National Academies Press: OpenBook

Aesthetic Concrete Barrier Design (2006)

Chapter: Front Matter

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2006. Aesthetic Concrete Barrier Design. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13888.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2006. Aesthetic Concrete Barrier Design. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13888.
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T R A N S P O R T A T I O N R E S E A R C H B O A R D WASHINGTON, D.C. 2006 www.TRB.org NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM NCHRP REPORT 554 Research Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in Cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration SUBJECT AREAS Highway and Facility Design Aesthetic Concrete Barrier Design D. LANCE BULLARD, JR. NAUMAN M. SHEIKH ROGER P. BLIGH REBECCA R. HAUG JAMES R. SCHUTT BEVERLY J. STOREY Texas Transportation Institute College Station, TX

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM Systematic, well-designed research provides the most effective approach to the solution of many problems facing highway administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local interest and can best be studied by highway departments individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transportation develops increasingly complex problems of wide interest to highway authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research. In recognition of these needs, the highway administrators of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials initiated in 1962 an objective national highway research program employing modern scientific techniques. This program is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of the Association and it receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration, United States Department of Transportation. The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies was requested by the Association to administer the research program because of the Board’s recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. The Board is uniquely suited for this purpose as it maintains an extensive committee structure from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; it possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal, state and local governmental agencies, universities, and industry; its relationship to the National Research Council is an insurance of objectivity; it maintains a full-time research correlation staff of specialists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those who are in a position to use them. The program is developed on the basis of research needs identified by chief administrators of the highway and transportation departments and by committees of AASHTO. Each year, specific areas of research needs to be included in the program are proposed to the National Research Council and the Board by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Research projects to fulfill these needs are defined by the Board, and qualified research agencies are selected from those that have submitted proposals. Administration and surveillance of research contracts are the responsibilities of the National Research Council and the Transportation Research Board. The needs for highway research are many, and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program can make significant contributions to the solution of highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is intended to complement rather than to substitute for or duplicate other highway research programs. Note: The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research Council, the Federal Highway Administration, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and the individual states participating in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of this report. Published reports of the NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from: Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet at: http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore Printed in the United States of America NCHRP REPORT 554 Project 22-19 ISSN 0077-5614 ISBN 0-309-08849-6 Library of Congress Control Number 2005938042 © 2006 Transportation Research Board Price $34.00 NOTICE The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the Governing Board of the National Research Council. Such approval reflects the Governing Board’s judgment that the program concerned is of national importance and appropriate with respect to both the purposes and resources of the National Research Council. The members of the technical committee selected to monitor this project and to review this report were chosen for recognized scholarly competence and with due consideration for the balance of disciplines appropriate to the project. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied are those of the research agency that performed the research, and, while they have been accepted as appropriate by the technical committee, they are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, or the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Each report is reviewed and accepted for publication by the technical committee according to procedures established and monitored by the Transportation Research Board Executive Committee and the Governing Board of the National Research Council.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished schol- ars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and techni- cal matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Acad- emy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achieve- ments of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Acad- emy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both the Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. William A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board is a division of the National Research Council, which serves the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. The Board’s mission is to promote innovation and progress in transportation through research. In an objective and interdisciplinary setting, the Board facilitates the sharing of information on transportation practice and policy by researchers and practitioners; stimulates research and offers research management services that promote technical excellence; provides expert advice on transportation policy and programs; and disseminates research results broadly and encourages their implementation. The Board’s varied activities annually engage more than 5,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org

COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS STAFF FOR NCHRP REPORT 554 ROBERT J. REILLY, Director, Cooperative Research Programs CRAWFORD F. JENCKS, Manager, NCHRP CHARLES W. NIESSNER, Senior Program Officer EILEEN P. DELANEY, Director of Publications NATALIE BARNES, Editor BETH HATCH, Editor NCHRP PROJECT 22-19 Field of Design—Area of Vehicle Barrier Systems MARK J. BLOSCHOCK, Texas DOT (Chair) KEITH ROBINSON, California DOT NORMAN W. GARRICK, University of Connecticut DON J. GRIPNE, Trinity Industries, Inc., Olympia, WA RICHARD D. LAND, California DOT DOUGLAS E. MCCLURE, South Carolina DOT RICHARD D. POWERS, FHWA HOWARD R. RESSEL, New York State DOT PRISCILLA TOBIAS, Illinois DOT HARRY W. TAYLOR, JR., FHWA Liaison STEPHEN F. MAHER, TRB Liaison

