Vehicle containment system (Guardrail)
Introduction
A metal barrier, metallic defense creep guard,[1] bionda [2] or guardrail [3] (the term guardrail was accepted by the RAE in 2014 mainly because it corresponds to a word in popular use, although it was not previously considered correct) is a passive road safety protection element, placed on the sides of the road or in the "Median (traffic)" median. to separate lanes in the opposite direction or in dangerous sections. Its functions are both to absorb the impact of the blow and to prevent vehicles from leaving the road and falling off a cliff or colliding with elements that are more dangerous than the barrier itself. For the latter, it is essential that the guardrail is deformed by the impact but without breaking. These barriers usually incorporate luminous reflectors.
The word "guardrail" and its plural "guardrails" come from the English guard rail: guard- (to guard, take care of) and -rail (bar or handrail).
History and context
The guardrail is a safety barrier currently made up of steel pickets driven into the edge of the road, which hold a barrier also made of hot-dip galvanized steel, with a double wave, which is why it is technically known as a barrier barrier. Initially, they were of a single wave, and, therefore, their deformation upon impact was greater. There are models, even lined with wood, for sections with the category of natural parks or similar.
The pickets are driven by impact hammers on which the so-called shock absorbers are placed, which in turn support the safety barrier. Each year, these pickets cause 15% of the deaths and 60% of the injuries caused by motorcycle accidents, which is leading the biker community to carry out numerous mobilizations to achieve the removal of the outdated guardrails and the installation of a new generation of guardrails that has a second plate installed in front of the pickets and that prevents the direct impact of people against these very dangerous elements located on the edges of the roads.
Manufacturing and use
It is an alloy bar of various metals, where the main one is steel and zinc with more than 70% of these materials. Steel gives it rigidity and durability, zinc causes it to deform due to any possible blow, absorbing part of the blow. They generally have a standard measurement of 7.65 meters. They are made of some metal, usually steel and sometimes aluminum, and can be of different shapes. Steel, due to its hardness and stability characteristics, is better suited to the functions. They must go through galvanizing treatment to prevent corrosion.[4].