular purpose or use. 

This letter is not a determination by the FHWA, the Department of Transportation, or the United 

States Government that a vehicle crash involving the device will result in any particular 

outcome, nor is it a guarantee of the in-service performance of this device. Proper 

manufacturing, installation, and maintenance are required in order for this device to function as 

tested. 

This finding of eligibility is limited to the crashworthiness of the system and does not cover other 

structural features, nor conformity with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. 
 

 

2 

Eligibility for Reimbursement 

Based solely on a review of crash test results and certifications submitted by the manufacturer, 

and the crash test laboratory, FHWA agrees that the device described herein meets the crash test 

and evaluation criteria of the AASHTO’s MASH. Therefore, the device is eligible for

reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program if installed under the range of tested 

conditions. 

Name of system: Ermes End Terminal 

Type of system: Crash Cushion 

Test Level: MASH Test Level 3 (TL3) 

Testing conducted by: CSI SpA 

Date of request: February 24, 2021 

FHWA concurs with the recommendation of the accredited crash testing laboratory on the 

attached form. 

Full Description of the Eligible Device 

The device and supporting documentation, including reports of the crash tests or other testing 

done, videos of any crash testing, and/or drawings of the device, are described in the attached 

form. 

Notice 

This eligibility letter is issued for the subject device as tested. Modifications made to the device 

are not covered by this letter. Any modifications to this device should be submitted to the user 

(i.e., state DOT) as per their requirements. 

You are expected to supply potential users with sufficient information on design, installation and 

maintenance requirements to ensure proper performance. 

You are expected to certify to potential users that the hardware furnished has the same chemistry, 

mechanical properties, and geometry as that submitted for review, and that it will meet the test 

and evaluation criteria of AASHTO’s MASH.

Issuance of this letter does not convey property rights of any sort or any exclusive privilege. This 

letter is based on the premise that information and reports submitted by you are accurate and 

correct. We reserve the right to modify or revoke this letter if: (1) there are any inaccuracies in 

the information submitted in support of your request for this letter, (2) the qualification testing 

was flawed, (3) in-service performance or other information reveals safety problems, (4) the 

system is significantly different from the version that was crash tested, or (5) any other 

information indicates that the letter was issued in error or otherwise does not reflect full and 

complete information about the crashworthiness of the system. 
3 

Standard Provisions 

• To prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of eligibility designated as FHWA 

control number CC-166 shall not be reproduced except in full. This letter and the test 

documentation upon which it is based are public information. All such letters and 

documentation may be reviewed upon request. 

• This letter shall not be construed as authorization or consent by the FHWA to use, 

manufacture, or sell any patented system for which the applicant is not the patent holder. 

• This FHWA eligibility letter is not an expression of any Agency view, position, or 

determination of validity, scope, or ownership of any intellectual property rights to a 

specific device or design. Further, this letter does not impute any distribution or licensing 

rights to the requester. This FHWA eligibility letter determination is made based solely 

on the crash-testing information submitted by the requester. The FHWA reserves the 

right to review and revoke an earlier eligibility determination after receipt of subsequent 

information related to crash testing. 

Sincerely, 

Michael S. Griffith 

Director, Office of Safety Technologies 

Office of Safety 

Enclosures 
Version 9.1 {11/15) 

Page 1 of 5 

Request for Federal Aid Reimbursement Eligibility 

ofHighway Safety Hardware 

Date of Request: February 24, 2021 I @New  Resubmission

Name: Roberto lmpero 

... 

CII 

t:·e 

.Cl 

::1 

Ill 

Company: 

Aaaress: 

Country: 

Industry AMS srl 

Via Dante Giacosa, Marcianise (CE), 81025 

Italy 

To: Micha el S. Griffith, Di rector 

FHWA, Office of Safety Technologfes 

I request the following devices be considered eligible for reimbursement under the Federal-aid 

highway program. 

~ 

System Type Submission Type Device Name/ Variant Testing Criterion Test 

Level 

'CC': Crash Cushions, 

Attenuators, & Terminals 

@Physical Crash Testing 

 Engineering Analysis

Ermes End Terminal 

AASHTOMASH TL3 

By submitting this request for review and evaluation by the Federal Highway Administration, I certify 

that the product(s) was {were) tested in conformity with the AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety 

Hardware and that the evaluation results meet the appropriate evaluation criteria in the MASH. 

Identification of the individual or organization responsible for the product: 

Contact Name: Roberto lmpero Same as Submitter 

Company Name: lhdu.stry AMS srl Same as Submitter 

Address: Via Dante Giacosa, Marcianise (CE), 81025 Same as Submitter 

Country: Italy Same as Submitter 

Enter below all disclosures of financial interests as required by the FHWA "Federal-Aid Reimbursement 

Eligibility Process for Safety Hardware Devices' document. 

