Tracking the energy in an energy absorbing guardrail terminal

摘要

Energy absorbing guardrail terminals smoothly and controllably decelerate errant vehicles that impact one of these systems. These types of terminals are gaining wide acceptance and appear to offer very good safety performance. When a vehicle impacts a Sequential Kinking Terminal (SKT), the majority of the kinetic energy is absorbed by the kinking of the guardrail (approximately 55 of the energy), and by the fiction between the guardrail and the impact head during the kinking process (slightly less than 20 of the energy). If significantly different behavior of the terminal is desired, such as higher or lower rates of energy absorption, then design modifications should concentrate on the kinking process and not on, say, the post breaking mechanisms or other phenomena occurring during the impact event