REVERSE TWIST TURNED-DOWN TERMINAL FOR ROAD GUARDRAIL SYSTEMS

A turned-down terminal for a guardrail system has a drop-down section and a turned-down section formed by twisting the guardrail clockwise to be at an angle causing sufficient force and torque to pull at least a portion of the drop-down section of the guardrail barrier free upon being impacted with a vehicle. Back-up plates are bolted to the posts and to the guardrail

A Grounded Theory Investigation into the Process and Effects of Service-Learning in Counselor Education

Service-learning is an approach to experiential learning that is relatively unexplored among graduate students. The authors of this study sought to understand the process and effects of service-learning among 76 graduate counseling students enrolled in an “Introduction to Community Counseling” course over three semesters, 40 of whom engaged in service-learning. Analyzing students’ reflection papers, projects, and blog entries via a grounded-theory approach, the study generated a model of how service-learning impacted these students’ learning and sense of counselor identity. Students went through a process of development: They began with personal engagement, became overwhelmed, readjusted their expectations, and then reconstructed their individual counselor identities.

Racetrack SAFER barrier on temporary concrete barriers

Previously, the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barrier system was successfully developed and crash tested for use in high-speed racetrack applications for the purpose of reducing the severity of racecar crashes into permanent, rigid, concrete containment walls. The SAFER barrier has been implemented at all high-speed oval race tracks that host events from NASCAR’s top three race series and IRL’s top series. However, there are a number of racetrack facilities in the United States that use temporary concrete barriers as a portion of the track layout during races. These barriers are typically used on race tracks to shield openings or protect portions of the infield. Some of these temporary barrier installations are in areas where current safety guidance would recommend treatment with the SAFER barrier. Thus, a system was successfully designed, tested, and evaluated for a system targeted towards the most pressing need in the US motorsports industry, a system for spanning openings between rigid concrete parapets on the inner walls of various race tracks

DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A TIE-DOWN SYSTEM FOR THE REDESIGNED F-SHAPE CONCRETE TEMPORARY BARRIER

Often, temporary barriers are used in applications where it is desired that their deflection during vehicular impact be limited. One such application is in the installation of temporary barriers placed adjacent to the edge of a concrete bridge deck in order to maximize lane width. Acceptable tie-down systems for temporary barriers have previously been developed, but there are concerns when the barriers and tie-down systems are used on bridges that are reconstructed in stages and where very little tolerance in barrier deflection is allowable. Therefore, a rigid tie-down system was developed that minimizes barrier deflections. For this system, the original Kansas temporary barrier was redesigned in order to strengthen the barrier around the tie-down holes and to standardize the barriers for use in adjacent states and in various temporary and tied-down configurations. The tie-down anchor system fastened the traffic-side of the barriers to the concrete bridge deck with three 29-mm (1.125-in.) diameter ASTM A307 anchor bolts with heavy hex nuts and 76-mm (3-in.) x 76-mm (3-in.) x 13-mm (0.5-in.) thick washers. The research study included one full-scale vehicle crash test, using a 3⁄4-ton pickup truck. The full-scale test, with an impact speed of 99.8 km/hr (62.0 mph) and an impact angle of 25.3 degrees, was conducted and reported in accordance with the requirements specified in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report No. 350, Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features. The safety performance of the tie-down anchor system for use with concrete bridge decks and the redesigned F-shape temporary concrete barrier was determined to be acceptable according to the Test Level 3 (TL-3) evaluation criteria specified in NCHRP Report No. 350