Coating Existing Concrete Barriers to Reduce Rollover Potential

The objective of this DoT SBIR program is to further establish the technical foundation of low friction HybridSil® Slippery Overturn Automobile Protection (SOAP) coatings on concrete barriers for drastic reductions in vehicle rollover potential and significantly increased concrete impact durability thus, enabling the rapid commercial integration of these coatings. To meet this challenge, NanoSonic has molecularly engineered its pioneering HybridSil® technology to reduce the surface friction of concrete barriers through the selective surface enrichment of self-leveling, low surface energy copolymer domains during the initial phase of this project. Importantly, all of the proposed Phase I technical milestones were achieved during the base Phase I DoT SBIR project. Of critical significance to vehicular impact reduction and increased concrete survivability, NanoSonic worked with National Crash Analysis Center (NCAC) Federal Outdoor Impact Laboratory (FOIL) employees to successfully complete multiple concrete barrier pendulum impact tests on Phase I optimized coatings at the FOIL facility. The success of these tests combined with computer simulations of full vehicle impacts with both uncoated and coated New Jersey shape concrete barriers, also performed during Phase I, underscore the exceptional impact durability and friction reducing capability necessary for reducing vehicle roll-over potential upon barrier impact.