AU663387B2 - Metallic safety barrier - Google Patents

Description

6633o87

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

P/00/01 1 Regulation 3.2 TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT 1.7-1me of Applicant SI5TP~k1A DI ER.AFJNL.- .SA-S- 14 s Actual Inventor(s): .Address for Service: CALLINAN LAWRIE, 278 Hiugh Street, Kew, 3101, Victoria, Australia -Lqention Title: "METALLIC SAFETY BARRIER" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:r la 1 "METALLIC SAFETY BARRIER" 2 3 This invention concerns a metallic safety barrier 4 especially suitable for bridges and viaducts and of the type disclosed in EP-A-0428097.

6 To be more exact, the invention concerns a barrier 7 structurally suitable to meet the strictest safety standards 8 and having at the same time weight characteristics 9 compatible with the usual type of beam employed for roadway constructions, particularly at bridges and viaducts.

11 The barrier of the invention can be employed on bridges 12 and viaducts as a central traffic dividing strip or as a oOo 13 rigid lateral edge but can also be used in any other 14 employment requiring safety means having a low weight and a So,, 15 great retaining capability.

16 The state of the art includes several apparatuses intended 17 to improve driving safety on modern roads and motorways.

18 Amongst these apparatuses a role of primary importance is 19 played by the so-called guardrails.

20 As is known, these products perform the twofold task of 21 showing a motorist his path clearly and of preventing a 22 motor vehicle leaving its carriageway in the event of an S0 0 23 accidental steering mistake.

24 In particular, the guardrails have to enable the following objectives to be attained: 26 a great structural strength to retain and reject heavy and 27 light motor vehicles; 28 a great capacity of preventing roll-over (overturning onto 29 the other carriageway); a great capacity of absorption of energy (resilience).

31 In addition to the above, further effects are required 32 such as functional decoration, (longlasting green hedges), 33 surface drainage of the carriageways, etc.

r -T I 2 1 Good results have been achieved by using barriers 2 consisting of prefabricated reinforced-concrete elements 3 having a known profile and called "New Jersey".

4 These barriers, which have been in use now for some years in many countries, have a surface inclined at its base and 6 suitable to act directly on the steering equipment of motor 7 vehicles on a collision course, thus returning the motor 8 vehicle to its own carriageway as required.

9 Moreover, trial; have been made to avoid the natural 1. rigidity of this type of barrier by employing systems to °l11 anchor barriers of a resilient type to the ground.

°c0 12 In other words, the barriers are permitted to undergo S Co o 13 deformations and residual displacements which enable the o 14 decelerations induced in the motor vehicle to be reduced to 0 a minimum, thus achieving acceptable rebound trajectories 16 together with minimum damage.

17 The above has overcome a great part of the problems on 18 normal stretches of road but not at bridges or viaducts.

os:. 19 In fact, the heavy structure of the New Jersey type 0o' 20 concrete barriers is not compatible with the loads which can 21 be withstood by the frameworks normally employed.

22 At the present time the usual guardrails made of steel 23 strip are employed on bridges and viaducts and entail the 24 well known limits made still more evident by the absolute need to prevent motor vehicles leaving their carriageway at 26 the above parts of the roads.

27 EP-A-0428097 discloses a safety barrier consisting of a.

28 modular metallic element which can be connected to equal 29 elements arranged next to it; this element has sidewalls, in one or more reciprocally connected elements, and frontal 31 walls.

32 This element is substantially hollow within and comprises I 33 lengthwise stiffening means and means for connection to -e =arrr~~~6'L 3 adjacent elements, together with means for fixture to the ground.

EP-A-0428097, however, teaches the obtaining of a metallic barrier which, so as to achieve the required capacity of absorption and structural stability, requires weights and components that impair the barrier in terms of weight and rigidity and therefore have an unfavourable effect on the frameworks and on drivers in the event of an accident.

To overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to achieve further advantages, the present applicants have designed, tested and embodied this invention.

This invention is set forth and characterized in the main claim, while the dependent claims describe w ariants -f th-- 1, 0

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ri- lR I -1 P, U Lr-- W4- j J -tLi.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a metallic safety barrier which is lighter, but stronger and safer, than that disclosed in EP-A-0428097.

A further purpose of this invention is to provide a quick and safe system to connect together the adjacent metallic elements composing the barrier.

The barrier according to the invention consists of modular metallic elements which can be coupled to equal adjacent elements to form the safety barrier.

