EP1136624A2

EP1136624A2 - Element of road barrier with gradual resistance to impacts, assembled with threaded means

Info

Publication number: EP1136624A2
Application number: EP01201090A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Daniel Schürmann
Original assignee: Shorel Anstalt
Current assignee: Shorel Anstalt
Priority date: 2000-03-23
Filing date: 2001-03-21
Publication date: 2001-09-26
Also published as: EP1136624A3

Abstract

The element of road barrier (10), that is described, is constituted of the followings parts:

a plurality of posts (1m) that are fixed in the ground (t) and are provided of ribs of stiffening (2c);
a ribbed cover (3);
some reinforcement rails (4r).

All this parts are connected to each other. The connection is obtained by tightening threaded elements (5q;6). The parts are shaped, dimensioned and positioned so that they oppose themselves to an impact in sequential succession.

Description

The present invention regards the filed of road and motorway safety structures.
In particular this invention is known as "the new jersey barrier ".
these barriers are drawn two versions:

in the first version there are more monolithic elements, that are built in armed or not concrete, are lined up.
in the second version more metallic elements are established with a mantle.

This mantel is composed by nervous system soldered on the uppercuts, that are, rigidly, anchored to the ground through bolts.

In order that a road barrier can carry out its function to preserve as much as possible the life and the integrity of the drivers, that impact into.
It is necessary the barrier can gradually absorb the kinetic energy of a vehicle and than:

in the cases of impacts of modest entity, the barrier owes bring back the vehicle toward the center of the road way; all this without the barrier breaks itself.
in the cases of impacts of notable entity the barrier has to work as a rubber band with a permanent deformation so that the intensity of the decelerations are reduced at the least.

In fact it is necessary to remember that the decelerations are, in most cases, the cause of the physical damages that the driver suffers.

Both the types of barrier, that are described in the previous part, never develop these functions. They constitute an inelastic wall against which the energy of a vehicle, that them massive in transversal way, is relieved. This happens in brief times and the impact is absorbed in limited way.
Besides such barriers are bulky and heavy and they create some problems: high costs, difficulty of construction, problems of transport and complications during the installation work.

The inventor, in order to avoid above inconveniences, has conceived a new type of road barrier.
The metallic elements, that form the barrier, are composed by covers with ribbed system that climb on with some stiffening rib, rails of reinforcement and some means of anchorage in the ground.
The assemblage of the various parts and the connection to the ground are effected through the fastening of means filleted. these parts are shaped, dimensioned and positioned so that the element of road barrier opposes a gradual resistance to the impacts. All this with the objective to absorb, in the least traumatic way, the kinetic energy of a vehicle that impacts it.

In this part it will be described an example that makes reference to the new invention.
To perform such description it will be made reference to the attached sketches, that represent:

in the figure 1 the perspective sight in transparency of a part of an element of road barrier according the invention;
in the figure 2 the side sight of the cover with a ribbed system connected to a rib of stiffening of a post of the element of the figure 1;
in the figure 3 the frontal sight of the ribbed system cover that takes part of the element of road barrier of the figure 1;
in the figure 4 the sight of the transversal section of the point of connection of the element of barrier of the figure 1 to the ground.

In the figure 1 perceive as an element of road barrier (10), according to the invention, that understands a ribbed system cover (3); it is strengthened by members of reinforcement (4r) and it is connected through bolts (5q) to the uppercuts (1m), provided of ribs of stiffening(2c).

As it can be seen in figure (4), the posts (1m) are anchored to the foot on the ground (t), through of the bolts of anchorage (6), that are introduced in hollow (7) of the ground sprinkled of synthetic resin (14). (The system of anchorage will be explained in particular in the succession of the description).

A first technical shrewdness perceived in the figure (3), from which it results that the holes (3r), in the cover with ribbed system (3) for the passage of the bolts (5q) of connection to the posts(1m), are perforated in horizontal direction (also the holes, that aren't represented, of the rails of reinforcement (4r) can be realized in the same manner).

