Introduction
Drawings and specifications that appear in the TF13 Guide to Standardized Roadside Hardware must be posted as PDF files containing standard 8-1/2”x11” pages. Page layout and format shall conform to the standards described below and contained in the TF13 Drawing Templates. Content source files such as DWG, DGN, and DOCX files may be posted as well at the request of the content Owner/Contact.
Drawing and Specification pages for Systems and Components and in the Hardware Guide consists of a primary drawing on Page 1 and text specifications on Page 2. Subsequent pages may contain either additional drawings or specifications as necessary to adequately describe the respective System or Component.
Component Drawing Pages
CONTENT
Drawing pages for components shall generally include three orthographic views of the component. For simple geometries like plate washers, two views may be sufficient.
FORMAT
Dimensions shall be given in both inches and millimeters, with the millimeter measurement in brackets. For example, a height of 30 inches (762 millimeters) would be labeled as 30[760]. In general, unit conversions should conform to the recommendations of AASHTO R1-91. In converting a value from USCU units to SI units the intended precision of the dimension should be preserved. For example, a part manufactured with a +/- 1/16 inch precision would be dimensioned in SI units to the nearest mm, since 1/16 inch is approximately 1.5 mm. On the other hand, the height of a guardrail or the depth of guardrail post embedment is not constructed with a 1/16th inch tolerance. Converting a 30 inch rail height to 762 mm incorrectly suggests that the height should be installed +/- 1 mm; this is much too precise a measure for a guardrail post. In practice, a guardrail height might be more appropriately measured to the nearest 1/2 inch, so rounding the SI dimension to the nearest 10 mm would be a more realistic and meaningful conversion. The following table gives some general conversion suggestions based on typical manufacturing or construction tolerances:
Construction and manufacturing tolerances and guide to rounding SI dimensions
| USCU tolerance | Round to the nearest X in SI units |
| 1/16 inch | 1 mm |
| 1/8 inch | 2 mm |
| 1/4 inch | 5 mm |
| 1/2 inch | 10 mm |
| 1 inch | 25 mm |
AASHTO R1-91 provides more specific guidance as well as some examples on appropriate rounding of dimensions.
All text, with the exception of the title block text, should be 3/32 inch (2.4 mm) high and in a Roman font. Borders should be drawn around the drawing pages as follows:
| Left | 3/64″-thick black line 1/2″ from the left edge. |
| Right | 3/64″-thick black line 1/2″ from the right edge. |
| Top | 3/64″-thick black line 1/2″ from the top edge. |
| Bottom | 3/64″-thick black line 1/2″ from the bottom edge. |
A title block shall be located at the bottom of the drawing page. This title block extends the entire width of the drawing and is 1-1/4 inches high. It is divided into three sections, each with a 3/64-inch border:
- The top box, which is 6-1/2 inches wide and 3/8 inches high, contains a descriptive name for the component (e.g., W-Beam Timber Blockout) in a 3/8-inch Roman font.
- The lower left box, which is 1-11/16 inches wide and 15/16 inches high, may contain a manufacturer’s logo if desired.
- The lower right box, which is 1-7/8 inches wide and 15/16 inches high, contains the component designator, a sheet number and total number of sheets (both drawing and specification pages), and the date of the latest revision of the drawing. The designator should be in a 1/4-inch Roman font, and the other items should be in a 3/32-inch Roman font.
Component Specification Pages
CONTENT
System specification pages should include the following sections:
The SPECIFICATIONS section should include material and manufacturing specifications and the intended use of the component.
Any AASHTO, ASTM, ANSI or other specifications that apply to either the material or the manufacturing process should be described in the SPECIFICATIONS section. There is a great deal of intentional duplication between the AASHTO and ASTM material specifications; generally, the AASHTO version of a specification is considered the primary reference and the ASTM reference is included in parentheses for the convenience of the user. Both English and metric specifications should be cited, with the metric specification enclosed in brackets (e.g., AASHTO M183[M183M](ASTM A36[A36M])). The following list contains abbreviations of standards-making organizations used in the Roadside Hardware Guide:
| AASHTO | American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials |
| AISC | American Institute of Steel Construction |
| AGC | Associated General Contractors |
| ANSI | American National Standards Institute |
| ARTBA | American Road and Transportation Builders Association |
| ASTM | American Society for Testing and Materials |
| AWS | American Welding Society |
| FHWA | Federal Highway Administration |
| IFI | Industrial Fasteners Institute |
| SAE | Society of Automotive Engineers |
For steel shapes, both English and metric structural designations should be given, with metric designations in brackets (e.g., W6x9[W150x14]).
The INTENDED USE section should list Systems where the component is used and also lists other components that are used in conjunction with it. This assists the user in finding the systems where a particular component is used.
A CONTACT INFORMATION section should contain contact information for the submitter Contact/Manufacturer regardless of whether the System is Proprietary or Non-Proprietary. This contact information should include Affiliation Name, Mailing Address, Telephone Number, E-mail Address, and Website URL.
FORMAT
All text should be in Times New Roman font (size 10pt or larger). Borders should be drawn around the specification pages as follows:
| Left | 3/64″-thick black line 1/2″ from the left edge. |
| Right | 3/64″-thick black line 1/2″ from the right edge. |
| Top | 3/64″-thick black line 1/2″ from the top edge. |
| Bottom | 3/64″-thick black line 1/2″ from the bottom edge. |
A title block shall be located at the bottom of each specification page. This title block is approximately 6-1/2 inches wide (i.e., the entire width of the specification) and 1-5/16 inches high. It is divided into three sections, each with a 3/64-inch border:
- The top box, which is 6-1/2 inches wide and 3/8 inches high, contains a descriptive name for the component (e.g., W-Beam Timber Blockout) in 16-point Times New Roman font.