Each of these modular elements consists substantially of a frontal metallic absorption panel which is stiffened lengthwise and crosswise by at least one reinforcing element.

The frontal absorption panel has a known profile of the New Jersey type, which is formed as a double trapezium becoming larger towards its bottom and includes in its lower half a change of inclination to enlarge the supporting base of the modular element and to act in a differentiated manner against the tyres of a motor vehicle.

m u -U I I 4 1 The frontal absorption panel according to the invention is 2 bent advantageously backwards at its lower end along its 3 supporting base and for a portion of the same.

4 The modular elements are open at their rear so as to be lighter.

6 The barrier according to the invention weighs about 120 to 7 140 kgs. per linear metre as against the 800 to 1100 kgs.

8 per linear metre of the normal New Jersey type concrete 9 barriers and against the 160 kgs. per linear metre of the 10 barriers according to EP-A-0428097.

°p 11 The modular elements of the barrier according to the 8 12 invention include at their upper end supporting means with 13 which there cooperates at least one suitable lengthwise bar °o 14 to provide further retention.

This lengthwise retention bar has the purpose of further 0°o° 16 stiffening and reinforcing the safety barrier in the 17 lengthwise and vertical directions and plays a special part 18 in retaining a motor vehicle on its own carriageway so as to 19 prevent the motor vehicle climbing over the safety barrier.

20 According to a variant two or more lengthwise retention 21 bars are included.

22 Substantially in correspondence with, or in the 23 neighbourhood of, the supporting means of the retention bar 24 the frontal absorption panel contains within its upper part a stiffening bracket to distribute the loads so as to 26 distribute better the stresses which the retention bar 27 imparts to the absorption panel at the time of an impact.

28 According to the invention, so as to improve the stiffness 29 and reinforcement, the points of connection of one retention bar to another are displaced advantageously away from the 31 connecting ends of adjacent modular elements composing the 32 safety barrier.

33 The remaining metallic structure of the barrier according r r

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5- 1 to the Invention has been devised to make possible an 2 improved safety performance, particularly as regards 3 absorption of kinetic energy, by converting that energy at 4 the moment of impact into a greater action of deformation of the structure thus hit.

6 Moreover, this better structure includes improved 7 stiffening ribs, or reinforcing uprights, and new lengthwise 8 reinforcing elements; furthermore, the structure is fixed 9 advantageously with specific anchorage bolts.

j 10 The damage to persons in the motor vehicle and to the 11 motor vehicle itself is lessened considerably in this way 0 12 and the rebound of the motor vehicle towards the middle of 13 its own carriageway is limited at the same time.

jj aI° 14 According to a variant the supporting means with which the 0..0 15 retention bar cooperates are positioned in correspondence 0. 16 with the stiffening ribs, and in this case the stiffening °0 17 brackets which distribute the loads are eliminated.

18 The barrier according to the invention gives excellent 0o'.o° 19 results in retaining a motor vehicle weighing thirty tonnes 0°o: 20 hurled at a speed of 65 kms. per hour at an angle of 21 incidence of 22 In the above example the zone of plastic deformation is 23 restricted substantially to the neighbourhood of the, point 24 of impact of the motor vehicle against the safety barrier.

According to a variant a covering panel secured, for 26 instance, by rivets or other means may be fixed to the rear 27 outer face of the frontal absorption panels fdr mere 28 aesthetic and non-structural reasons.

29 According to another variant the modular metallic element includes in its lower front portion a connecting shoe in the 31 event that the safety barrier is fixed to a slab raised 32 above the roadbed.

33 The modular metallic elements according to the invention I I -e -6- 1 are butt-joint-.d together with a reciprocal connection at 2 their ends by means of suitable connecting means so as to 3 form a barrier without any break of continuity.

4 According to a variant the connecting means consist of a horizontal plate fitted to the upper end of the frontal 6 absorption panels and firmly secured, by bolts and nuts for '7 instance, to the two modular metallic elements to be 8 connected.

9 According to another variant the means which connect the o< 10 modular metallic elements consist of a double hinge, the 0 11 eyelets of which are solidly fixed to the terminal 12 reinforcing uprights.

13 A connecting plate with mating connecting eyelets 14 cooperates with those eyelets.

The installation and successive connection of adjacent D 17 are carried out by positioning the connecting plate between 18 two adjacent modular metallic elements with its eyelets on 19 the same axis as the eyelets on those two adjacent modular 00.0 20 metallic elements and threading therethrough from above two 21 pins which cooperate with the relative eyelets.

ooo 22 According to another variant the double hinge extends only 23 partly, advantageously along the upper part of the modular 24 metallic elements.

