In close co-operation, the German roadside safety specialists, VOLKMANN & ROSSBACH and SPENGLER, have developed the new BeSt-Connect transition unit for linking concrete barriers with single-spaced steel guardrails. The design was successfully tested in accordance with the European Standard ENV 1317-4 and therefore covers all requirements for a state-of-the-art transition system.
The challenge was to develop a safe steel-to-concrete transition unit that meets the conditions of ENV 1317-4. Such a structure requires the ability to redirect impacting cars at lowest passenger injury levels. The construction also has to be strong enough to prevent heavy vehicles like trucks or buses from breaking through the barrier.
The solution is a new system, which is specially designed to combine the different characteristics of concrete (high compression capacity) and steel (high flexibility and tension capacity). The critical area between rigid concrete barriers and deformable steel systems has been reinforced with box-shaped cross-beams and a special transition component that forwards tensile and compressive forces to the concrete block. In this way it is ensured that a heavy vehicle like a bus is safely redirected to the road, even when it hits the barrier shortly before the concrete section. A reduction of the post distance of the guardrail section provides a further improvement of stability.
The BeSt-Connect transition is recommended in every situation where a single spaced steel guardrail is to be linked to a concrete barrier according to German guidelines for passive roadside safety (RPS) or similar regulations. A decisive advantage of this new system is the extremely short assembling time due to the usage of prefabricated concrete elements for the barrier itself, as well as for its foundation. This makes any on-site hardening of the structure unnecessary and helps to avoid expensive delay of the road’s reopening to traffic.
Key data
Name: BeSt-Connect
Length: 27.1m (approx.)
Weight: 15t (approx.)
Containment Level: H2
Working Width: W2
