SAFETY HEADLINESSafety
ArcelorMittal Develops Safer Crash Barriers
Jul. 11, 2012 After several years of development, testing and certification, ArcelorMittal Distribution Solutions Czech Republic has introduced a new road safety barrier to the market. Called AM, the product is a lighter and safer successor to the NH4, the most widely used road safety barrier in the Czech Republic. ArcelorMittal Distribution Systems Czech Republic developed the new safety barriers together with researchers from ArcelorMittal Ostrava.
The new product is manufactured from micro-alloyed steel, a material which has a higher strength than the steel used for the production of NH4 safety barriers. This enabled developers to reduce the thickness of the barrier strip from 4mm to 2.8 mm – making it 25% lighter - as well as reducing the cost. In addition to the new barrier strip, the spacers and posts are also made of micro-alloyed steel, reducing the overall weight of the barrier.
“The heavier the road safety system, the more expensive it gets, because steel has its price. Investors and installation companies will surely welcome that the weight of the barrier strip is just 50 kg instead of 70 kg. We have succeeded in developing a road barrier system of an extraordinary quality at a very favorable price,” explains Libor Černý, CEO of ArcelorMittal Distribution Solutions Czech Republic.
The new safety barriers conform to all the relevant European standards. They have succeeded in crash tests using passenger cars, lorries and buses. For example, using the Acceleration Severity Index (ASI), which defines the impact on passengers, the new barrier performs better than the NH4, across the board.
“The new AM safety barriers are ideal for the Czech market. The new barrier strip has the same shape as the most widespread NH4 type, so they can be connected to the NH4 system without requiring extra parts. For the maintenance of roads it is a simpler and cheaper solution,” says Černý.
ArcelorMittal Distribution Solutions Czech Republic has begun delivering the new product to customers, so the new safety barriers will soon be improving the safety of travelers on the Czech roads. In the autumn, AM barriers will be installed on motorways in the Moravian-Silesian region.