Two-Dimensional Modeling of Collision Dynamics of Deflecting Concrete Barriers

Freestanding concrete highway barriers were originally implemented for work-zone applications. These barriers are becoming more widespread in their use and have been implemented in some innovative counterflow applications. As the amount of freestanding barriers increases, so does the demand for detailed operational performance data. However, investigations of their crash protection and operation have been limited compared with those for the more common post-and-beam guardrail configurations. Computer simulation is one method for evaluating the performance of freestanding concrete barriers during vehicle collisions. A two-dimensional model of vehicle and barrier dynamics was developed to investigate the concrete barrier systems used by the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways. The simulation program was developed by using a multibody formulation for the barrier segments. A description of the model formulation is presented with a comparison of model output and recorded crash test data.