{
  "abstract": "To address the issues of excessive self-weight and insufficient post-impact attitude stability inherent in traditional HA-level (extra-high grade) beam-post guardrails due to oversized cross-sections, this paper proposes a lightweight design method utilizing 700L high-strength alloy steel. Through topology optimization, a novel guardrail structure comprising “inclined H-shaped posts” and “rectangular tube beams” was developed. Full-scale vehicle crash tests show that under the HA-level heavy-vehicle impact matrix specified in JTG B05-01–2013—namely a 25 t extra-large passenger bus, a 40 t heavy truck, and a 55 t tractor-semitrailer—the guardrail’s containment and redirection functions meet the corresponding HA-level heavy-vehicle requirements. None of the three vehicles rolled over, overrode, or straddled the guardrail, and all exited with stable post-impact attitude. Vehicle lateral intrusion is substantially reduced: under the 55 t tractor-semitrailer collision condition, the maximum dynamic equivalent vehicle lateral intrusion value (VIn) is reduced by 64.2% compared with conventional guardrails. In terms of lightweight design, the weight per linear meter of the guardrail is decreased from 230 kg to 180 kg, representing a reduction of 21.7%. Economic analysis shows that the reduction in material consumption lowers the overall material cost by approximately 10%–15%. This study demonstrates a material-structure co-design method that simultaneously improves safety, lateral intrusion resistance, lightweight level and economy for HA-level heavy-vehicle conditions, providing a theoretical basis and technical support for the engineering application of a new generation of high-performance bridge guardrails.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Shandong Hi-Speed Company Limited, Jinan, China",
    "Beijing Hualuan Traffic Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Kunmiao Xu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Shuai Gong"
    },
    {
      "name": "Wei Wang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Xin Wang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Siyuan Liu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shuming Yan"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/33fb3mnqez07r.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0358588",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "33fb3mnqez07r",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358588",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2205|Transportation Safety and Impact Analysis"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Engineering and technology/Structural engineering"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Materials science/Material properties/Density"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Materials science/Material properties/Mechanical properties/Stiffness"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials physics/Density"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Materials science/Metallurgy/Alloys/Steel"
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    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Mathematics/Applied mathematics/Finite element analysis"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Mathematics/Optimization"
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    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Physics/Classical mechanics/Damage mechanics/Deformation"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Physics/Classical mechanics/Damage mechanics/Deformation/Bending"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Physics/Classical mechanics/Deformation"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Physics/Classical mechanics/Deformation/Bending"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Physics/Materials physics/Density"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7213259251",
  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0358588&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-15",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/33fb3mnqez07r.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:49Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0358588",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358588"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "plos:materials science",
      "subfield": "materials-polymers"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Lightweight design and post-impact attitude stability of extra-high grade guardrail based on 700L high-strength steel",
  "title_text": "Lightweight design and post-impact attitude stability of extra-high grade guardrail based on 700L high-strength steel",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:49Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/33fb3mnqez07r",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
  "versions": []
}