New Flexfence TL3 End-Terminal

Flexible wire rope safety barriers (WRSB) are recognised as one of the most effective countermeasures for vehicle run-off-road and head-on crashes involving crossing the road median, and since its introduction almost 10 years ago, Flexfence has become one of the most popular systems throughout Australia and NZ.

The system comprises of two main sections, the longitudinal barrier section and the end terminals.

The longitudinal barrier section is designed to deflect and redirect the errant vehicle by absorbing the impact energy, thereby avoiding the severe outcomes associated with head-on collisions, rollovers or crashes into rigid objects.

The end terminals provide the anchoring component of the system and are designed to provide a soft gating impact for errant vehicles. Some wire rope terminal designs mitigate vehicle snagging and launching by releasing the cables from the anchor point upon impact. As WRSBs are dependent on rope tension, the ability of these systems to redirect an errant vehicle is removed.

In conjunction with our industry partners, Blue Systems AB and Ingal Civil Products have developed an end terminal to alleviate this problem. The Flexfence TL3 End Terminal does not rely upon the release of cables from the anchor point to provide a safe, gating impact. A series of rigorous crash tests, according to and exceeding the specifications for Test Level 3 (TL3) of the US National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report 350 (NCHRP Report 350) were conducted, including:

In all tests the Flexfence cables did not release from the anchor point. The non-release characteristics allow the downstream system to remain tensioned and functional in the event of secondary impacts. This is a significant safety benefit compared to all end terminals that are currently available in Australia and NZ.

For more information on the Flexfence TL3 terminal, contact Ingal Civil Products on 1800 803 795.