Chanthrawan Suangka creator Barry, William Joseph Chairperson Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai Examination Committee Tatsa, Elisha Zeev Examination committee The STARR Foundation, U.S.A Scholarship donor text series technical report th Pathum Thani, Thailand Asian Institute of Technology 2004 continuing eng 104 leaves Concrete traffic barriers are devices which perform their purpose by redirecting errant vehicles away from roadside hazards. Construction of concrete barriers in Thailand follows the standard drawings of the Thailand Department of Highways, which are based on the AASHTO design guideline. However, reinforcement detail and some material properties of concrete barriers used in Thailand are different from those used in the USA. Size and weight of vehicles in Thailand are also dissimilar to the USA. Until now, full-scale crash testing and computer simulation of vehicle/concrete barrier impact to evaluate the safety performance of concrete barriers has not been conducted in Thailand. Finite element impact simulations by the LS-DYNA3D computer program were used to evaluate the safety of concrete traffic barriers of Thailand so that the number of expensive full-scale crash tests can be minimized. The first step was to develop a methodology for creating accurate finite element representation of concrete barriers. This objective was achieved by developing a finite element model of a US safety-shape concrete barrier design and using full-scale crash test data to validate the model. Once the fidelity and accuracy of the modeling methodology was proven, a finite element model of Thailand concrete barrier design was created and its safety performance was evaluated according to the safety performance evaluation criteria of NCHRP Report 350. The simulation results were that the Thailand concrete barrier was determined to be satisfactory in accordance with the safety criteria of NCHRP Report 350. Additionally, the 763-mm Thailand concrete barrier was analyzed with the result that the Thailand concrete barrier still provided a satisfactory safety performance for the small car and the pickup truck even if a 50-mm overlay was placed on the adjacent road surface. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2004 Finite element method Asian Institute of Technology. http://203.159.5.9/ait-thesis/detail.php?q=B08982 http://203.159.5.9/ait-thesis/detail.php?q=B08982 030815 20260818213218.0