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Requirements for the verification of the performance of concrete safety barriers in in-situ concrete construction

Comparison procedure BSW in-situ concrete (VGVF BSW O 2013)

Currently, safety barriers on roads and bridges in Germany are primarily made of steel, prefabricated concrete elements or in-situ concrete. They are designed to stop impacting vehicles and minimise injury to the occupants involved.

The photo shows guards made of steel, precast concrete elements and in-situ concrete Guard made of steel, precast concrete elements and in-situ concrete (from left to right)

The verification of performance is regulated for steel and precast concrete guards according to Regulation (EU) Number 305/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2011 laying down harmonised conditions for the marketing of construction products, in short "Construction Products Regulation" (EU Construction Products Regulation) by a European agreed verification procedure. In this procedure, these protective devices are subjected to impact tests to determine the performance data, the manufacturer must provide a description of the product and the installation, and the self-monitoring of the manufacturing process is continuously monitored. The regulations on the procedure are laid down in EN 1317 "Restraint systems on roads" in a uniform European manner and enable manufacturers to CE mark the protective devices after the certification procedure has been successfully completed.

The primary aim of these regulations is to reduce barriers to trade in Europe. Road safety plays a subordinate role in the development of these regulations - although it is directly influenced by them. This is also reflected in the following: Steel and precast concrete safety barriers are produced in manufacturing plants and classified as construction products in Europe. In-situ concrete safety barriers are produced on site, usually by placing fresh concrete in its final position and shape using a sliding formwork with associated reinforcement.

The photo shows the construction of a concrete safety barrier with slipform paver Paving train for in-situ concrete safety barrier with fresh concrete mixing vehicle (left) and slipform paver (right).

Due to their in-situ construction, they were classified as structures in Europe for a long time and were not allowed to be CE marked. The above-mentioned certification procedure was developed at European level during this time and accordingly does not take into account all aspects of the in-situ construction method of in-situ concrete safety barriers (BSW O).

Formally perhaps still understandable with regard to the reduction of trade barriers, the situation that has arisen, however, shows an imbalance from the point of view of road safety: for the road user, at the moment of a vehicle collision, it is unimportant how the protective device is treated at European level. For him, it is important that regardless of, for example, the design or material, all protective devices meet the same, appropriate technical requirements for performance.

Closing gaps in the rulebook

In order to make this possible, the BASt, on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI), closed this "gap" in the European regulations at the time with the "Requirements for the verification of performance for concrete safety barriers in in-situ concrete construction - BSW in-situ concrete comparison procedure (VGVF BSW O 2013)". In coordination with the representatives of the federal states and the manufacturers in the Gütegemeinschaft Betonschutzwand und Gleitformbau e.V., this comparison procedure supplemented the existing regulations for Germany. It is to be applied to in-situ concrete safety barriers (BSW O) on roads and bridges in Germany and thus ensure a suitable, comparable level of requirements at the code level for all types of safety barriers.

The procedure is notified at European level and was introduced by the BMVI through the General Circular Number 18/2013.

The recognition granted by the BASt for concrete crash barriers of in-situ concrete construction (BSW O) within the framework of this procedure is - parallel to the CE marking for steel and precast concrete systems - a requirement according to the Technical Criteria for the Use of Vehicle Restraint Systems in Germany.