Analogy of novel TRC crash barriers with RC crash barrier under impact load

The most popular crash barriers made so far are made up of steel-reinforced concrete (RC), which has high flexural rigidity but poor energy absorption. Consequently, when a vehicle collides with such crash barrier, the vehicle is seriously damaged and occupants may be fatally injured due to the severe impact of the collision. Hence, in order to enhance the safety of road users, a pre-fabricated textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) crash barrier prototype is developed using glass and basalt textile as reinforcement. The experimental investigations are carried out on both glass and basalt TRC crash barrier at the laboratory level under impact load to study the level of impact and deceleration rate. The performance of TRC crash barriers are also compared with RC crash barriers of equivalent calibrated reinforcement ratio. The lesser impact force and the lower rate of deceleration and higher energy absorption characteristics were experienced during the impact test for TRC crash barriers when compared to that of conventional RC barrier. Present study indicates that the application of TRC in crash barriers can improve the safety of the occupants and reduces damages to the impacting vehicles.

Automated summary

The most popular crash barriers are typically made of steel-reinforced concrete, which has poor energy absorption. To improve safety, a prototype of a pre-fabricated textile-reinforced concrete crash barrier using glass and basalt textile reinforcement has been developed. Experimental investigations show that the textile-reinforced concrete crash barrier has a smaller impact force, lower deceleration rate, and higher energy absorption compared to conventional crash barriers.