Introduction

The European standard EN 12767 specifies performance requirements and defines levels in passive safety terms intended to reduce the severity of injury to the occupants of vehicles impacting with the permanent road equipment structures. Where the support structure is to be used in a multilegged configuration the European standard requires a test against one of the legs with the test vehicle of a multilegged structure. Varley and Gulliver has tested both single and multilegged support structures to ensure a wide coverage of sign sizes. For a sign support to meet the requirements of EN 12767, a minimum of two tests are required. There is the speed class test 50, 70 or 100km/h and a low speed test at 35km/h. the former is used to set the energy level ie High Energy (HE), Low Energy (LE) and Non-Energy (NE). The 35km/h test ensures satisfactory functioning of the support structure at low speed. During both tests (speed class and low speed) ASI and THIV values are assessed against the standard to ensure that Occupant Safety Levels are maintained.

How do other products compare

The European standard EN 12767 specifies that the test vehicle should be a production model representative of current traffic in Europe. Despite this there are some well known Passive Sign Supports systems being placed on the highway that have been tested with vehicles that are over fifteen years old, not current production models, representative of current traffic in Europe and no longer readily available.

Varley and Gulliver used Suziki Swifts that are fully compliant with the European standard and are representative of the vehicles on the road today and not yesteryear.

Typically older vehicles crumple more easily than newer ones and therefore absorb more energy. It is easier for a sign support structure to meet the ASI and THIV requirements with an older vehicle (not representative of the current vehicular population) than a newer one that has a stiffer structure.

EN 12767 recognizes that it is likely that the
largest mast of a given type will have the greatest resistance to a vehicular impact and therefore when considering a family of products it is the larger mast that should be tested first. For this reason Varley and Gulliver carried out all of its tests on full height 6m masts with the largest area of sign plate to demonstrate compliance with the European standard EN 12767 using the mast offering the greatest resistance to Load. Many companies are supplying sign support structures that are larger than tested and therefore do not know how their products will
perform or even if they will meet the standard.

In the European standard for Vehicle Restraint Systems EN 1317 there is a section that covers acceptable modifications to a tested and approved design. As an example, painting a product would not affect its performance and therefore is considered an acceptable change. If however a fundamental element to the products performance was modified the product would require a retest. This is not explicitly covered in EN 12767 but goes without saying that any modifications to materials, structure etc should invalidate the test. Some sign supports have had significant changes made to material grades and structure without
retesting.

 

Key Advantages

Tested To EN 12767

Tested in the UK at MIRA test facility in 2008.

Made from Sustainable Aluminium Structure

Tested with vehicles representative of current traffic

Designed, Manufactured and supplied by the market leader in Vehicle Restraint Systems.

Tested at maximum sign height

No heat treatment required after manufacture.

Anti-Climb structure

 

Passive Safety

For a Presentation on

BS EN 1317
contact
sales@v-and-g.co.uk

Varley and Gulliver Ltd