The modular metallic elements according to the invention 26 may also include specific hooks for connection to pre- 27 existing modular metallic elements of another type.

28 Each modular metallic element comprises means for 29 anchorage to the ground; these anchorage means are advantageously of a resilient type pre-loaded to provide a 31 required resilient resistance to the stresses resulting from 32 the impact of a motor vehicle.

33 The means for anchorage of the modular metallic elements

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7 1 to the ground consist of a plurality of anchorage bolts 2 which cooperate with appropriate seatings machined in the 3 lower part of the modular metallic elements and which a::e 4 anchored in the slab of the carriageway. These seatings cooperate directly with the structural elements providing 6 vertical stiffening and consisting of stiffening ribs or 7 uprights 8 According to a variant, where bridges are made of steel, 9 the anchorage means consist of anchorage bolts cooperating o 10 with tubes or sheaths secured firmly to the inside of the 11 metallic structure of which the bridge consists.

12 The stiffening ribs, which are at least two for each S13 modular metallic element, are connected solidly to the inner 14 surface of the frontal absorption panel so as to form one single body.

0 16 The lengthwise reinforcing element, which is suitably 17 shaped, for instance, substantially as a with its broad 18 sides anchored firmly to the back of the frontal absorption 19 panel, is substantially as long as the modular metallic element and is positioned at a height between 0.3 and 0.6 21 times, substantially 0.45 times, the height of the frontal 22 absorption panel of the metallic barrier according to the a 23 invention.

24 According to a variant the lengthwise reinforcing element consists of an inner "V-shaped" bent element, or 26 advantageously a dovetail-shaped element, formed in the 27 frontal absorption panel.

28 In this case vertical spaced connecting bridges may be 29 included in correspondence with the horizontal lips of the inner bend.

31 According to a further variant two or more. lengthwise S32 reinlorcing elements cooperate with the frontal absorption i 33 panel.Where there are two lengthwise reinforcing elements, f r 8 1 the upper of the two is positioned at a height from the 2 ground between 0.3 and 0.6 times, advantageously 0.45 times, 3 the height of the frontal absorption panel, whereas the 4 lower of the two cooperates advantageously by means of one of its sides with the vertex of the change of inclination of 6 the frontal absorption panel.

7 The stiffening ribs have an L-shaped cross-section, the 8 long side of which has a variable length so as to be adapted 9 to the conformation of the frontal absorption panel.

To be more exact, the long side of the has an 11 increasing development in a downward direction so as to be S 12 anchored with its free end to the rear surface of the 13 frontal absorption panel to which it is firmly secured.

S 14 The orientation of the rear, vertically positioned, short side of the stiffening ribs is turned away from the side of 16 the arrival of: vehicles passing by.

17 Substantially V-shaped groove; are machine in the long 18 side of the stiffening ribs in a number corresponding to the 19 number of lengthwise reinforcing elements; thess grooves enable the lengthwise reinforcing elements to pass and be 21 positioned against the rear surface of the frontal S22 absorpticr panel.

23 The stiffening ribs are bent at their lower end to form a 24 supporting base which cooperates terminally with the advantageously bent lower edge of the frontal absorption 26 panel.

27 The attached figures, which are given as a non-restrictive 28 example, show some preferred embodiments of the invention as 29 follows: Fig.l is a frontal three-dimensional diagram of a 31 structure with metallic safety barriers according to 32 the invention; 33 Fig.2 is a rear view of a metallic barrier according to L I ImF• i t~_ il_ 9 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 11 S 12 13 14 16 17 18 S 19 21 22 23 24 26 27 28 29 the invention; Fig.3 is a lengthwise section of the metallic barrier along the line D-D of Fig.4 together with an enlarged detail of the type of connection between adjacent elements; Fig.4 is a cross-section of the metallic barrier along the line A-A of Fig.2; Fig.5 shows a cross-section of a variant of the metallic barrier of Fig.4; Fig.6 shows a cross-section of a typ., of anchorage of the metallic barrier of Fig.4 to the ground; Fig.7 shows in an enlarged scale a cross-section of a stiffening rib accc.ding to a horizontal plane along the line B-B of Fig.2; Fig.8 shows a vertical lengthwise section of the stiffening rib along the line C-C of Fig.7; Figs. 9 to 13 show cross-sections of some forms of embodiment of the metallic barrier according to the invention; Fig.14 is a rear view of another form of embodiment of the metallic barrier according to the invention; Fig.15 is a rear view of a metallic barrier according to the invention, which shows a different type of connection of the various elements; Fig.16 is a horizontal section of the metallic barrier of Fig.15 along the line E-E; Figs.17 and 18 are cross-sections of two types of anchorage of the metallic barrier according to the invention to a metallic structure.

