Development of Hybrid Energy-Absorbing Reusable Terminal for Roadside Safety Applications (05-2571)**
Nauman M. Sheikh, Texas A&M Transportation Institute

The Hybrid Energy Absorbing Reusable Terminal (HEART) is a newly developed crash cushion or an end terminal to be used in highway safety applications that will mitigate injuries to occupants of errant vehicles. The HEART is composed of corrugated plates of High Molecular Weight/High-Density Polyethylene (HMW/HDPE), supported on steel diaphragms, which slide on a fixed rail. Kinetic energy from errant vehicles is converted to other energy forms through folding and deformation of the HMW/HDPE material. Many previous designs utilize plastic or permanent deformation of plastics or steels to accomplish this goal. However, HEART is a combination of plastic and steel which forms a largely self-restoring and largely reusable crash cushion. Consequently, HEART has a major lifecycle cost advantage over conventional crash cushion designs. HEART has been developed through extensive use of finite element analysis with LS-DYNA. This paper presents the simulation approach adopted for the development of the HEART, the construction details, and the description and results of crash tests performed so far to evaluate its performance. This paper also talks about some of the follow up work currently underway for approval from Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as an acceptable crash cushion for use on the National Highway System.