AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH ON THE RENEWABLE HYBRID BARRIER: COMBINED USE OF WOOD AND SAND

Abstract

Wooden materials have been among the basic materials used in many different areas due to some advantages throughout the history. Roadside barriers, which are called passive safety structures, can be produced with different materials such as wood, steel, concrete, and plastic. In this study, Renewable Hybrid Barriers (RHB), a new type of barrier that is used wood in terms of aesthetics, renewability, high shock resistance, and used sand in terms of impact absorption capacity and low cost, produced by taking into account some of the disadvantages of other barrier types. These barriers are planned to be used especially in historical/touristic areas, scenic roads, and in urban areas as urban furniture. Real-time crash tests in accordance with EN 1317 (Road Restraint Systems) standard require high cost and long time, therefore the pendulum crash test mechanism, which is frequently used in the literature, was manufactured and experiments were carried out. The results reveal that the RHBs which timbers 2 cm in thickness and sand are used together, are sufficient and suitable in terms of both cost and necessary safety criteria. It was observed that impregnation and heat treatment applications do not have a considerable negative effect on the performance of RHBs. From this point of view, it can be said that RHBs are suitable for outdoor conditions. This study can serve as the basis for the next step, real-time real crash tests. Since the study includes an interdisciplinary subject, it is thought that it will inspire different studies.