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FHWA Home / Safety / Roadway Departure / Safety Eligibility Letter

Safety Eligibility Letter

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U.S. Department
of Transportation
Federal Highway
Administration
400 Seventh St., S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590

Refer To: HSA-10/WZ-98

Mr. Moon K. Hong
Managing Director
Kong Young Lamps & Safety Company, Ltd.
C-3504 Dong II Technotown
889-1 Kwan Yang Dong
Dong An Ku, An Yang Si, Kyung Gi Do
431-060 Korea

Dear Mr. Hong:

Thank you for your letter of August 17 requesting Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance of your company’s Auto L.E.D. Warning Beacon for Barricade Use as a crashworthy traffic control device for use in work zones on the National Highway System (NHS). Accompanying your letter was a report of crash testing conducted by E-Tech Testing Services and a video of the tests. You requested that we find this device acceptable for use on the NHS under the provisions of National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 “Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features.”

Introduction
The FHWA guidance on crash testing of work zone traffic control devices is contained in two memoranda. The first, dated July 25, 1997, titled “INFORMATION: Identifying Acceptable Highway Safety Features,” established four categories of work zone devices: Category I devices were those lightweight devices which could be self-certified by the vendor, Category II devices were other lightweight devices which needed individual crash testing, Category III devices were barriers and other fixed or massive devices also needing crash testing, and Category IV devices were trailer mounted lighted signs, arrow panels, etc. The second guidance memorandum was issued on August 28, 1998, and is titled “INFORMATION: Crash Tested Work Zone Traffic Control Devices.” This later memorandum lists devices that are acceptable under Categories I, II, and III.

A brief description of the device follows:

The Auto L.E.D. is a 360 degree warning light beacon powered by two 1.5-volt D-cell (3V total) batteries. It weighs approximately 1 kg complete with batteries. Product specifications are enclosed for reference. For purposes of testing the Auto L.E.D. was mounted to the Bent Type II Plywood Panel Barricade also illustrated in the enclosures. The “worst case” 914 mm wide barricade test article assembly was specified for testing. This barricade had previously been successfully tested to NCHRP Report 350 and found acceptable by the FHWA (Acceptance Letter WZ-6 dated November 23, 1998). The design of this barricade was also released as a generic design by FHWA in our Acceptance Letter WZ-54 on September 15, 2000. The test article mass, including the warning light, is 11.8 kg.

Testing
Full-scale automobile testing was conducted on your company’s devices. Two stand-alone examples of the device were tested in tandem, one head-on and the next placed six meters downstream turned at 90 degrees, as called for in our guidance memoranda. The complete device as tested is shown in Enclosure 1. The crash test is summarized in the table below:

Test Number 36-0620-1
Test Article Auto LED Warning Beacon on Bent Type II Plywood Panel Barricade
Height to Top of Top Panel 930 mm
Height to Top of Leg 1035 mm
Height to Top of Light 1150 mm
Flags or lights One light on each barricade
Test Article Mass (each) 11.8 kg (no ballast used)
Vehicle Inertial Mass 813 kg
Impact Speed, Head-on 102.5 kmh
Impact Speed, 90 degree 100.4 kmh
Velocity Change, Head-on 0.58 m/s
Velocity Change, 90 degree 0.58 m/s
Vehicle crush Slight damage to bumper, hood, and grill.
Occupant Compart. Intrusion None. No windshield contact by barricade or light
Windshield Damage None. No contact

Findings
In the head-on impact the light remained intact and connected to the barricade. In the 90 degree impact the light was hit by the first barricade and came apart. No part of the light or batteries impacted the windshield. Damage was limited to dents in the bumper, hood, and grille. No part of either barricade or light impacted the windshield.

The results of the testing met the FHWA requirements and, therefore, the devices described above and shown in the enclosed drawings for reference are acceptable for use on the NHS under the range of conditions tested, when proposed by a state. All warning lights, including the Auto L.E.D. Warning Beacon for Barricade Use, must be securely attached to the barricade with standard fasteners including the vandal-resistant cupped washer or equivalent.

Please note the following standard provisions which apply to FHWA letters of acceptance:

  Sincerely yours,

 

Frederick G. Wright, Jr.
Program Manager, Safety

Enclosure

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Page last modified on June 24, 2011
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