Performance classes
The determination of passive safety of the structure is based on three defined speed levels at the moment of impact, i.e. 50, 70 and 100 km/h, as well as three types off aggregate used for the foundation construction; standard aggregate – S, special aggregate -X and rigid aggregate – R.
The new revision of standard PN-EN 12767 issued in 2019 “Passive safety of support structures for road equipment” classifies three levels of energy absorption by supporting structures and defines them as:
HE category structures – high energy absorption (stop the vehicle or slow it down significantly);
– Recommended for zones of increased pedestrian and bicycle traffic and pedestrian crossings, where there is a risk of a secondary collision with other road users or pedestrians and obstacles within the built-up area as they can stop the vehicle or slow it down significantly at higher speeds, reducing the effects of secondary collisions.
LE category structures – low energy absorption (slow the vehicle down);
– Recommended for areas where the safety hazard for pedestrians or cyclists is reduced due to the speed limit of 50 km/h or less.
NE category structures – do not absorb energy (slow down the vehicle slightly but do not stop it);
– Recommended in areas where there is no risk of a secondary collision after a collision, i.e. on expressways or motorways. NE structures should not be used in the central lane and on flyovers and overpasses not equipped with barriers, because the cut down pole may be thrown onto another lane of the road.
0 category structures – no passive safety characteristics.
PN-EN 12767:2019 standard:
- defines safety classification for passengers and drivers of motor vehicles using alphanumeric designations from A to E, the highest passenger safety was designated as a class A;
The NE-C, LE-C and HE-C designation denotes an equivalent level of safety, for the driver and passengers. This is due to the harmonization of the passenger safety boundary values (between ASI and THIV), regardless of the energy absorption category. - defines the stability loss mechanism (with the separation of the pole from the base (SE) and without the separation (NS);
- three direction classes: single-directional (SD), bi-directional (BD) and multi-directional (MD) (impact angle susceptibility);
- two risk categories of the vehicle roof crushing: 0 or 1;
Designation example: 100-HE-C-S-NS-SD-1
|
100
|
HE
|
C
|
S
|
NS
|
SD
|
1
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Speed class 50 / 70 / 100 |
Energy absorption
category NE / LE / HE |
Occupant safety
class A / B / C/ D / E |
Backfill type S / R / X |
Collapse mode NS / SE |
Directional class SD / BD / MD |
Risk of roff
indentation 0 / 1 |
Elektromontaż Rzeszów SA has been designing, researching and testing such structures since 2008. In the event of a collision, they reduce the overall risk to the health and life of drivers and passengers, as well as other road users and the surroundings. Our Company has already carried several dozen crash tests of our street poles. In practice, checking products for compliance with PN-EN 12767:2019 standard and assigning the structure to the appropriate category consists in conducting crash tests, the results of which must prove a specific level of energy absorption and compliance with the parameters determining the level of safety for people in the vehicle in the event of a collision.
The steel and aluminium poles of HE, LE and NE energy absorption categories we offer (this applies to poles with heights from 4 m to 12 m, including arms and foundations), have adequate static strength while absorbing the energy of the impact, which has been confirmed by appropriate tests and tests for compliance with PN-EN 12767:2019 standard.