Fig.l is a diagram of a safety barrier 10 consisting of a plurality of modular metallic elements 11 -positioned adjacent to each other and connected together; the modular metallic elements 11 include means 30 for their fixture to I_ I_ I i- 1 i 10 1 the ground 28.

2 The frontal conformation of the modular metallic elements 3 11 is like that of the New Jersey type and comprises the 4 well-tried advantageous features of the same.

The modular metallic element 11 includes a shaped frontal 6 absorption panel 12, which has in its lower part a vertex 32 7 coinciding with a change of the inclination of the frontal 8 absorption panel 12.

9 In the examples of Figs.2, 4, 5 and 8 the frontal absorption panel 12 includes two reinforcing elements 13 °oo 11 arranged lengthwise along its rear surface and having 12 substantially the same length as the modular m-tallic 13 element 1i.

14 The first lower reinforcing element 13a is fitted with one side in the vicinity of the vertex 32 of the change of 16 inclination of the frontal absorption panel 12 and extends 17 downwards, whereas the second higher lengthwise reinforcing 18 element 13b is located at a height from the ground 28 19 between 0.3 and 0.6 times, advantageously 0.45 times, the 20 height of the frontal absorption panel 12 of the met-llic 21 barrier 10 according to the invention.

22 According to a variant (Figs.9, 10, 11, 12 and 13) the 23 frontal absorption panel 12 comprises only one reinforcing 24 element 13b, which is arranged along the rear of the panel 12 and has substantially the same length as the modular 26 metallic element 11.

27 According to a variant the reinforcing element 13b is 28 obtained with an internal V-shaped bend of the frontal 29 absorption panel (Fig.12) or with an internal dovetailled bend of the frontal absorption panel (Fig.11).

31 Next, the frontal absorption panel 12 includes a plurality 32 of substantially vertical stiffening ribs 14, which are at 33 least two in number on each modular metallic element 11 and

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^1 r S- 11 1 are spaced regularly apart and secured to the frontal 2 absorption panel 12 and to the reinforcing elements 13.

3 In the example of Fig.2 a metallic barrier 10 is shown in 4 which each modular metallic element 11 includes six stiffening ribs 14.

6 The stiffening ribs 14 have an L-shaped cross-section 7 along a horizontal plane (Fig.7); the long side 14a of the 8 has a variable length which mates with the profile of 9 the frontal absorption panel 12 to which the ribs 14 are firmly secured.

'.11 Substantially V-shaped grooves 33 are also machined in 12 the long side 14a of the stiffening ribs 14 and have a form 13 and position coordinated with the lengthwise reinforcing 14 elements 13a-13b.

15 Where there is only reinforcing element 13b (Figs.9, 16 11, 12 and 13), the stiffening ribs 14 include only one S17 groove 33, which has a form and position coordinated with 18 the lengthwise reinforcing element 13b.

19 The stiffening ribs 14 are bent at their lower portion so 20 as to form a supporting base 19, which cooperates terminally 21 with the frontal absorption panel 12, which is bent 22 backwards to form a base 26, and with the ground 28.

23 Supports 15 which protrude above the frontal absorption 24 panel 12 are comprised in cooperation with the upper part of the panels 12 and with the vertical stiffening ribs 14; 26 with these supports 15 there cooperates a retention bar 16, 27 which extends along the whole length of the safety barrie-r 28 29 The supports 15 are bent forwards so as to place the retention bar 16 in cooperation with the projection of the 31 almost vertical upper surface of the frontal- absorption 32 panel 12.

33 In correspondence with the supports 15 the frontal r 12 1 absorption panel 12 includes within its upper portion a V- 2 shaped stiffening and stress-distribution bracket 17, which 3 has the purpose of containing and distributing the stresses 4 caused by the retention bar 16 on the frontal absorption panel 12 at the moment of impact of a motor vehicle.

