Pendulum Testing of an FRP Composite Guardrail: FOIL Test Numbers 96P019 Through 96P023, 97P001, and 97P002 Test rept. Aug 96-Jan 97

摘要

This report contains the test procedures used and the test results from seven pendulum crash tests performed at the Federal Outdoor Impact Laboratory (FOIL) located at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC). The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), together with the Catholic University of America (CUA), have been investigating the use of a fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) material in guardrail applications. The FRP material would be used in the design of a rail element as opposed to the conventional steel w-beam in use today. The FHWA's FOIL 820-kg pendulum facility was used to conduct the seven dynamic impact tests on FRP rails designed and fabricated by CUA. Three 2440-mm-long and four 3660-mm-long FRP composite rail specimens were delivered to the FOIL. The nominal weight of the FOIL pendulum with a rigid nose assembly was 912 kg. This report (FHWA-RD-98-017) contains test data, photographs taken with high-speed film, and a summary of the test results. The tests were conducted at nominal speeds ranging from 20 km/h to 35 km/h.