An efficient FE model of slender members for crash analysis of cable barriers

•A beam-element model was presented and studied for slender members in crash analyses.•The beam-element model and two other models were evaluated and compared.•Simulation results of all models were assessed by comparisons to experimental data.•The beam model was successfully applied to practical full-scale crash simulations.•The beam model was shown to be stable, accurate, and inexpensive for crash analyses.

Slender members such as cables and hook–bolts are largely seen in highway cable barriers. These members raise a significant challenge to crash simulations that involve a large number of contact analyses. In this paper, a beam-element model was presented and evaluated for slender members used in the crash analysis of traffic barriers. A numerical study was performed to investigate different modeling options, including various types of elements and contacts, and to compare the beam-element model with conventionally used shell- and solid-element models on stability, accuracy and efficiency. Advantages and disadvantages of the models were discussed. To verify the quality of the beam-element model, numerical simulations of hook–bolt pullout tests were performed under quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions. The accuracy of simulation results was evaluated by comparisons to experimental data available in the literature. Full-scale crash simulations of a cable barrier under vehicular impacts were also included to demonstrate the applicability and efficiency of the beam-element model.