6 According to a variant (Fig.14) the supports 15 are 7 positioned in correspondence with the vertical stiffening 8 ribs 14, and in this case the stiffening and stress- 9 distribution brackets 17 are omitted.

S 10 According to another variant (Fig.14) the supports 15 are 11 positioned at least in correspondence with the end S 12 stiffening ribs 14 and act also as an attachment means S 13 The retention bars 16 are advantageously connected to each 14 other by connecting sleeves 18, in which the ends of adjacent retention bars 16 are secured.

S16 According to a variant (Fig.13) the frontal absorption 17 panel 12 has a reduced height, which is between 0.5 and 0.8 18 times its normal height, and the retention bars 16 are two o 19 or more in number.

The stiffening ribs 14 positioned at the end of the 21 modular metallic element 11 comprises reciprocal attachment 22 means 20, which have the purpose of connecting two adjacent 23 metallic elements 11 together.

24 These reciprocal attachment means 20, in the examples of Figs.2 and 3, consist of a hinge comprising a plurality of 26 eyelets 21 arranged on the stiffening ribs 14 and of a 27 connecting plate 22, which too comprises at each of its 28 sides a plurality of eyelets 23 in coordinated positions.

S29 The reciprocal connection of two adjacent modular metallic elements 11 is achieved by making each of two pins 24 31 cooperate with eyelets 21 of the respective stiffening rib 32 14 and with the corresponding eyelets 23 of the connecting 33 plate 22, which are suitably aligned with the eyelets 21 of c c p 13 1 the rib 14.

2 To make the drawing of Fig.2 clear, the pins 24 are shown 3 as being only partly threaded into the respective eyelets 4 21-23.

In the event of bends in the roads or other types of 6 deviations it is enough to change suitably the dimensions 7 and/or shape of the connecting plate 22 so that the adjacent 8 modular metallic elements 11 can be connected togeLher.

9 According to a va-'iant (Fig.14) the hinge extends only partly along the stiffening ribs 14 of the metallic barrier .11 10 according to the invention.

12 According to another variant (Figs.15 and 16) the 13 reciprocal attachment means 20 consist of a horizontal plate 14 36 rested on the upper side 35 of the frontal absorption panel 12 of two adjacent modular metallic elements 11 and 16 fixed to the elements 11 by suitable bolts and nuts 37.

17 By coupling together and fixing in counterpart positions 18 the rear surfaces of two modular metallic elements 11 it is 19 possible to produce the central fender strip.

For merely aesthetic reasons it is possible to fit to the 21 rear side of the modular metallic element 11 a panel which 22 covers the lengthwise reinforcing elements 13 and the 23 stiffening ribs 14; the surface of this panel can be used 24 for the display of advertising posters, for instance.

Fig.6 shows a form of embodiment of means 30 for the 26 resilient anchorage of the modular metallic element 11 to 27 the ground 28. Each modular metallic element 11 includes- in 28 its lower portion a plurality of compartments 25, which are 29 made in correspondence with the base 26; each compartment contains a reinforcing plate 34.

31 Holes 27 are machined in the base 26 in correspondence 32 with the compartments 25, and anchorage bolts 29 are 33 inserted through the holes 27. These anchorage bolts 29 r i S- 14 1 are tightened advantageously with a dynamometric key or with 2 screwers calibrated to provide the desired value of pre- 3 loading. The reinforcing plate 34 is rested on the 4 supporting base 19 and the latter is rested on the base 26.

This has the effect that the resilient clamping of the 6 anchorage bolts 29 cooperates with the safety barrier 7 without creating localized points of discharge of the energy 8 of impact.

9 Where the safety barrier 10 is secured to a slab raised above the roadbed 28, the modular metallic element 11 11 comprises at its lower end a connecting shoe 31 (Figs.5, 12 and 18).

o 13 According to a variant, where a bridge is made wholly of S14 steel, the anchorage means 30 consist of anchorage bolts 29 15 which cooperate with tubes or sheaths 38 fitted inside S 16 between an upper plate 40a and lower plate 40b of the 17 metallic structure forming the base 39 of the steel bridge.

18 In the examples of Figs.17 and 18 strengthening ribs 42 19 are fitted below the upper plate 20 The tube 38, which is substantially coaxial with the 21 anchorage bolt 29, is firmly secured to the upper plate 22 constituting the base 39 of the steel bridge and contains in 23 its bottom 44 a hole 41 with which the anchorage bolt 29 24 cooperates.

