TTI Research Supervisor: James Kovar Assistant Research Scientist Texas A&M Transportation Institute TAMU 3135 College Station, Texas 77843-3135 (979) 317-2680 [email protected]
Pooled Fund Technical Representative: Clint L. McCleery Barrier and Attenuation Specialist Traffic & Safety Operations 4501 South 2700 West PO Box 143200 Taylorsville, UT 84129 (801) 712-8685 [email protected]
ABSTRACT
Luminaire poles are a vital aspect of our transportation system. Much work in recent years has been undertaken to evaluate luminaire poles to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) evaluation criteria. Of this previous effort, most projects evaluated frangible transformer base supports; there was minimal research evaluating slip base connections for luminaire pole supports. Consequently, the Roadside Safety Pooled Fund prioritized an evaluation of common designs for luminaire pole slip base supports.
The primary objective of this study was to evaluate critical configurations of a non-proprietary four-bolt slip base luminaire support for MASH crashworthiness. This effort started with a literature review and a state survey, which was aimed at identifying commonly used designs of luminaire pole slip bases. With the results of the literature review and state survey, the research team selected a configuration for full-scale crash testing. The research team subsequently evaluated the luminaire pole and slip base supports with MASH crash testing. One of three evaluated systems successfully met MASH evaluation criteria. The results of this testing effort demonstrate the need for further research evaluating the crashworthiness of luminaire poles and their support structures. This report details the tasks performed by the research team.