Testing of State Roadside Safety Systems Volume XIV: Appendix M - Laboratory and Pendulum Testing of Modified Breakaway Wooden Posts (FHWA-RD-96-)

The purpose of this study is to crash test and evaluate new or modified roadside safety hardware and, where necessary, redesig the devices to improve their impact performance. The three major areas addressed in this study are the impact performance of bridge railings, transitions from guardrails to bridge railings, and end treatments for guardrails and median barriers.|This report presents the results of laboratory and pendulum tests conducted on a new breakaway wooden post design intended for use with a modified MELT terminal. The new post design incorporates longitudinal slots cut into a standard MELT end post, both above and below the post bolt slot. A total of 12 laboratory tests were first conducted to determine the optimal slot lengths to be used. Upon selection of the optimal slot lengths, one pendulum test was conducted to assess the capacity of the new posts as anchorage for the MELT terminal. An additional 30 pendulum tests were then conducted to assess the breakaway characteristics of the new end post end those of a modified line post with a similar design.|This volume is the fourteenth in a series of 14 volumes forming the final report. The other volumes in the series are: Volume - Technical Report; Volume II, Appendix A - Crash Testing and Evaluation of a Michigan Thrie-Beam Transition Design; Volume III, Appendix B - Development and Crash Testing of a Guardrail System for Low-Fill Culvert; Volume IV, Appendix C - Crash Testing and Evaluation of a Pennsylvania Transition Design; Volume V, Appendix D - Crash Testing and Evaluation of a Washington, D. C. PL-1 Bridge Rail Design; Volume VI, Appendix E - Crash Testing and Evaluation of a Modified Breakaway Cable Terminal (BCT) Design; Volume VII, Appendix F - Crash Testing and Evaluation of a Minnesota SwingAway Mail Box Support Design; Volume VIII, Appendix G - Crash Testing and Evaluation of a Single Slope Bridge Rail; Volume IX, Appendix H - Crash Testing and Evaluation of a NETC PL-2 Bridge Rail Design; Volume X, Appendix I - Crash Testing and Evaluation of a Mini-MELT Terminal for a W-Beam Weak-Post (G2) Guardrail System; Volume XI, Appendix J Crash Testing and Evaluation of Existing Guardrail Systems; Volume XII, Appendix K- Crash Testing and Evaluation of the MELT Terminal; and Volume XIII, Appendix L - Crash Testing and Evaluation of the Modified MELT Terminal.