AU664774B2 - Road barrier - Google Patents

Description

664774 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECW[ICATIlON FOR A STANDARD PATENT

(ORIGINAL)

Name of Applicant: Road Safety Equipment Australia Pty.Ltd. and Metsuda Road Safety Equipment Ltd.

e. Actual Inventor(c): Address for Service: Invention Title: DAVIES COLLISON CAVE, Patent Attorneys, 1 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000.

Road Barrier The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: ROAD BARRIER The present invention relates to a road barrier, and more particularly, but not exclusively the present invention relates to an improved road or highway barrier of the "New Jersey Style".

Road barriers are commonly used to divide opposite traffic lanes. Most of the highway traffic barriers known today are so-called "New Jersey' style barriers.

The New Jersey style barrier has a wide base portion from which the walls of the barrier extend upward in a generally vertical plane. U.S. Patent No. 4059362 defines and discloses a "New Jersey' style barrier made from concrete. One of the main disadvantages of the concrete barrier is its heavy weight which necessitates special equipment to place it in the required position. In order to overcome the weight problem a hollow "New Jersey' style barrier made from semi-rigid plastic material 15 was disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4773629. When in use, this hollow plastic barrier is filled with liquid.

One of the main disadvantages of the abovementioned plastic barrier is that the barrier often swells and its shape is distorted due to the liquid's pressure on its 20 walls. Another disadvantage of the plastic barrier is the inconvenience of attaching the barrier to an adjacent barrier; the grooves and protrusions described in the U.S.

Patent No. 4773629 necessitate raising every barrier relatively high before sliding it down near the adjacent one. Another disadvantage of this barrier is that it is very easy to remove the liquid and to steal the barrier. Still another disadvantage of the 25 barrier is that it is impossible to combine it with electric traffic sign equipment, or other equipment such as fences.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a road barrier, said barrier being made from a semi-rigid plastics material and being of hollow construction to receive a liquid to provide mass to the container in use, the container forming said barrier comprising a base and opposed end walls and opposed side walls which extend upwardly from said base, each of said end walls having 931025,p:\oper\rsh.barrierpe,1 means for releasably coupling the barrier in end to end relation with a like barrier, means enabling the container to be filled with a liquid and to enable the liquid to be discharged from the container and a plurality of tubes extending through the container between the opposed side walls to prevent the container from distortion in shape under the pressure of liquid filling the container.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of the barrier according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 illustrates a perspective view of the barrier with a longitudinal broken section of the upper part of said barrier; and Figure 3 illustrates a side view of the barrier.

With reference to the accompanying drawings a road barrier in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention is of hollow construction and is *o *o •o* *1•o *eoe 9509M,p\operrshbarrierspe,2 r 40 1 I' I I moulded from a semi-rigid plastics material, the barrier having a "New Jersey" style profile with a wide base 2, opposed longitudinal side walls 4 extending upwardly from the base 2, opposed end walls 6 and an upper wall 8. Each longitudinal side wall 4 comprises a lower wall portion 4a adjacent the wide base 2 and inclined inwardly at. a relatively steep angle and an upper wall portion 4b inclined inwardly at a relatively shallow angle; it is this configuration which provides the characteristics of the "New Jersey" profile. The base 2 is profiled to provide recesses for receiving the tines of a fork lift truck by which the barrier can be lifted. A liquid inlet 10 and outlet 12 are positioned at the top and the bottom of the barrier to permit the hollow interior of the barrier to be filled with water or other liquid to provide substantial mass for the barrier when in use, and to permit drainage of the liquid for transportation of the barrier. A plurality of generally horizontal tubes 14 transverse to the longitudinal axis of the barrier extend between opposed side wall portions 4b of the side walls 4. The preferred number of horizontal tubes 14 is four 15 and these are regularly spaced along the length of the barrier. The tubes 14 combine the two opposite side walls 4 to prevent the barrier from swelling and distorting in shape under the static pressure of the liquid filling. Preferably, each tube 14 progressively reduces in cross-section from each side wall portion to a central Sposition midway between the two side wall portions whereby the tube is of a 20 generally diabolo shape as is clearly shown in Figure 2, each tube 14 opening at its end on to the adjacent side wall portion 4b.

A vertical passage 16 is provided at the upper side of the barrier and closed to the interior of the barrier to receive a vertical post, for example for a traffic sign, S" 25 a traffic signal or for a fence. A horizontal groove or passage 18 extends along the top part of each side wall portion 6 for two main purposes: for an electrical cable passing along a group of interconnected barriers to provide electrical power for traffic signs or lights supported by posts located within the vertical passages 16 of the respective barriers; or (ii) for a cable passing along a group of interconnected barriers to provide added security against unauthorised removal of individual barriers the security cable can pass along the groove 18 via an apertured bracket 20 formed on the upper wall 8 of the barrier so as to prevent individual barriers from being 931025,p:\oper\rsbanrier*,3 -4removed and stolen.