This report contains guidelines for aesthetic treatment of concrete safety shape barri- ers. The report will be of particular interest to design and safety practitioners with responsibility for roadside safety improvements. The increasing application of context-sensitive design solutions for highway projects has created a national need for aesthetic improvement of typical highway features. Requests for concrete barrier treatments and bridge rails that contribute to the overall aesthetic experience are increasing. Concrete barriers (e.g., New Jersey, F-shapes, single-slope, and vertical-face designs) are often the barriers of choice in urban and sub- urban environments. Many transportation agencies and communities have expressed a desire for aesthetic treatments for these standard shapes. To date, there has been limited evaluation to determine which aesthetic treatments are safe and practical. Designers need guidance regarding the safety implications of aes- thetic treatments for concrete barriers. Under NCHRP Project 22-19, “Aesthetic Concrete Barrier and Bridge Rail Design,” the Texas Transportation Institute developed design guidelines for aesthetic safety shape (New Jersey and F-shape profile) concrete barriers. In Phase I, the research team identified the features and methods that contribute to the aesthetics of longitudinal traffic barriers and the aesthetic experience provided by the roadway. The research team conducted a literature review, surveyed U.S. and foreign sources for examples of aesthetic longitudinal traffic barriers, and reviewed existing test results and ongoing research to assess the crashworthiness of the aesthetic concrete bar- riers and see-through bridge rails. At an interim meeting, the project panel and researchers agreed that the work to develop specific designs for see-through bridge rails should not continue. Also, after the initiation of this project, a California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) study developed guidelines for single-slope and vertical-face concrete barriers. Thus the focus of research under NCHRP Project 22-19 shifted to developing guidelines for aesthetic treatment of safety shape barriers only. In Phase II, the research team conducted a finite element simulation pilot study, per- formed model validation, and developed a surrogate measure of occupant compartment deformation. Further finite element simulations were performed to develop preliminary design guidelines in terms of asperity depth, width, and angle of inclination. Based on these preliminary guidelines, a crash test plan was developed, in which the outcome of one test determined the configuration evaluated in a subsequent test. Results of the crash tests performed were used in conjunction with the preliminary guidelines developed through simulation to develop final design guidelines for aesthetic treatment of safety shape concrete barriers. For the convenience of an aesthetic designer, guidelines developed for safety shape barriers in this research and the guidelines previously developed by the FHWA and Cal- FOREWORD By Charles W. Niessner Staff Officer Transportation Research Board

trans for stone masonry guardrails and for single-slope and vertical-face concrete barri- ers, respectively, were consolidated into a single set of design guidelines. Designers now have sufficient guidelines to apply aesthetic treatments to various types of barriers.

1 CHAPTER 1 Introduction Research Problem Statement, 1 Research Objective, 1 2 CHAPTER 2 State of the Practice Review of the Literature, 2 Summary of Literature Review, 3 Survey of State DOTs, 4 Survey of U.S. and International Crash Test Laboratories, 5 16 CHAPTER 3 Considerations for Developing an Aesthetic Barrier Developing a Definition for Aesthetics, 16 Changing the Aesthetics of a Longitudinal Concrete Traffic Barrier, 17 Design Techniques, 17 Factors Affecting Design, 17 Applications, 18 Viewer Preference Survey, 23 Assessment, 29 Aesthetic Design Discussion, 29 30 CHAPTER 4 Aesthetic Concrete Barrier Design Guideline Development Objective, 30 Overall Summary of the Development Approach, 30 32 CHAPTER 5 Simulation and Preliminary Aesthetic Design Guideline Development Introduction, 32 Pilot Study and Finite Element Model Validation, 33 Generalized Surface Asperity Definition, 47 Preliminary Aesthetic Design Guidelines, 48 56 CHAPTER 6 Crash Testing and Further Evaluation of Preliminary Aesthetic Design Guidelines Crash Test Conditions and Evaluation Criteria, 56 Selection Considerations for Crash Test Configurations, 57 Crash Test 1 (474630-1), 59 Crash Test 2 (474630-2), 59 Crash Test 3 (474630-3), 60 Crash Test 4 (474630-4), 60 Crash Test 5 (474630-5), 62 Crash Test 6 (474630-6), 62 Crash Test 7 (474630-7), 64 66 CHAPTER 7 Final Design Guidelines Guidelines for Aesthetic Surface Treatments of Safety Shape Concrete Barriers, 66 Comparison with Guidelines for Single-Slope and Vertical-Face Barriers and Stone Masonry Guardwalls, 66 70 CHAPTER 8 Conclusions 71 REFERENCES A-1 APPENDIX Guidelines for Aesthetic Barrier Design CONTENTS

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TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 554: Aesthetic Concrete Barrier Design provides guidance for the aesthetic treatment of concrete safety shape barriers.

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