Traffic Impact Attenuators

TRAFFIC IMPACT ATTENUATORS

• Traffic Impact Attenuators or Crash Impact Attenuators are impact absorbing devices installed in highly hazardous locations so as to reduce kinetic energy of the irregularly moving vehicle and to stop or redirect the vehicle away from the main hazard with least damage to life and property

 

• A safety crash barrier is a system engineered to prevent fatal injuries by absorbing shock energy and converting it into rotational energy. It functions by virtue of absorbing energy from the impact and deflecting it into the barrier. This energy is converted into rotational energy into the barrier.

 

• The attenuator acts as a protection cushion in the event of an accident. Impact attenuators are designed to absorb the colliding vehicles kinetic energy and bring it to stop safely

• By safely dissipating the vehicle's kinetic energy, impact attenuators help prevent fatal injuries.

 

•  Impact attenuators can be categorized by the method used to dissipate kinetic energy:
• Momentum transfer. Many early models used successive rows of sand- or water-filled barrels or modules. Momentum is transferred to the sand or water, reducing the speed of the impacting vehicle.
• Material deformation. Many newer attenuators use crushable materials (like various kinds of foam) that create a crumple zone, absorbing energy. Others flatten a corrugated steel guard rail section, or split a steel box beam.
• Friction. Some attenuators work by forcing a steel cable or strap through an angled slot or tube, converting kinetic energy into heat.