Evaluations of Factors Affecting the Crashworthiness of Movable Temporary Guardrails on Highways

Movable temporary guardrails are commonly used in highway reconstruction and expansion projects to separate the construction zones from the lanes, which plays an important role in protecting vehicles and pedestrians. In this research, the segment connections, lengths, and anchoring system of the guardrail on its crashworthiness were evaluated using finite element analysis. The results show that the guardrail connected by Pin-Plate exhibits better continuity and overturning resistance compared to I-Beams and C-Beams. Further, the segment length has a greater effect on the maximum lateral displacement of the guardrail. The maximum lateral displacement of the guardrail with 6 m is 1,098 mm, which is 54.6% and 43.5% lower than that of the guardrail with 2 and 4 m, respectively. In addition, the bottom-anchored guardrail has better crashworthiness, which shrinks by 31.3%. The results of the research can be used as an engineering reference for removable temporary guardrail designs.