AU728058B2

AU728058B2 - Safety fence

Info

Publication number: AU728058B2
Application number: AU67545/98A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Hakan Nilsson
Original assignee: Blue Systems AB
Current assignee: Asoma AB
Priority date: 1997-03-26
Filing date: 1998-03-25
Publication date: 2001-01-04
Anticipated expiration: 2018-03-25
Also published as: WO1998042918A1; AU6754598A; SE511024C2; SE9701118L; SE9701118D0

Description

WO 98/42918 PCT/SE98/00540 SAFETY FENCE The present invention refers to a road fence and of the type, which incorporates a plurality of spaced apart posts, arranged to be anchored substantially vertically in the ground or other beddings, and at least one substantially horizontal string of beams.

Road fences of this type are earlier known in a number of different embodiments and the purpose thereof is to prevent vehicles from ending up outside the roadway at nearaccidents, and particularly in such positions, where the risk for consequential injuries is big, such as at e.g. at watercourses, places of big level differences, but also thus that the vehicle can not end up on a roadway of opposite traffic direction. Another purpose is of course, that the fence shall be construed thus that it not itself will mean a moment of danger in connection to a collision laterally.

This means that the string of beams and/or the posts shall be so flexible, that the kinetic energy at a collision will be absorbed and converted into deformation and/or yielding of the fence components.

The string of beams at such road fences often incorporates a number of beam elements, each of which is mounted with its end portion against a post, in such a manner, that two adjacent beam elements are arranged with a common butt joint where the two beam elements overlap half the width of the post and is attached to this in an appropriate manner, whereas the outermost beam portion overlaps the entire width of the post. Such a mounting method puts high demands on the accuracy of the spacings between the posts and the vertical adjustment of the posts anchored in the bedding, and there is only small possibilities of changing the positioning of the post, if it for instance due to difficulties in WO 98/42918 PCT/SE98/00540 2 anchoring the post, should be desirable to move the post shorter distances. Furthermore there are standard instructions, which lay down the mutual spacing at which the string of beams shall be fitted to the posts.

In order to reduce the material weight and cost, tubular strings of beams are often used, and it also has been used posts made of tubular profiles.

CH-A5-636 663 discloses a road fence, wherein the string of beams is constituted by a number of parts having a substantially C-shaped cross section, i.e. with a substantially oval basic shape and with a longitudinal slot.

These beam parts are positioned with the slot facing away from the roadway and they are attached to posts of different types, whereby the beam is attached to the post by means of attachment screws applied from the slot beside the post, which attachment screws extend through holes in both beam flange portions, bordering the slot, and which are screwed through the material of the post. By this method it is achieved that the fence on its side turned towards the roadway has no visible attachment means, but shows completly smooth, somewhat curved beam strings. A drawback of this arrangement is of course the somewhat complicated mounting, which must be done at the site, and wherein inserting of tools and screws for attachment of beam to post means a work, which requires accuracy and dexterity at the same time as it might be done in bad weather.

In US 1,643,555 is shown and described a vehicle guard, which incorporates tubular posts, each of which has a longitudinal slot, and two strings of beams, each one having a longitudinal slot, whereby each post at its surface situated opposite to the slot, is provided with throughholes for receiving attachment bolts, which extend through -3the holes and through corresponding holes at the ends of the beam parts, whereby a nut which shall be tightened on the other side of the screw is accessible through the slot in the post. At the joint between two beam parts, which will be situated over a post, there is provided a bridging washer, which is tightened by means of a bolt having a stop nut for ascertaining that the adjacent beam parts are aligned. Also in this case the mounting is bound to the positioning of attachment holes in posts and beam parts, which means that there is no possibility to vary the space between the posts and the like.

S• In later designs it often has been used moulded, profiled posts equipped with especial attachment means, and which give a possibility of retaining especially designed 10 moulded beams, equipped with attachments movable in channels, which attachments can be applied at arbitrary positions to the attachment means of the posts. Such designs are known, e.g. from EP-A1-O 216 712, and they mean a very costly solution of the problem.

•*o0 It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a road fence of the type which incorporates a number of spaced apart posts, adapted to be anchored substantially vertically in ground or other bedding, and at least one substantially horizontal beam string affixed to the posts, whereby the posts are tubular, and each of which has a longitudinal slot, and the beam string has a longitudinal slot, whereby each one of the posts, at their surface opposite to the slot is intended to receive one attachment means, which has an attachment part, and where the beam is turned with its slot facing the posts, and on each side of the slot has flange-like material portions, whereby each attachment means is arrestable thus that the attachment means clamps the beam string to Sthe posts, wherein the posts as well as the string of beams have essentially elliptic, shell- -4formed cross section, and the attachment part of each attachment means in a plane substantially parallel to the slot in the beam string is wider than the slot in the beam string, and is loosely inserted with the attachment part inside the flange-like material portions and where the attachment means extends out through the slot to be affixed to the posts in arbitrary positions along the beam string.

