Development and Testing of Anchored Temporary Concrete Barrier for Use on Asphalt (405160-00025)

In 2008, Texas Transportation Institute developed a pinned anchored temporary concrete barrier system for use on concrete bridge decks and pavements. This F-shape barrier with pin-and-loop connections was anchored using steel pins that passed through inclined holes cast in the toe of the barrier, and continued a short distance into the underlying concrete pavement or deck. The objective of the research presented in this report was to extend the use of the existing pinned down anchored barrier design for placement on asphalt with minimum modifications to the barrier design. By performing a series of dynamic subcomponent test and full-scale impact simulation analyses, the researchers developed an appropriate anchoring design for pinning the barrier to asphalt. This design involves placing the barrier on a 4 inch thick asphalt pad and pinning it to the ground using three steel pins per barrier segment. The pins are 1.5 inches in diameter and pass through slotted holes cast into the toe of the barrier at an inclination of 40 degrees from the ground. A 151-ft long installation was built for Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) test level 3 (TL-3) testing. This installation was comprised of 12 pinned down barrier segments and was placed adjacent to a 1.5H: 1V slope with a 1-foot lateral offset. MASH test 3-11 was performed with a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup impacting the barrier at a nominal impact speed and angle of 62.2 mi/h and 25 degrees, respectively. The test vehicle was successfully contained and redirected by the pinned down anchored barrier system. The pinned down anchored barrier design was considered a pass according to MASH TL-3 criteria. Maximum dynamic and static deflections of the barrier system were 17.8 inches and 17 inches, respectively.