Subject: Disclosure offinancial interest 

CSI Spa, is an indipendent research and testing laboratory having no affiliation with any other entity. The 

principals and staff of CSI Spa have no past o present financial. contractual or organizational interest in any 

company or entity directly or indirectly related to the products that CSI Spa tests. 
Version 9.1 (11/15) 

Page 2 of 5 

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 

New Hardware or Modification to 

 Significant Modification  Existing Hardware 

Product Description 

Ermes End Terminal is a fully-redirective, non-gating End Terminal tested according to MASH-16 criteria. It has a 

fontal trolley unit that allows a controlled deformation, a collapsable beam made up of a 10 modules that crush 

in a frontal impact to absorb energy and stop the vehicle in a controlled manner, and side steel tubolar for side 

impact. The unit is a 19.4 feet (5.92m) long, 11.41 inches (0.29) wide and 350 inches (0.817ml high. 

CRASH TESTING 

A brief description of each crash test and its result: 

Required Test 

Number 

Narrative 

Description Evaluation Results 

3-30 (ll00C) 

Complete test report 0004\ME\HRB\21 - CSI Spa. 

Test 3-30 Involves a 11 00C passenger car impacting the end 

terminal at a nominal impact speed of 100 km/h (62.2 mph) 

and an impact at 0 degrees with the quarter point ofthe 

vehicle aligned with the center line of the Ermes End Terminal. 

This test is preliminary intended to evaluate occupant risk and 

vehicle trajectory criteria. For this test a Kia Rio Impacted the 

Ermes End Terminal at an angle of 0 degrees. Upon impact the 

vehicle forced the trolley rearward and began to collapse the 

beam modules. The End Terminal brought the vehicle to a 

controlled stop. The test vehicle sustained damage to its front 

ehd. The occupant compartment was not penetrated and the 

deformation was within allowable limits. The maximum roll 

and pitch angles did not exceed 75 deg. and the occupant risk 

values were within limits of the MASH specification for OIV 

and ORA. Ermes End Terminal passed all evaluation criteria for 

test 3-30. 

PASS 

3-31 (2270P) 

Complete test report 0081_ME_HRB_ 18 - CSI Spa. 

Test 3-31 involves a 2270P pick up truck impacting the End 

Terminal at a nominal impact speed of 1 00m/h (62.2 mph) 

and a impact at 0 degrees with the center line ofthe End 

Terminal. This test is preliminary intended to evaluate the 

capacity of the End Terminal to stop the vehicle in a safe and 

controlled manner. For this test, a Dodge Ram 1500 impacted 

the Ermes End Terminal at an angle of 0 degrees. Upon the 

impact the vehicle forced the Ermes trolley rearward and 

began to collapse the beam module. The End Terminal 

brought the vehicle to a controlled stop. The test vehicle 

sustained damage to its front end. The occupant 

compartment was not penetrated and the deformation was 

within allowable limits. The maximum roll and pitch angles 

did not exceed 7Sdeg. and the occupant risk values were 

within limits for MASH specifications for OIV and ORA. Ermes 

End Terminal passed all evaluation criteria for test TL 3.31 

PASS 
Version 9.1 (11/15) 

Page 3 of 5 

Required Test 

Number 

3-32 (11 00C) 

3-33 (2270P) 

3-34 (11 00C) 

Narrative 

Description 

Complete test report 0001 \ME\HRB\21 - CSI Spa. 

Test 3-32 involves a 11 00C passenger car impacting the end 

terminal at a nominal impact speed of 100 km/h(62.2 mph) 

and an impact at 15 degrees with the center line of the Ermes 

End Terminal. This test is preliminary intended to evaluate 

occupant risk and vehicle trajectory criteria. For this test a Kia 

Rio impacted the Ermes End Terminal at an angle of 15 

degrees. Upon impact the vehicle forced the trolley rearward 

and began to collapse the beam modules. The End Terminal 

brought the vehicle to a controlled stop. The test vehicle 

sustained damage to its front end. The occupant 

compartment was not penetrated and the deformation was 

within allowable limits. The maximum roll and pitch angles 

did not exceed 75 deg. and the occupant risk values were 

within limits ofthe MASH specification for OIV and ORA. 

Ermes End Terminal passed all evaluation criteria for test 3-32. 

Complete test report 0097\ME\HRB\ 18 - CSI Spa. 

Test TL 3-33 involves a 2270 pick up truck impacting the End 

Terminal at a nominal impact speed of 100 km/h (62.2 mph) 

and an impact at 15 degrees with the centerline of the vehicle 

aligned with the center line of the End Terminal. This test is 

preliminary intended to evaluate occupant risk and vehicle 

trajectory and the capacity of the end terminal to stop the 

vehicle in a controlled manner for an oblique impact. For this 

test a Dodge Ram 1500 impacted Ermes End Terminal. Upon 

impact the vehicle forced the Ermes trolley rearward and 

began to collapse the beam modules. The end terminal 

brought the vehicle to a controlled stop. The test vehicle 

sustained damage to its front end. The occupant 

compartement was not penetrated and the deformation was 

within allowable limits. The maximum pitch and roll angles 

did not exceed 7Sdeg. and the occupant risk values were 

within limits for MASH specification for OIV and ORA. Ermes 

end Terminal passed all evaluation criteria for test 3-33. 