Advantageously, at least in a preferred form, the present invention may provide a functionally well performing road fence, which is rather cheap to produce and easy to assemble. Also the fence should be as aesthetically pleasing as possible, as it shall be o oo S- used in public environments.

*o 10 Hereinafter the invention will be further described with reference to an embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows schematically in side view a portion of a road fence according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematical view from above of a post and a portion of a beam string forming part of the road fence according to Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the beam string with a beam joint member.

Fig. 4 shows an end view of a beam part with a beam joint member.

Fig. 5 is an end view of a beam and post profile, and Fig. 6 and 7 show schematically two varying designs of the attachment between a post and a beam string.

4a In Fig. 1 is schematically shown a post 1, which is anchored in the ground in an appropriate, not furthershown manner. In the embodiment shown, the post 1 supports two 9 a

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S S S a 5 5* 5 S S SS. S WO 98/42918 PCT/SE98/00540 substantially horizontally arranged beam strings 2, 3, positioned at a mutual spacing with one string 2 adjacent the upper edge of the post and the other 3 at a somewhat lower level. The beam strings are attached to the post by means of attachment means 4, the function and shape of which will be further described hereinafter.

At anchoring of the posts directly in the ground, there might sometimes be a risk that the post can not be safely anchored in a correctly vertical position, due to nonuniform ground conditions or the like. This is illustrated in the figure with a post 1' intimated in dash lines, and which is inclined to the vertical. In order to be able to attach the beam strings to such a sloping post, without the need for bending the beam string, it is possible at the road fence according to the present invention, to compensate such obliquely sloping posts by positioning of spacing members between post 1' and beam string 3 in the area of the attachment member 4.

As can be seen from Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 the post 1 as well as the beam 2, 3 has identical or at least substantially similar profiles, such as will be further declared hereinafter.

In Fig. 3 is shown in perspective a portion of a beam portion 6 forming part of a beam string and a beam joint member 7, which has substantially the same shape as the beam part and is possible to be pushed into this, thus that the beam joint member 7 can be overlapped by two beam parts 6, which are applicable against each other in a butt joint, only one of which beam parts is shown in the figure.

In this figure is neither illustrated members for interconnection of the the beam part and the beam joint WO 98/42918 PCT/SE98/00540 6 member, whereas in Fig. 4 is shown an exampel of such a joint.

In Fig. 4 is shown in end view the positioning of the beam joint member 7 in a beam part 6 and also connection members 8, 9, by means of which two beam parts 6 positioned in the longitudinal direction of each other and contacting each other, are anchored to the beam joint member 7 and thereby to each other. In the figure the beam part 6 is shown in its position of mounting, and from this can be seen that the connecting member 9, i.e. the bolt joint at the lower side of the beam is considerably more coarse than the bolt joint 8 at the upper side. Hereby the lower, more consealed bolt joint 9 will take up the major part of the stresses, whereas the upper bolt joint 8 has a more guiding function and therefore can be made smaller, whereby it will not "break" the overall impression to an apparent extent for a viewer, who will see the beam string in a direction from the road.

In Fig. 5 is shown in an end view, the profile of the beam part 6 but also of the post 1 and as can be seen the profile has a substantially elliptic cross section and is provided with a longitudinal slot 10 arranged at the slimmest portions of the cross section, whereby the beam part 6 in the position shown is intended to be mounted with the slot 10 facing the not shown posts, whereas its nonslotted, slimmest portion 11 situated opposite to the slot will be facing out towards the roadway, by which the road fence shall be mounted. At both sides of the slot 10 are provided inwardly bent flange-like material portions 12.

Due to this design and location, the open profile of the beam part will provide a comparatively high resistance to deformation, at forces acting substantially along the longest axis of the elliptic part, i.e. at collisions WO 98/42918 PCT/SE98/00540 7 directly from the side, whereas the resistance to deformation is lower in the direction of the shorter axis of the elliptic profile in the longitudinal direction of the roadway, the post will also give a rather large resistance to deformation against forces acting perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the fence, whereas it, at the ordinary type of collisions, where the vehicle hits the fence under an oblique angle, has an ability to be deformed in such a manner, that the vehicle is caught and retarded without tendencies of overturning over the fence.

In Fig. 6 is schematically shown attachment of a beam string 2 to a post 1, whereby the post is turned with its short side surface lla opposed to its slot, against the slot 10 of the beam part 6. The post 1 on this short side surface lla is provided with a through-bore for a bolt 13 extending therethrough and forming part of the connection member 4.

