This Guardrail Launched a Pickup

This guardrail just launched a pickup into the air. It was built for cars. A pickup's bumper rides higher than a car's. It catches the top edge and climbs it like a ramp. So we raised the rail just over three inches. Now the bumper hits it dead center. The rail bends, catches the truck and shoves it back onto the road. Three inches. That's the difference between flying over and sliding along. This 3D animation shows why many guardrails got taller. The older strong-post W-beam rail stands about 27 3/4 inches tall at its top. It was designed when crash tests used passenger cars. A pickup's bumper sits higher, so in a hit it loads the rail's upper edge. The rail twists down, and the truck can climb it and go over. The Midwest Guardrail System raises the top to 31 inches, 3 1/4 inches higher. In crash tests with a 5,000 lb pickup at 62 mph and 25 degrees, it caught the truck and steered it back. The road and the crashes in the film are made up, and the launch is shown in slow motion. The lines and the measuring mark are guides, not measured values. #Shorts #RoadSafety #Engineering