Simulation tests on shaping the working width of the concrete protective systems

The work addresses the road traffic safety issue related to the use of road safety barriers. It describes the tasks that have to be fulfilled by the protective system. It presents the barrier assessment conditions according to the requirements ofthe existing standards as far as the working barrier width is concerned. The objective of the work is to evaluate the possibilities of shaping the working width of the concrete protective systems. They have been executed on the basis of a concrete barrier equipped with a prototype joint linking individual barrier segments. It allowed defining the maximum angle of relative angle displacement of the adjacent segments. The model tests have been performed with a 900kg passenger car which allows performing TB11 test according to EN1317-2 standard The modelling has been performed with LS-DYNA software, which uses the finite element method. The work presents the numerical test results, vehicle motion trajectory and barrier displacement. It also includes examples of speed and acceleration courses of selected vehicle elements and the ASI index calculated on that basis which is used to assess the danger level for the vehicle passengers. Obtained results indicate that there is a possibility of shaping the dynamic bending and the working barrier width depending on assumed joint (boundary angle) parameters. Further areas of the analysis have been also defined.