Crash cushions may be categorized by their cost and the amount of effort needed to repair them. Cushions that are inexpensive are generally destroyed upon impact and may need to be replaced very frequently. The Installation of such cushions at locations with high collision frequency and their repeated replacement can quickly become exorbitantly costly. On the other end of the spectrum, low-maintenance systems, while expensive to install incur low costs for their maintenance and repair, making them a more desirable lower cost option for high-frequency collision locations. The present study sought to advance the technology of these low-maintenance crash cushions through a truly automated procedure. First, an energy absorbing mechanism was designed that was capable of stopping an errant vehicle and repeatedly resetting the system back to its original position. This was accomplished with a rotating drum that was resisted by band brakes. The rest of the structure of the crash cushion was designed to ensure that, for side impacts, weak-link design philosophy assured that the feet would fail before the panels, the diaphragms, and the track. This design minimizes repair costs for extreme impacts with the face of the cushion. Also, a winch system was sized and tested that could reverse the direction of the drum, thereby pulling the compressed cushion back to its original position. The project concluded with crash tests using a bogey vehicle to ensure the drum could absorb the energy of the vehicle while still being able to reset and pull back into position.

The final report is available.