Scholar: Nitesh Adhikari
When: July 16th 2026, at 9:00am
Where: WHIT 136
Zoom: https://unl.zoom.us/j/91936877687
Title: In-Service Performance Evaluation of Single-Post, Circular Aluminum Sign Supports with Frangible-Base and Slip-Base Designs
Abstract: Single-post, circular aluminum sign supports with frangible base and slip-base designs are used across Florida to limit occupant risk during vehicle impacts, yet full-scale crash testing showed the slip-base design could produce occupant compartment intrusion exceeding MASH safety limits. Because no published in-service performance evaluation existed for this hardware, this thesis reviewed Florida crashes (2022–2024) from the Signal4Analytics database, identifying sign type and assessing injury likelihood from crash narratives, diagrams, and imagery. Among the identified severe-injury crashes, 18.4 percent were likely sign-induced; slip-base supports had no likely cases, while frangible-base, the most common type, showed a modest but nonzero rate suggesting comparatively lower slip-base field risk.