- The lower left box, which is 2-1/16 inches wide and 15/16 inches high, contains the component designator, a sheet number and total number of sheets (both drawing and specification pages), and the date of the latest revision of the specification. The designator should be in 22-point Times New Roman font, and the other items should be in 11-point Times New Roman font.
- The lower right box, which is 4-1/2 inches wide and 15/16 inches high, may contain a manufacturer’s logo if desired.
System Drawing Pages
CONTENT
Drawing pages for Non-Proprietary Systems shall include three orthographic views; an isometric view is desirable but optional. The drawings should be sufficiently detailed for use in design. Drawing pages for Proprietary Systems may include either three orthographic views or an isometric view, or both, since manufacturers will generally provide more detailed drawings for design purposes. Component dimensions should not be shown in the system drawing. Only dimensions needed to describe the overall System should be shown.
FORMAT
Dimensions should be given in both inches and millimeters, with the millimeter measurement in brackets. For example, a height of 30 inches (762 millimeters) would be labeled as 30[760]. In general, unit conversions should conform to the recommendations of AASHTO R1-91. In converting a value from USCU units to SI units the intended precision of the dimension should be preserved. For example, a part manufactured with a +/- 1/16 inch precision would be dimensioned in SI units to the nearest mm, since 1/16 inch is approximately 1.5 mm. On the other hand, the height of a guardrail or the depth of guardrail post embedment is not constructed with a 1/16th inch tolerance. Converting a 30 inch rail height to 762 mm incorrectly suggests that the height should be installed +/- 1 mm; this is much too precise a measure for a guardrail post. In practice, a guardrail height might be more appropriately measured to the nearest 1/2 inch, so rounding the SI dimension to the nearest 10 mm would be a more realistic and meaningful conversion. The following table gives some general conversion suggestions based on typical manufacturing or construction tolerances:
Construction and manufacturing tolerances and guide to rounding SI dimensions
| USCU tolerance | Round to the nearest X in SI units |
| 1/16 inch | 1 mm |
| 1/8 inch | 2 mm |
| 1/4 inch | 5 mm |
| 1/2 inch | 10 mm |
| 1 inch | 25 mm |
AASHTO R1-91 provides more specific guidance as well as some examples on appropriate rounding of dimensions.
All text, with the exception of the title block text, should be 3/32 inch (2.4 mm) high and in a Roman font. Borders should be drawn around the drawing pages as follows:
| Left | 3/64″-thick black line 1/2″ from the left edge. |
| Right | 3/64″-thick black line 1/2″ from the right edge. |
| Top | 3/64″-thick black line 1/2″ from the top edge. |
| Bottom | 3/64″-thick black line 1/2″ from the bottom edge. |
A title block shall be located at the bottom of the drawing page. This title block is approximately 6-1/2 inches wide (the entire width of the drawing) and 1-1/4 inches high. It is divided into three sections, each with a 3/64-inch border:
- The top box, which is 6-1/2 inches wide and 3/8 inches high, contains a descriptive name for the system (e.g., Strong-Post W-Beam Guardrail) in a 3/8-inch Roman font.
- The lower left box, which is 1-11/16 inches wide and 15/16 inches high, may contain a manufacturer’s logo if desired.
- The lower right box, which is 1-7/8 inches wide and 15/16 inches high, contains the system designator, a sheet number and total number of sheets (both drawing and specification pages), and the date of the latest revision of the drawing. The designator should be in a 1/4-inch Roman font, and the other items should be in a 3/32-inch Roman font.
In the lower left corner of the drawing, above the title block, the year that the system first entered the Guide should also be placed in a 3/32-inch Roman font.
System Specification Pages
CONTENT
System specification pages should include the following sections:
The INTENDED USE section should contain a brief description of the system and its use, including the Test Specification and Test Level at which it is approved. For non-proprietary systems, this section should contain a list of components (referred to by their designators) that are included as part of the System. The number of components needed to construct the labeled unit lengths should be indicated. Any installation or layout information not covered in the drawing may also be discussed in this section.
The APPROVALS section should contain citations to FHWA Eligibility Letters and other official government approvals.
The REFERENCES section should contain any other citations for publications, such as research reports, crash test reports, manuals, etc.
A CONTACT INFORMATION section should contain contact information for the submitter Contact/Manufacturer regardless of whether the System is Proprietary or Non-Proprietary. This contact information should include Affiliation Name, Mailing Address, Telephone Number, E-mail Address, and Website URL.
FORMAT
All text should be in Times New Roman font (size 10pt or larger). Borders should be drawn around the specification pages as follows:
| Left | 3/64″-thick black line 1/2″ from the left edge. |
| Right | 3/64″-thick black line 1/2″ from the right edge. |
| Top | 3/64″-thick black line 1/2″ from the top edge. |
| Bottom | 3/64″-thick black line 1/2″ from the bottom edge. |
A title block shall be located at the bottom of each specification page. This title block is approximately 6-1/2 inches wide (i.e., the entire width of the specification) and 1-5/16 inches high. It is divided into three sections, each with a 3/64-inch border:
- The top box, which is 6-1/2 inches wide and 3/8 inches high, contains a descriptive name for the system (e.g., Strong-Post W-Beam Guardrail) in 16-point Times New Roman font.
- The lower left box, which is 2-1/16 inches wide and 15/16 inches high, contains the system designator, a sheet number and total number of sheets (both drawing and specification pages), and the date of the latest revision of the specification. The designator should be in 22-point Times New Roman font, and the other items should be in 11-point Times New Roman font.
- The lower right box, which is 4-1/2 inches wide and 15/16 inches high, may contain a manufacturer’s logo if desired.