of the crush cushion at the site would be very
petitive products on the basis of cost and perfor-
easy with the help of gaskets and band clamps.
mance. Research has to be committed to bringing
Once all tooling is available for large-scale pro-
these FRP composite structures and components
duction, the cost of each unit would be very low.
from the concept stage to the marketplace. The
However, like most FRP components, the initial
focus has to be to optimize the design and stan-
cost of tooling and die making is daunting.
dardize the materials and processes, so that the
In this study, we focused on several highway
FRP composites can be used where their particu-
safety structures where FRP composites could be
lar cost is minimal and the physical, mechanical,
suitable, due to their corrosion resistance, light
and durability performance is maximized.
weight, high strength, design flexibility, low main-
The introduction of any new material or inno-
vative design does not guarantee automatic
tenance, and parts consolidation. These are tre-
acceptance by the highway community. Those
mendous advantages. However, the development
interested in the promotion of new products or
of FRP composite materials and fabrication pro-
concepts must appreciate the necessity of assur-
cesses to provide parts that are at once cost effec-
ing that what is supplied will perform the neces-
tive, functional, and aesthetically appealing
sary function, that quality control will ensure
presents a significant challenge. The key to suc-
cessful application probably lies in an approach
acceptable performance, and that production
capability is adequate to satisfy demand.
that allows the new designs to outperform com-
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