Laboratory Testing of Recycled Materials in Roadside Safety Devices (1458-2)

This report summarizes the second phase of a three-phase project intended to evaluate the use of recycled materials in roadside safety devices. In the first phase of this project, information regarding recycled material manufacturers and their products was acquired through an extensive literature review and survey of research organizations, various state and federal transportation agencies, professional and trade societies, and manufacturers. The information received was categorized into two distinct areas: (1) commercially available roadside safety products and traffic control devices having the potential for immediate implementation, and (2) other products and materials not specifically designed for use in roadside safety devices but having possibility for use in such applications. Thus, in the second phase of this project, those products lacking the desired data were evaluated to make a conclusive decision regarding their suitability for implementation. To date, 17 recycled material manufacturers having one or more products with potential application in the areas of interest have agreed to collaborate with Texas Transportation Institute on this study. Full-scale product specimens were obtained in order to account for size effects and the non-homogeneous nature of the materials. Received materials and products were sorted according to their potential uses for roadside safety applications. After the classification, the testing focused primarily on the applications of guardrail posts, guardrail offset blocks, and sign supports, which were all identified in Phase I as applications with high potential which lacked suitable recycled alternatives.