In the example of Fig.18 the metallic bridge comprises a 26 slab 43, which is raised higher than the roadbed 28 and with 27 which there cooperates the connecting shoe 31 comprised at 28 the lower end of the modular metallic element 11.

29 In this example the tube 38 is solidly fixed to the slab 43 and to the upper plate 40a, through which the tube 38 31 passes.

Claims (10)

1. A metallic safety barrier including a plurality of modular metallic elements and consisting of a frontal absorption panel at least one lengthwise reinforcing element, uprights or stiffening ribs and compartments for the fixture of anchorage bolts to the ground, means being included for connecting said modular metallic elements together, wherein said frontal absorption panel extends from an upper front position with an upper portion to a lower intermediate base position, wherein the or each said lengthwise reinforcing elements extends along the length of said frontal absorption panel, wherein said uprights or stiffening ribs are equidistant from each other and at least two in number per modular metallic element and have their rear substantially vertical and are conformed as an and have their front portion anchored to the rear of said frontal absorption panel and to the or each said lengthwise reinforcing element, and wherein said compartments 0000 00 co-operate with a supporting base of said stiffening ribs and with a base segment S* of said frontal absorption panel.

2. The barrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the or each said lengthwise reinforcing element is conformed as a with its sides opening apart towards said frontal absorption panel.

3. The barrier as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the or each said lengthwise reinforcing element extends along the rear of said frontal absorption panel and is continuously in contact with said frontal absorption panel.

4. The barrier as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which on said -16- upper p;urtion of said frontal absorption panel there are supports bearing at least one retention bar positioned along and above said modular metallic elements. The barrier as claimed in claim 4, in which said retention bar is displaced forwards and co-operates with a projection of the upper almost vertical surface of said frontal absorption panel.

6. The barrier as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which a stiffening bracket to distribute stresses is included in co-operation with at least one S support and is positioned on the inner upper part of said frontal absorption panel.

7. The barrier as claimed in claim 6, in which each support is positioned in co- operation with a stiffening rib.

8. The barrier as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which a o support having also the function of an attachment means is included in correspondence with said end stiffening rib.

9. The barrier as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which a first lower lengthwise reinforcing element has the edge of one of its sides in co- operation with a vertex of said frontal absorption panel and is fitted to the lower almost vertical surface of said panel. The barrier as claimed in claim 9, in which a second higher reinforcing element is positioned at a height above the ground of between 0.3 and 0.6 times the height of said frontal absorption panel.

11. The barrier as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which said L-shaped rear of said stiffening ribs extends in the opposite direction to the r

17- direction of driving of a motor vehicle and includes a stiffening appendix. 12. The barrier as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which said compartments include a reinforcing plate and sidewalls providing stiffening and connection. 13. The barrier as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which attachment means are conformed as a vertical plate co-operating with connecting pins, said vertical plate extending vertically by at least part of the height of said S..end reinforcing rib. 14. The barrier as claimed in -aay one of clai-ms 1 to 12, in which said attachment means are conformed as a horizontal plate co-operating by means of bolts and nuts with the upper ends of two modular metallic elements placed side by side. The barrier as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which said 0 frontal absorption panel has a reduced height between 0.5 and 0.8 times its normal height. S: 16. A metallic safety barrier, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 30th day of June 1993. ISEMA-I ERA• L. C. SAS By their Patent Attorneys: V CALLINAN LAWRIE F' 18 1 ABSTRACT 2 Metallic safety barrier of the type of EP-A-0428097, which 3 comprises a plurality of modular metallic elements (11) and 4 consists of a frontal absorption panel lengthwise reinforcing elments uprights or stiffening ribs (14) 6 and compartments (25) for the fixture of anchorage bolts 7 (29) to the ground means being included for connecting 8 the modular metallic elements (11) together, the frontal 9 absorption panel (12) extending from an upper front position S. 10 with an upper portion (35) to a lower intermediate base S11 position, lengthwise reinforcing elements (13) being at 9990 S 12 least one in number and extending along the length of the s o 13 frontal absorption panel (12) the uprights or stiffening 14 ribs (14) being equidistant from each other and at least two in number per modular metallic element (11) and having their 16 rear substantially vertical and being sconformed as an "L" 17 and their front portion anchored to the rear of the frontal 18 absorption panel (12) and to the lengthwise reinforcing 0019 elements the compartments (25) cooperating with a 20 supporting base (19) of the stiffening ribs (14) and with a 21 base segment (26) of the frontal absorption panel (12). 1r