At Metalesa we are very clear about our mission: to ensure the safety of what matters most to us; people. For this reason, we guarantee that our products comply with the established standards and regulations. Seriousness and professionalism is what defines us. Our parapets have been subjected to real tests in accredited laboratories based on the UNE EN 1317 standard.
¿What is UNE EN 1317 standard?
This standard was established on January 1, 2011 by the European Union, and certifies the quality and safety of vehicle containment systems. It is based on subjecting these systems, such as parapets or guardrails, to a test methodology following specific criteria valid for all Europe. Among many other things, the UNE EN 1317 standard harmonizes impact tests simulating real accidents involving vehicles, mannequins as drivers and the containment system itself. In this way, both the behaviour of the system and its impact for the drivers themselves are evaluated.
The configuration of each essay varies completely depending on the level of containment being tested. The type of vehicle involved, the impact speed or the angle of incidence are defined for each essay specifically. After the impact, the damages of the containment system, as well as the deck on which it has been anchored, and the impacto on the mannequins are evaluated. From this analysis the laboratory concludes a set of technical parameters that characterize the behaviour of the system. Main ones are dynamic deflection, working width, severity index and intrusion index.
What is it exactly a containment system?
A vehicle restraint system is a barrier that made of various materials and used to lessen the consequences of an accident on the road. Metallic ones have the advantage of absorbing a large part of the kinetic energy of the crash and facilitate the redirection of the vehicle’s trajectory. For this reason, the severity of the impact is lower, thus demonstrating a great contribution to road safety. However, sometimes, the circumstances of the road require a concrete system with less absorption capacity and less deformation. In general, the occupants of the vehicle tend to be more affected. Based on the danger of the sections and on a history of accidents, it is the responsibility of national, regional or municipal public administrations to study and decide where to install or substitute vehicle containment systems.
Parameters to analyze looking at UNE EN 1317 standard
During real tests in an accredited laboratory the following set of parameters are analyzed.
Containment level
It indicates the ability of a SCV to withstand the impact load of a vehicle. The selection of the level of containment that a safety barrier must have proved to be installed on the margins of a road will depend on the risk of accidents, which in turn is defined by the speed of the road and the average intensity of heavy vehicles in each sense at the time of commissioning.
Impact severity
The impact of a vehicle against a SCV carries obvious risks for its occupants. The severity of these risks inside the passenger compartment is determined by the level of impact severity. This is calculated from the combination of the deceleration (ASI) and head impact (THIV) values.
Deformation of the system
The behaviour of a SCV is characterized by the transverse displacement of the device during impact. This is defined in the tests through the parameters of dynamic deflection (D), working width (W) and intrusion index (VI).
On our website we dedicate specific spaces to clarify any questions that may exist about the UNE 1317 standard.
In addition, in our frequently asked questions section on metal parapets we anticipate the queries that we typically receive from engineering or construction companies regarding the interpretation of the standard.
UNE EN 1317 standard applied to our products
Bridge Parapet
Our bridge parapets are metal security barriers that are installed in order to serve as vehicle restraint systems. We market many different models that have success under the appropriate tests to be able to certify the UNE EN 1317 standard, and therefore accredit the CE marking.
On our website you can see the videos of the tests carried out, for example, that of the META16 metal parapet of containment level H3.
We also design, develop and commercialize transitions between containment systems with NF marking after having successfully passed laboratory tests in accordance with the French standard NF 058. It must be taken into account that UNE EN 1317 lacks specificity to evaluate and accredit with CE marking transitions between parapets between each other, or between parapets and other types of barriers.
H2 and H3 parapets, urban and mixed parapets, guardrails … Those are some of our products in our portfolio whose main purpose is to guarantee road safety.
Handrails and Fences
The handrails and fences that we manufacture and install accomplish high quality standards in order to offer the maximum possible protection both on the road and on urban areas. In addition, they are all subjected to a corrosion protection treatment.
As in the case of bridge parapets, railings and fences are also containment systems that are designed and calculated by our R & D and Structural Calculation departments following parameters set by European regulations. We have a wide variety of these products to accomplish customer demands:
Railings: Steel, stainless steel, with cable and with perforated sheet metal.
Fences: Metallic, anti-vandal and electro-welded.
Thus, it is evident that neither vehicle containment systems can be absent on our roads, nor a norm such as UNE EN 1317, in charge of regulating and guaranteeing their correct compliance. At Metalesa we take road safety very seriously from an efficient and innovative perspective, which leads us to continue growing and betting on the best.
Would you like more information about the UNE EN 1317 Standard and our road safety products? Do not hesitate to contact us.