The barrier has at one end vertical projections in the form of pegs 22 spaced from the adjacent end wall 6 and at the opposite end, apertured blocks 24 projecting from the end wall 6. The pegs are adapted to be received in the apertures of the blocks of an adjacent like barrier in order to connect the barriers together. In the embodiment shown, there are two such pegs 22 and two corresponding blocks 24, the pegs 22 being vertically-spaced. The pegs 22 of one barrier can easily be coupled with the blocks 24 of an adjacent barrier simply by lifting the end of the barriei (prior to filling with water) so that the pegs 22 drop into the apertured blocks 24 of the adjacent barrier. As will be appreciated, the use of the separate vertical pegs enables the barriers to be coupled without the need to raise the one barrier by a substantial distance, but the vertical extent of each peg is sufficient to ensure a very firm connection between the adjacent barriers nd the integrity of this connection is unlikely to be affected even when subjected to substantial shock impact from a vehicle. The connection also permits angular displacement to occur between the adjacent b rriers as may be required if the barriers are to be arranged around a nonlinear path.

20 The entire barrier including the pegs and blocks may be integrally moulded by a rotational moulding technique.

The embodiment has been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.

931025,p:\oper\rshbarrier.spr4 Its r sr

Claims (11)

1. A road barrier, said barrier being made from a semi-rigid plastics material and being of hollow construction to receive a liquid to provide mass to the barrier in use, the barrier comprising a base, opposed end walls and opposed side walls which extend upwardly from said base, each of said end walls having means for releasably coupling the barrier in end to end relation with a like barrier, means enabling the barrier to be filled with a liquid and enabling the liquid to be discharged from the barrier, and a plurality of tubes extending through the barrier between the opposed side walls to prevent the barrier from distorting in shape under the pressure of liquid filling the barrier.

A barrier according to claim 1, wherein the tubes are spaced along the iength of the container.

3. A barrier according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each of said tubes is open to the outside at the respective side walls of the barrier.

4. A barrier according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of said tubes progressively decreases in diameter from its ends adjacent the two opposed side walls in a direction towards a central position intermediate said side walls.

A barrier according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the means for coupling the barrier in end to end relationship with a like barrier comprises projections at one end of the barrier and extending substantially vertically and apertures formed in structure at the other end of the barrier such that the projections of one barrier can engage within the apertures at the adjacent end of a like said barrier in order to secure the two barriers together.

6. A baffler according to claim 5, wherein the projections comprise pegs spaced outwardly from the adjacent end wall of the baffler and the apertures are formed in respective block-like structures projecting outwardly from the other end wall. 931025,p:\oper~rsbarrierspe.5 -6-

7. A barrier according to claim 6, wherein there are two said projections vertically spaced one above another and there are two said block-like structures vertically spaced one above another to cooperate with the projections of a like said barrier.

8. A barrier according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising at least one passage extending generally horizontally of the barrier from one end to the other for receiving an electrical cable and/or a cable for securing adjacent barriers together.

9. A barrier according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising at least one passage in an upper part of the barrier for receiving a vertically-extending post.

A road barrier, said barrier being made from a semi-rigid plastics mata l and being of hollow construction to receive a liquid to provide mass to th arrier in use, the bairier comprising a base, opposed end walls and oppo side walls which extend upwardly from said base, each of said end walls aving means for releasably coupling the barrier in end to end relation wi like barrier, means enabling the barrier to be filled with a liquid and nabling the liquid to be discharged from the barrier, and means for preven g the barrier from distorting in shape under the pressure of liquid filling the b iier, wherein the means for coupling .0 the barrier in end to end relationship wi like barrier comprises projections at one .end of the barrier and extending s stantially vertically and apertures formed in structure at the other end of th arrier such that the projections of one barrier can 0. engage within the apertur at the adjacent end of a like said barrier in order to secure the two barri together.

11. A b er according to claim 10, wherein means for preventing distortion of the b er comprises reinforcing means extending through the interior of the barrier b een the opposed side walls at positions intermediate the base and an upper wall of the barrier. 931025,p:\opcrkmhbarriersp,6 -7- -If A barrier substantially as hereinbefore disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 25th day of October, 1993 ROAD SAFETY EQUIPMENT AUSTRALIA PTY.LTD. and METSUDA ROAD SAFETY EQUIPMENT LTD. By their Patent Attorneys: DAVIES COLLISON CAVE 931025,p:\oper\mhI,barrier.spe,7 ARBSTRACT A road barrier is of hollow plastics construction to be filled with liquid to provide mass for the barrier. In order to reinforce the walls of the barrier against swelling or other distortion under the pressure of the liquid filling, a series of reinforcing tubes extend between opposite side walls of the barrier. 0 0 0 0 0 64 931025,p: \oper~rshbarrierspe, 1