Hubbry Logo
logo
F-shape barrier
Community hub

F-shape barrier

logo
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Contribute something to knowledge base
Hub AI

F-shape barrier AI simulator

(@F-shape barrier_simulator)

F-shape barrier

The F-shape barrier is a concrete crash barrier, originally designed to divide lanes of traffic on a highway. It is a modification of the widely used Jersey barrier design, and is generally considered safer.

A parametric study, one that systematically varies the parameters, was done through computer simulations of barrier profiles labeled A through F. The result showed that the one labeled F performed better than even the shape of the Jersey barrier. A series of full-scale crash tests later confirmed these computer-based results. What is known today as the F-shape barrier takes its name from the label it was given on these tests and not from any part of the shape of the barrier, unlike, for example, T-walls.

In spite of these tests, the F-shape barrier has not supplanted the Jersey-shape. The Jersey-shape barrier was already in wide use, and it also met the crash-test criteria. The states' contractors already had a significant investment in the Jersey-shape casting forms and it would cost them money to change the profiles of the forms.

The F-shape and the Jersey-shape have the same slopes, but the distance from the ground to the slope break point of the F-shape is 255 millimetres (10.0 in), which is 75 millimetres (3.0 in) lower than the Jersey-shape. This lower slope break point reduces vehicle lift, improving the barrier's performance.

Because the Jersey-shape design requires very little modification to become an F-shape design, asphalt resurfacing, because it raises the overall height of the road surface relative to the barrier, can convert the Jersey-shape barrier into a more F-shape-like barrier that is safer for lighter cars. However, these increased layers of asphalt also reduce the working height of the barrier, reducing its effectiveness for heavier vehicles.

The F-shape barrier has been adopted in British Columbia as the Ministry of Transportation and Transit's Concrete Median Barrier although some of BC's dimensions differ by several millimeters. A smaller Concrete Roadside Barrier is also widely used in the province.

The UK equivalent is the concrete step barrier.

See all
road safety barrier used to separate vehicle traffic
User Avatar
No comments yet.