Abstract
The Burnley and Domain Tunnels situated on the Transurban CityLink Road in Melbourne are vulnerable to damage by over-height trucks. Several clearly visible over-height warning signs and an electronic height alarm have not been sufficient to prevent over-height trucks from damaging the tunnels. An innovative approach has been adopted for the new tunnel over-height barrier. The barrier is to be made from aerofoil-shaped rotating blades, comprised of 1.4 m long by 228mm wide sections made of a flexible elastomeric material. The blades will rotate around and rebound into the top of the truck to serve as an audible and physical warning. The non-linear Finite Element simulation software package MADYMO (utilising an SGI 8 processor supercomputer) was implemented to solve the key design issues. The use of MADYMO for simulation and description of the blade impact allowed the accurate modelling of the blades shape and provided a useful tool for the iterative process of designing the blades internal shape and materials specifications.