Fiber Reinforced Polymer composite materials have recently been investigated by he Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to provide enhanced corrosion resistance, reduced life-cycle costs and improved safety performance compared to the existing steel guardrail system that has been in place since the 1950's. The purpose of this Phase I SBIR program is to design, produce and test and innovative multi-cellular protruded composite guardrail system that is low cost, environmentally durable and satisfies the most recent Federal safety performance requirements. The proposed Phase I program will involve design optimization, finite element simulation, commercial production of pultruded prototype guardrail, ad full-scale, quasi static load test. Concurrent with the development of the optimize guardrail design, preliminary development and evaluation of more efficient connections, a crashworthy composite end terminal and a cost effective method for fabrication curved sections of the proposed guardrail design will also be performed. Time permitting, a preliminary impact test of the pultruded prototype guardrail may be performed in Phase I. Further optimization and performance evaluation shall be carried out as part of a follow-up Phase II development program involving more extensive numerical simulation and full scale crash testing in compliance with NCHRP Report 350 criteria.Anticipated results/potential commercial applicationsThis proposed Phase I program will result in the development of a safer, environmentally durable, more economical, easier to install and better performing guardrail that will serve as a replacement for 1950's steel guardrail technology. Other potential applications of this research include advanced energy absorbing composite material concepts for vehicle crashworthiness and occupant protection for automobiles, aircraft and railcars.
