“Zero Maintenance” crash cushions 
Per la versione in Italiano: https://www.stradeeautostrade.it/segnaletica-e-sicurezza/attenuatori-durto-zero-manutenzione/
From a Company created to increase safety on roads all over the world comes the line of ZM (or Zero Maintenance) crash cushions which responds to the need to protect and safeguard vehicles and their occupants in the event of frontal and side collisions, beginning of the barrier section, motorway toll stations and tunnel side protection.
Through the experience collected over 20 years in the road safety field, Ticopter is able to develop, test and engineer products. At the moment, two different design lines have been developed: Parallel Zero Maintenance (ZMP) and Large Zero Maintenance (ZML) (www.ticopter.it).
Zero Maintenance Parallel (ZMP) and Zero Maintenanze Large (ZML)
These devices stand out within the road safety field for their innovative strengths, starting with the ease of installation, the telescopic steel structure and ending with the capability of immediate reposition.
During the installation, the systems are tied to the ground by driving posts through a common pile-driving machine conventionally used in the assembly of metal safety barriers. Moreover, it is possible to adapt the systems to different types of soils (asphalt or concrete).
The ZM Ticopter device is made of steel and is composed of telescopic tubular elements which, sliding on rails, facilitate the absorption of the kinetic energy resulting from the impact of the vehicle.
Instead of using the mechanical deformation of some components, as in products already on the market, the ZM crash cushion contains and dissipates the kinetic energy of the vehicle thanks to a natural fluid: the air.
In fact, the air that is compressed in calendered cylinders with smaller and smaller dimensions slows the vehicle progressively, functioning as a real shock absorber. To support the function of the air, appropriate connection bolts have been sized between the lateral protection elements that oppose additional resistance in the impact phase.
The material used and its sustainability and durability over time constitute an aspect that is no less important than the precedent of the Company policy: currently, in fact, after even partial impacts, the devices on the market must be completely or almost completely replaced, and some parts of them are made of materials that are not easily recoverable on site and recyclable such as plastic that is scattered following an impact on the roadway or on the surrounding hard shoulder.
Pros
The enormous advantage given by the use of ZM crash cushions is evident precisely following the impact of the vehicle; in fact, the Ticopter branded road restraint system is made of steel and does not deform during impact and the complex of tubular elements can therefore be repositioned and reused.
The system will be fully functional again thanks to the replacement of simple sacrificial bolts and the front panel, material supplied with the maintenance kit.
Hence the acronym ZM, or Zero Maintenance, that comes from the need of minimum equipment and labor to allow the safety device to operate efficiently again. To testify the important feature of its crash cushions, Ticopter had the same device undergo the same type of crash test TC1.2.100 twice in a row (test 0065 / ME / HRB / 20 and 0067 / ME / HRB).
Both tests gave positive results by satisfying the parameters indicated by the standard, validating the product philosophy. Moreover, in economic terms this means a single initial investment for the first installation and a significant reduction in subsequent maintenance costs.
It will soon make its appearance and will also spread on minor roads. As of today, there are numerous applications in Italy of ZM crash cushions. Over time, several accidents have occurred, and our safety devices have amply demonstrated their validity.
In particular, we would like to highlight the case of a ZMP80 crash cushion installed along the S.S. 47 at the junction of Bassano Road, Trento (TN) with the collaboration of one of our distributors: Metalwood Company. In this specific event, the crash cushion, once properly installed, was impacted in the front, resulting in the almost complete closure of the device.
Thanks to the help of a maintenance team, the device was promptly repositioned, the new connection bolts and the front panel inserted. In this way, the junction was rapidly restored to safety, avoiding creating a dangerous obstacle as in the case of accidentally damaged crash cushions not adequately replaced, which are often present on our roads.
Ticopter
Ticopter is an Italian Company that designs and manufactures road safety devices and offers a range of products, including integrated bridge barriers, open gates, special end terminals and crash cushions.
In particular, Ticopter’s family of crash cushions meet the requirements of UNI EN 1317-3:2010 addressing the parallel, large and asymmetrical applications at all the speeds (50,80,100,110 km/h). On 10th January 2018 the whole family of crash cushions was registered under the European Patent Specification.
Per la versione in Italiano: https://www.stradeeautostrade.it/segnaletica-e-sicurezza/attenuatori-durto-zero-manutenzione/
We invite you to read the “digital bag” expecially arranged for the exibition: https://www.stradeeautostrade.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/rivista-intertraffic-2022.pdf