400 Seventh St.. S.W. 

Washington. D.C. 20590 

Refer to: HNG-14 

Rr. Yade Linnertz 

Design Engineer 

Hillerbernd Hanufacturing Coarpany 

Winsted, Minnesota 55395 

Dear Hr. Linnertz: 

Thank you for your August 11 and September 17 letters requesting acceptance of 

your company's lighting poles on your "HIGH" progressive shear breakaway bases 

4OC63 and 40C49. These bases were tested for compliance with the American 

Associati;;oof St:tetFighway and Transportatjon Officials (AASHTO) Standard 

SD c f1c ns fo 

Trif;ic Sianals 

S uctural Suooorts for H ahwav Siq s. Luminai es anx! 

dated 1985, at the Federal'Dutdoor Lipact Facility (FOIL.) 

The AASHTO speci+ications have been adopted, with minor modifications, by the 

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Your August 11 letter referenced the 

FOIL tests numbers 86FO67, 86FO68, 86F069, and 86FO70 and transmitted drawings 

of the bases and of the poles for which you requested acceptance, some of 

which were not crash tested. 

Because we were concerned that the pole shaft to base attachment on the 

untested poles was different from those actually tested, we were reluctant to 

accept them as you requested. After 5ome discussion with our office, you 

agreed to change the pole shaft to base attachment on the untested poles so 

that the attachment was the same as on the tested poles. You sent us revised 

drawings of the poles and bases with the September 17 letter. 

The test results are summarized here: 

Test Number 86FO67 I 86FO68 86FO69 86FO70 

Base Wumber 4oC63 40C49 

Bolt Circle Diam. mm (in) 432 (17) 381 (15) 

Mounting Ht. ana (ft) 15 636 (51.3) . 12 090 (39.7) 

Mast Arm Length, asa (ft) 1957 (6.42) 2082 (6.83) 

Total Mass, kg (weight,lbs) 177 .390) 136 (300) 

Test Speed, km/h (mph) 33.0 (20.5) 99.3 (61.7) 32.5 (20.2) 98.0 (60.9) 

Velocity Change m/s (fps) 2.96 (9.7) 3.11 (10.2) 1.86 (6.1) 2.68 (8.8) 
2

B

Technical notes: For all tests the poles were of stainless steel and the.

vehicle mass was 841 kg (weight, 1850 pounds). Because the breakaway action

consists of failing the rivets that connect the body of the base to the

foundation or base plate, the number of rivets must be strictly limited to

that used in the tested hardware. In addition, we assume that quality control

during fabrication limits the number, size, and penetration of the tack welds

to ensure that they are limited to those that will not affect breakaway.

Base number 4OC63 requires that the poles have a notch cut from each corner

that we assume is essential for breakaway performance.

The results, of these tests meet the change-in-velocity and stub-height

requirements adopted by the FHWA. The Millerbernd progressive shear bases

4OC63 and 4OC49 with the tested stainless steel poles are therefore acceptable

for use on projects on the National Highway Systems, within the range of

conditions tested, if proposed by a State.

Your letters also requested acceptance for using the same stainless steel

bases attached to carbon steel poles and self-weathering (COR-TEN A) poles.

The poles are compared below:

*Three combinations of mast arm length and mounting height. A table which relates the eight drawing numbers to the two bases, the two mounting

heights and the two mast arm lengths is included as an attachment to this document

Based upon the FOIL crash test results and the supplemental data you supplied

on the alternate pole materials, it is our opinion that the 401363 and 4OC49

progressive shear bases will perform in an acceptable manner when used with

the carbon steel and COR-TEN A steel poles shown on the drawings cited in the

table above. Therefore, these pole-base combinations are acceptable for use

on projects on the National Highway System (NHS), within the ran e of

conditions tested or described above, if proposed by a State. A though FOIL B

testing only used mast arms around 2000 mm long, arms of up to 2750 m m (9 ft.)
3 

l~mgrajr k used w-M the 18 360 mm (50 ft.) poles and arms of up to 3660 mm 

B 

(52,ft.t mey be used with, 12 200 IIBI (40 ft.) poles as you requested. 

Uraings tithetested bases'md'poTe combinations are enclosed, together with 

drawings of the bases combined with the carbon steel and CO&TEN A steel 

pQTes. 

Oa acceptance is Itmited to the breakaway characteristfcs of the systems and 

does not cover the structural features. Presumably, you will supply potentlal 

wrs with sufficient information on structural design end Installation 

requirements to ensure proper performance. We anticipate that the States will 

require certification from Millerbernd that the hardware furnished has 

essent.ialTy the sane chemistry, mechanical properties, and geometry as that 

used in the tests or the alternative material combinations as described above, 

and that the base-pole combinations will meet the FHWA change In velocity 

requirements. 

Because the Mllerbernd progressfve shear bases are proprtetary, to be used in 

Federal-aid projects on the NHS: (a) they must be supplfed through 

competitive bidding with equally suitable unpatented items; (b) the highway 

agency aust certify that they are essential for synchronization with existing 

highway facilities or that no equally suitable alternate 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 Tjtle 23, Code Qf Federal 

Regulations, Section 635.411, a copy of which is enclosed. 

10 Enclosures 

Sincerely yours, 

d .a.& 

Lawrence A. Staron 

Chief, Federal-Aid and Design Division 

Geometric and Roadside Design Acceptance L~ttor LS-34 
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Y/3 WY. HX NUTS 

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50,ooa *St HXN. YIELD a.sln A606 TYPf 4) 

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60,DGO ‘51 MIN. YELD MTER FMRXCA’IIDN 

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