{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T19:03:09Z","timestamp":1789498989810,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789430400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>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 \u201cinclined H-shaped posts\u201d and \u201crectangular tube beams\u201d was developed. Full-scale vehicle crash tests show that under the HA-level heavy-vehicle impact matrix specified in JTG B05-01\u20132013\u2014namely a 25 t extra-large passenger bus, a 40 t heavy truck, and a 55 t tractor-semitrailer\u2014the guardrail\u2019s 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%\u201315%. 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.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0358588","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T18:07:25Z","timestamp":1789495645000},"page":"e0358588","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Lightweight design and post-impact attitude stability of extra-high grade guardrail based on 700L high-strength steel"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Kunmiao","family":"Xu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Shandong Hi-Speed Company Limited","place":["Jinan, 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