Flex-Beam Guardrails

Flex-Beam guardrails are a widely accepted highway safety product used around the world as a safety system providing both traffic delineation and protection in the event of vehicular loss of control.

Installed in the median of a divided highway, or along the curb lanes of highways and two-lane roads, the continuous steel guardrail absorbs the shock of vehicle impact and guides the vehicle in the direction of the traffic flow. The net result of this system is to reduce the tendency for out-of-control vehicles to rebound into the path of following or oncoming traffic.
 

Product Features

• Longitudinal strength due to the continuous nature of Flex-Beam
• Low maintenance
• Economical – both materials and installation
• Acceptance – widely accepted by highway departments for many decades
• Versatility – can be supplied in various configurations
• Various accessories available designed to suit particular site conditions
• Impact resistance
• Durability – hot-dip galvanized after fabrication

Typical Applications

• Median of a divided highway
• Curb lanes of highways and two-lane roads

Specifications

• Available in a variety of configurations with accessories designed to suit particular site conditions
• Varied post spacing – 3.81m and 1.90m are standard spacings
• Varied lengths – 3.81m is the standard, with 4m and 7.62m lengths available
• Post design – can be attached to wooden or steel posts, with or without offset blocks (spacers)
• Rails – straight rails are standard, curved rails are available
• Steel thickness – 2.8mm is the standard, 3.5mm is available
• End sections – variety of configurations
• Additional impact resistance – 152mm x 54mm “‘C” channel in 3.8mm steel can be provided for bolting to posts, below and parallel to the Flex-Beam rail

Relevant Standards

• AASHTO M.180