Energy Absorption Systems Introduces Quadtrend 350 End Treatment
12 October 1998
Energy Absorption Systems Introduces NCHRP 350-Approved Quadtrend 350 End Treatment
CHICAGO--Oct. 9, 1998--Energy Absorption Systems, Inc., the leading manufacturer of crash cushions and related highway safety devices, has successfully upgraded its TREND(R) System end treatment, and has introduced the QuadTrend(TM) 350 System that meets NCHRP 350 Test Level 3 recommendations for impacts by vehicles traveling at speeds up to 100 km/h, or 62 mph.According to Michael Dreznes, Energy Absorption Systems vice president, marketing, "The QuadTrend 350 System takes advantage of the new technologies that were utilized in the development of our QuadGuard(R) System family of crash cushions. The remarkably strong Quad-Beam(TM) guardrail is the heart of this new system that offers highway design engineers a new level of lifesaving protection for moving vehicles impacting the blunt end of concrete barriers positioned at the roadside. The QuadTrend 350 is a redirective, gating end terminal fully tested under the NCHRP 350 matrix that is mandated for devices on all federally funded roads."
The National Cooperative Highway Research Project Report 350 Test Level 3 prescribes a series of tests to verify a crash cushion's performance under the conditions in which it will be used. Test Level 3 sets parameters for devices intended for high speed highways, and calls for testing the attenuator using both a small car and a full size pick-up truck impacting at speeds of 100 km/h (62 mph) and angles as high as 20 degrees. To qualify as a gating, redirective crash cushion, a device is expected to either safely capture a vehicle impacting at or near the nose of the device, or to allow it to pass through into an approved run out area, called a "clear zone." Vehicles impacting further down the system, within what is called the "length of need" are to be safely redirected along the flow of traffic in a controlled manner without radically rebounding back into oncoming traffic.
Designed for installation tangent to the edge of the roadway and affixed to a rigid concrete wall, the QuadTrend 350 System consists of interlocking telescoping Quad-Beam fender panels, wide flange posts on slip bases, sand containers, a tension strap and a redirecting cable.
The Quad-Beam panels are affixed to a breakaway post with three bolts. The fender panels are overlapped and connected, one to another, with a bolt and mushroom washer that fits through a horizontal slot. This permits movement, front to back, and allows the system to collapse under impact. The redirecting cable is anchored in front of the nose of the device, passes through the first post to an anchor offset behind and to the rear of the system. Small sand containers are fastened to the first and third posts, while two large containers are affixed to the fourth post, to enhance the energy absorbing characteristics of the system. The nose of the QuadTrend 350 is fitted with a self-restoring wrap of heavy belting material.
Engineering data and test results for the QuadTrend 350 System are available from Energy Absorption Systems, Inc.
A wholly owned subsidiary of the Quixote Corporation, Energy Absorption Systems is the leading manufacturer of highway attenuators and other related safety devices. Headquartered in Chicago, the company maintains research and development facilities in Rocklin, Calif., and manufacturing plants in Pell City, Ala., and South Bend, Ind.
