This report documents the test procedures followed and the
test results from one broadside crash test between a Chevrolet C2500 pickup truck and a
Valmont Industries Slip Away lighting standard. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
has invested many resources in the development of finite element models (FEM) of passenger
vehicles, pickup trucks, and roadside safety hardware. Computer simulations using these
FEM's of collisions between the vehicles and roadside safety hardware are used to
investigate the behavior of and improve the safety performance of roadside safety
hardware. An essential step for developing the FEM is to validate the models by comparing
data from simulation output with data collected from full-scale vehicle crash tests with
roadside safety hardware. The FHWA's Federal Outdoor Impact Laboratory (FOIL) was used to
conduct several crash tests to provide simulation engineers with data for the FEM
validation process. The results from this 50-km/h broadside crash test are similar to the
results from an identical crash test conducted at 35 km/h. The results from the 35-km/h
test can be found in the report 35-kmllh Broadside Crash Test of a 1994 Chevrolet C2500
and a Valmont Industries Slip Away Lighting Standard: FOIL Test Number
97SO12.
This report (FHWA-RD-98-054) contains test data, photographs taken with high-speed film,
and a summary of the test results. The target test speed for this test was 50 km/h.
This report will be of interest to all State departments of transportation, FHWA
headquarters, region and division personnel,
and highway safety researchers interested in the crashworthiness of roadside safety
hardware.
A. George Ostensen, Director
Office of Safety and Traffic
Operations Research and Development
NOTICE
The United States Government does not endorse products or
manufacturers. Trade and manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are
considered essential to the object of the document.