Complete test report 0003\ME\HRB\21 - CSI Spa. 

Test 3-34 involves a 11 00C passenger car impacting the end 

terminal at a nominal impact speed of 1 00km/h (62.2 mph) 

and an impact at 15 degrees with the CIP at the point where 

the end terminal behavior changes from capturing to 

redirective. For this test a Kia Rio impacted the Ermes End 

Terminal at an angle of 15 deg. The impact point was 

downstream the trolley. Upon the impact the vehicle was 

smoothly redirected. The test vehicle sustained damage to its 

right front corner, doors and rear quarter panel. The occupant 

compartment was within allowable limits. The maximum roll 

and pitch angles did not exceed 75deg. and the occupant risk 

values were within allowable limits for MASH specification for 

OIVand ORA. Ermes End Terminal passed all evaluation 

criteria for test 3-34. 

Evaluation Results 

PASS 

PASS 

PASS 
Version 9.1 (11/15) 

Page 4 of 5 

3-35 (2270P) 

Complete test report 0126\ME\HRB\18--CSI Spa. 

Test 3-35 involves a 2270P pick up impacting the Ermes End 

Term inal at a nominal impact speed at 1 OOkm/h (6 2.2mph) 

and a 2Sdegreeswith the ( IP at the point where the End 

Terminal behavior cha nges from capturing to redlrective.This 

test Is preliml na'ry intended to evaluate the capacity for the 

end terminal for redirection/containment of heavy vehides. 

For this tes-t a Chevrolet Silverado Impacted Ermes End 

Terminal at an angle of 25 degrees.The impact point was 

located downstream the troll ey and very close to the nos e. 

Upon the impac1 the vehicle was smootly re directed. The test 

vehicle su stained damage to its left front comer, doo rs and 

rear quarter panel. The occupant compartment was within 

allowable limits. The maximum roll and pitch angles did not 

exceed 75deg. and the occupant risk values were within limits 

for MASH specification for OIV and ORA. Ermes end terminal 

passed all evaluation ctireria for test 3-35. 

In order to evaluate the behavior of the transition between 

end terminal end rear barrier, was also perfomed a test 

described in 0098\ME\HRB\ 18. In this test a Chevrolet 

Silverado Impact the End Terminal at the point where the 

center line of the pick up intersect the center tine of the 

backup structure of the terminal. In this point Is located the 

transition piece between end terminal end barrier. During the 

test was intalled a MASH tested barrier. 

PASS 

3-36 (2270P) Ermes End Terminal is not attached to a rigid barrier. Non-Critical, not conducted 

3-3 7 (2270P) Ermes End Terminal Is not Installed in reverse impact 

~ondition. Non-Critical, not conducted 

3-38 (1500A) Numerical Simulation was performed on Ermes End Terminal Non-Critical, not conducted 

3-40 (llOOC) Test for non-redirective end terminal, NOT APPLICABLE Non-Critical, not conducted 

3-41 (2270P) Test for non-redirective end terminal, NOT APPLICABLE Non-Critical, not conducted 

3-42 (1100C) Test for non-redirective end terminal, NOT APPLICABLE Non-Crltlcal, not conducted 

3-43 (2270P) Test for non-redlrective end terminal, NOT APPLICABLE Non-Critical, not conducted 

3-44 (2270P) Test for non-redirective end terminal, NOT APPLICABLE Non-Critical, not conducted 

3-45 (1500A) rest for non-redirectlve end terminal, NOT APPLICABLE Non-Critical. not conducted 

Full Scale Crash Testing was done in compliance with MASH by the following accredited crash test 

laboratory (cite the laboratory's accreditation status as noted in the crash test reports.) : 

Laboratory Name: 

Labomo,y Sjgnatun!: 

Address: 

eoumrv: 

Vlalelambardla 20-&llate•MI 

rtaly 

Same as Submitter 

Same as SubmltW 

Ac:m!ditatlon Certificate 

Number iiJl'l d Oates of current 

Accreditation perfod : 

Accredla 0006 rev.OS E11Pifing Oate: 08-03-2-4 
Version 9.1 (11/15) 

Page 5 of 5 

Submitter Signature*: 

 ]

ATTACHMENTS 

Attach to this form: 

1) Additional disclosures ofrelated financial interest as indicated above. 

2) A copy ofthe full test report, video, and a Test Data Summary Sheet for each test conducted in 

support ofthis request 

3) A drawing or drawings of the device(s) that conform to the TaskForce-13 Drawing Specifications 

H dw r · e D awin, Stand ds). For proprietary products, a single isometric line drawing is 

usually acceptable to illustrate the product, with detailed specifications, intended use, and contact 

information provided on the reverse. Additional drawings (not in TF-13 format) showing details that 

are relevant to understanding the dimensions and performance ofthe device should also be submitted 

to facilitate our review. 

FHWA Official Business Only: 

Eligibility Letter AASHTOTF13 

Number Date I Designator Key Words 

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