In case of transversal impact, the component of the impact, that is parallel to the ribbed cover (3), provokes an initial slide between the uppercuts and it (1m). This slide is hindered by the friction among the parts that is produced by the tightening pressure of the bolts (5q). The same thing happens subsequently to some transversal solicitations of the rib cover (3) and of the relative reinforcement of rails (4r) that, flexing itself, initially flow also on their points of fixing absorbing part of the kinetic energy that should be otherwise all absorbed by the deformations for bending.
A second shrewdness is visible in the figure (2): every post(1m) is provided with a stiffening rib (2c). This rib is positioned among the cover ( 3) and is destined to increase the resistance to flection of same post : the profile of such rib has a concave zone (z), in correspondence of which, in absence of strains, the cover (3) doesn't lean on stiffening rib (2c).

In such way the cover (3) touches the rib (for an important portion of its vertical development), only after having suffered a preset deformation caused by the transversal component of an impact: consequently the resistance to the impact, offered by the posts (1m), results gradual in dependent way from the sizing of the parts.
It is obvious that it is, worthwhile, to mechanically connect among them the rib cover (3) of adjacent two elements of road barrier so that to leave again in a certain measure the agent parallel strengths to them.

In the figure (4) there is a further technical shrewdness, where it is possible to perceive the method of anchorage on the ground (T) of an element of barrier road according to the invention.
A bolt of anchorage (6) have the head (6t) drowned in a hollow (7) of the ground (T). The head of the bolt is shaped and it is sprinkled with a synthetic resin (14). (For example: the resin that sets itself with two components).
The threading extremity of the bolt(6f) sticks out from the ground (t). This extremity cross an element (8) that it has a form of bell. The element has a preset deformability for bending and/or smashing. A die is tightened (9), on the filleted extremity (6f) and it presses against the element (8).
The element (8) presses against an horizontal wall that constitutes the surface of support (11) of the post(1m) on the ground (t).
In this manner every part of anchorage introduces a preset resistance to solicitations.

According to the invention it is possible to obtain an road barrier (10) that has a diversified resistance to the solicitations deriving from an impact. This provokes the smallest possible damage to the occupants of a motor vehicle in case of collision.

It is possible according to the invention to bring a lot of variations to an element of barrier (10) : it is convenient also to apply a second cover from the part opposite respect to the roadway (that isn't represented) and to install on every element of barrier (10), for all the length of the cover, an handrail (12) (figure 1) that can be fixed on the extremities of the posts (1m).

This invention achieves the following results:

1) greater performances safety;

2) smaller costs of production, transport and installation.

Claims

Element of road barrier (10), comprising the following parts:

a plurality of posts(1m) that are fixed to the ground (T) and are provided of ribs of stiffening (2c);

a ribbed cover (3);

some reinforcement rails(4r),

all these parts being connected to each other, characterized by that the said connection is obtained by tightening of threaded elements (5q;6), and the parts are shaped, dimensioned and positioned so that they oppose themselves to an impact in sequential succession only when to each one of them said impact is transmitted by one or more other parts that touch it after having been moved and/or deformed because of the same impact.
Element of road barrier according to the preceding claim, wherein the holes (3r), that are made for the passage of the bolts (5q) and for the connection among the posts (1m) and the cover with ribbed system (3), are slotted, in a horizontal direction, in order to obtain that, when an impact occurs on the ribbed cover (3), this latter can initially slide with respect to the said posts (1m), the friction between ribbed cover (3) and posts (1m) due to the tightening pressure of said bolts (5q) acting so as to oppose itself to said sliding.
Element of road barrier according to one of the preceding claims, wherein every stiffening rib (2c) (of the posts (1m)) has a profile with a concave zone (z) facing toward the ribbed cover (3), so that a preset portion of the ribbed cover (3) can be to contact with the said concave zone (z), and, therefore, with the relative stiffening rib (2c), only after having been deformed in preset measure because of a transversal impact.
Element of road barrier according to one of the preceding claims, wherein, the anchorage of every posts (1m) is effected through a bolt of anchorage (6), the head of the bolt being drowned in a hollow (7) drawn in the ground (t) sprinkled of a synthetic resin (14) and with the threaded extremity (6f) that sticks out from the ground and that crosses a bell-shaped element (8) with a preset deformability against which a fixing nut (9) is tightened, that presses such deformable element (8) against a surface of support (11) horizontal of the post (1m) on the ground (t).
Element of barrier road according to one of the preceding claims, wherein, there is also a horizontal handrail (12) fixed on the extremities of posts (1m).