Trn Business Trust

Southwest Research Institute

Maurice E Bronstad

James H Hatton, Jr

Leonard C Meczkowski

An impact assembly for transferring forces from a head-on impact or a side impact between a vehicle and one end of an energy absorbing device facing oncoming traffic. The impact assembly may be used to transfer energy from a floor structure of a vehicle during a side impact with the one end of the energy absorbing device. Portions of the impact assembly are positioned relative to ground level to engage the floor structure of an impacting vehicle and/or the front bumper of a low profile vehicle. Portions of the impact assembly may be manufactured from a single piece of sheet metal.

Impact assembly for an energy absorbing device

A crash cushion having a plurality of beams extending substantially parallel to one another. One end of the crash cushion may be slidably coupled with one end of a traffic barrier. Another end of the crash cushion faces oncoming traffic. A plurality of support posts are coupled to and support the plurality of beams. Forceful impact of a vehicle with the end of the crash cushion facing oncoming traffic results in energy absorption during telescoping of the beams relative to the traffic barrier. A method of manufacturing crash cushions and other energy absorbing devices is provided.

Crash cushions and other energy absorbing devices

An improvement to an energy-absorbing guardrail terminal for use on longitudinally extending roadways. The improved end terminal has a system for transferring forces from a floor structure of a vehicle to beams on the energy-absorbing guardrail end terminal during a side impact with the vehicle. The system for transferring forces includes a spacer channel attached between first and second guardrails and a force transfer member coupled to the spacer channel and having a portion extending to a position above ground level to receive a floor structure of a vehicle during a forceful side impact. A method of manufacturing a system for transferring forces from a floor structure of a vehicle to a guardrail end terminal during a forceful side impact includes attaching a force transfer member that extends to a position to engage the floor structure.

Guardrail end terminal for side or front impact and method

An energy-absorbing guardrail terminal has a plurality of beams, extending substantially parallel to one another, and having at least one overlapping end; a plurality of break-away support posts coupled to and supporting the plurality of beams; a plurality of fasteners for coupling the plurality of beams to one or more of the plurality of break-away posts; and an arrangement for creating a substantially square wave of energy absorption during telescoping of the plurality of the plurality of beams during a forceful impact of a vehicle on the energy absorbing-guardrail terminal. The substantially square wave of energy absorption during telescoping may be created by a plurality of openings formed on the plurality of beams that are operable to encounter a plurality of fasteners during a forceful impact by a vehicle on the energy absorbing guardrail terminal. A method of manufacturing an energy-absorbing guardrail terminal is also provided.

Energy-absorbing guardrail end terminal and method

A guardrail terminal for use at the upstream end of a conventional guardrail consisting of a plurality of joined together horizontally extending W-beam guardrails which are layered in a curve away from the traffic side of the guardrail in an upstream direction. An eccentric lever is connected to the upstream end of the terminal for introducing a bending moment on the terminal whereby an impacting vehicle at the upstream end will facilitate buckling of the rails and allow the vehicle to pass behind the terminal instead of being speared or spun around by an end on impact. The rails are supported by break-away supports and the rails are secured to only the first upstream vertical support but are laterally movable relative to the other vertical supports. The lever includes a metal beam connected perpendicular to the upstream end and extends away from the traffic side and a tubular member encloses the first support, the metal beam and the end of the upstream rail.

Eccentric loader guardrail terminal

An energy absorbing guardrail terminal having a plurality of horizontally extending parallel guardrails on opposite sides of breakaway posts in which the guardrails have overlapping ends and the upstream ends are secured to the posts. Splice bolts connect the overlapping ends of adjacent rails and a plurality of spaced openings are provided in each rail horizontally aligned with each of the splice bolts whereby the impact of a vehicle on the upstream end of the rails will shred out the rail material between the spaced openings to absorb the kinetic energy of the impacting vehicle. Preferably the openings are slots elongated in the horizontal direction and the rails are staged to allow the upstream rails to telescope over the downstream rails.

Growing community of inventors

San Antonio, TX, United States of America

Maurice E Bronstad