The bolt has a bolt head 14, which is positioned at the inner side of the profile 2 for the beam string, and its shaft extends through a mounting washer 15 and further through the slot 10 in the profile of the beam part 2 and through the bore in the post, where the bolt is tightenable by means of a nut 16. The mounting washer 15 has a bigger dimension than the slot 10, whereby it, when the nut 16 is tightened, will clamp the in-turned flange-formed material portions 12 in the beam part of the beam string against the wall lla of the post. The bolt with the mounting washer fitted thereto can be easily introduced into the beam string from one end thereof, and thereupon easily displaced with the bolt shaft projecting from the slot 10 along the entire length of the beam string and be applied to the bore in the post 1, just at the position where the post 1 is anchored, and without need for using compromises regarding adaptation of posts, beams and anchoring members. In the same manner it is easy to apply and tighten the nut 16 on the part of the WO 98/42918 PCT/SE98/00540 8 bolt shaft projecting through the bore in the post, as the inner side of the wall surface lla is easily accessible from the slot of the post, which slot is not shown in this figure.

In Fig. 7 is shown an alternative anchoring of the beam 2 to the post 1, whereby all details correspond to those in Fig.

6, except for that an intermediate washer 17 adapted to the shape of the beam part, is arranged between the outside of the flange-like material portions 12 of the beam profile and the sidewall lla of the post. With such an intermediate washer 17 it is achieved a stronger connection between post and beam, which can be desirable at particularly exposed positions, e.g. at bridges and the like. The beam joint portion 7 is designed thus that not even a flexible positioning of the posts is obstructed by any joint.

The attachment means 4 in combination with the open profile of the post means at a collision against the fence, that the attachment means will let go, thus that the beam remains at about the same level, as it had before the collision without following the post when this is bent down towards the ground. The beam strings hereby are supported by the posts, which are situated on both sides of the position for collision, and in this manner it is secured that the level of the beam is not changed to a substantial extent, which could lead to that the colliding vehicle turns over the fence.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings and described in connection thereto, but modifications and variants are possible within the scope of the following claims. Thus the attachment means for instance has been shown and described as a bolt joint, but it is WO 98/42918 PCT/SE98/00540 evident that other types of attachment means are quite useful for this purpose.

Claims

1. A road fence of the type which incorporates a number of spaced apart posts, adapted to be anchored substantially vertically in ground or other bedding, and at least one substantially horizontal beam string affixed to the posts, whereby the posts are tubular, and each of which has a longitudinal slot, and the beam string has a longitudinal slot, whereby each one of the posts, at their surface opposite to the slot is intended to receive one attachment means, which has an attachment part, and where the beam is turned with its slot facing the posts, and on each side of the slot has flange-like material portions, whereby each attachment means is arrestable thus that the attachment means S- 10 clamps the beam string to the posts, wherein the posts as well as the string of beams have •essentially elliptic, shell-formed cross section, and the attachment part of each S: attachment means in a plane substantially parallel to the slot in the beam string is wider than the slot in the beam string, and is loosely inserted with the attachment part inside the flange-like material portions and where the attachment means extends out through 15 the slot to be affixed to the posts in arbitrary positions along the beam string. •go.

2. A road fence as claimed in claim 1, wherein said slot is provided at one of the most slender portions of the cross section.

3. A road fence as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the substantially elliptically *extending wall in the area about the slot has straight material portions bordering the slot.

4. A road fence as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the posts and beam string have identical cross sections.

A road fence as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the attachment means is tightenable from the slot of the post.

6. A road fence as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the beam string consists of tubular beams, which are mutually connectable in axial direction.

7. A road fence as claimed in claim 6, wherein the beams of the beam string are axially interconnected via joint beam portions insertable into two adjacent beams and having the same cross sectional shape as the beams, and where the beams in the beam string are attached with screw joints to the joint beams.

8. A road fence as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein between post and beam string is insertable spacing members, at possible substantial inclination of the S T N post from the vertical. -11

9. A road fence as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each post at its surface opposite to the slot is provided with holes for receiving one attachment means each in the form of an attachment bolt having a shaft portion and a head forming said attachment part, and where the beam is turned with its slot facing the posts, and each side of the slot is provided with flange-like material portions, whereby on each attachment bolt is tightened one nut, thus that the attachment means formed by attachment bolt and nut, clamps the beam string to the posts, whereby the heads of the attachment bolts is broader than the slot in the beam string in a plane perpendicular to the shaft portion, and are loosely inserted with the head inside the flange-like material 10 portions and with its shaft portion extending out through the slot in arbitrary positions along the beam string. A road fence of the type which incorporates a number of spaced apart posts So substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the a. invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings. DATED this 5th Day of May 2000 BLUE SYSTEMS AB Attorney: JOHN D. FORSTER Fellow Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia of BALDWIN SHELSTON WATERS 'a