EP0596405B1 - Guide rail with concrete kerbstone - Google Patents

Abstract

A guide rail for traffic routes consists of metal rails (3), vertical posts (uprights) (4) and kerbstones (1) made of concrete or the like which protrude on the traffic side, have an approximately trapezoidal cross-section and are bevelled on the traffic side. The kerbstones (1) have, above the oblique deviation face, as upper traffic-side end a catching step (2) which runs substantially underneath the metal rail (3) and parallel to the latter. The opening between the top side of the kerbstone (1) and the bottom edge of the metal rail (3) is markedly smaller than the diameter of a conventional crash helmet for cyclists. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a guide device for traffic routes made of metal rails on vertical posts and with planks made of concrete or the like with an approximately trapezoidal cross-section, the planks being chamfered on the traffic side and having an intercepting step with an at least approximately vertical traffic-side side over an oblique deflection surface as the upper traffic-side closure runs substantially below and parallel to the metal rails, and wherein the foot planks are made in segments.

A guidance device for traffic routes is known from the Austrian patent specification No. 391.504.

In the guide device according to Austrian Patent No. 391.504, a vehicle whose tires are on the inclined surface of the plank in front of it rises unhindered up to the upper edge of the inclined surface, grind against the metal guardrail and become damaged or damage the metal guardrail. Furthermore, a fallen two-wheeler who slides or grinds along the guide will still be able to slip into the opening between the foot plank and the metal rail with arms or legs, although - although reduced - there is still a risk of injury to the posts.

With such a guiding device, the task of the foot planks is to act as a wheel deflector and as a small front deflecting wall for vehicles approaching flat, in order to prevent vehicles from grinding onto the metal guardrail that approach the guiding device at a very acute angle. Another important task is to prevent two-wheelers from getting under the metal rail, which is known to cause serious injuries from hitting the posts.

A generic guidance device for traffic routes is known from FR-A-2 584 112. In this guide device, beveled footboards are provided on the traffic side, a catch step being provided over an oblique deflection surface and the metal rails being placed on the footboards.

A disadvantage of this known control device, however, is that existing control devices, which are known, for example, under the term “guardrails” and are present on many traffic routes, cannot be retrofitted accordingly, because of the a complete disassembly of the existing control devices is necessary on the metal rails

Furthermore, the known guide device has safety deficiencies, since no measure is given for the height of the catch level and thus, if the catch level is too low, there is no effective barrier for vehicles hitting the guide device at high speed, while one may be closed high design of the capture level, the opening between the metal rail and the concrete base would be too small, which would make it impossible for a road user to see through this opening, or at least only with great difficulty, thus restricting the "transparency" of the guide device.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of providing a guide device for traffic routes with which existing guide devices can be retrofitted and which offers increased security, but the guide device can also be used as original equipment.

According to the invention this object is achieved in that the foot planks are placed in front of the vertical posts, the foot planks having vertical slots on their end faces for receiving largely C-shaped or I-shaped connecting elements, and in that the interception level has a height which is at least approximately one fifth corresponds to the height of the foot plank and forms an obstacle in front of the metal rail for wheels of ascending vehicles.

The fact that the foot planks are placed in front of the vertical posts and attached to the posts makes it easy to retrofit existing control devices, for example the "guard rails" already mentioned, without the existing guide devices having to be dismantled.

However, the guidance device can of course also be installed on roads on which no guidance devices were previously available and are therefore used as original equipment.

The inventive arrangement of the slots for receiving largely C- or I-shaped connecting elements allows the individual segments of the guide device according to the invention to be connected to one another in a simple and very stable manner, so that the guide device also in the event of a collision with vehicles with a high dead weight and / or withstands high speeds and thereby increases the safety of the control device. Guide devices designed according to the invention form a type of link chain, longitudinal and transverse forces being able to be transmitted from one segment to the adjacent segment.

An increase in the security of the control device also results from the described design of the capture stage.

With a total height of around 30 cm, the height of the catch level would be around 6 cm. Experience has shown that this is a measure of an effective barrier for ascending wheels. A higher dimension would already change the geometry of the foot plank unfavorably, For example, the overall height of the foot plank would be too high and the opening between the foot plank and the metal rail would be too small, which would have a negative effect on the transparency of the guide device. On the other hand, an increase in the height of the catching step with a constant height of the foot plank would produce a reduction in the oblique deflection surface, which would have a negative effect on the mode of operation of the foot plank. In this way, an optimum is achieved with the height of the catching stage designed according to the invention.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the connecting elements can be inserted from below and the slots at the front exit can be narrowed by cams which are dimensioned and, if necessary, reinforced to derive forces from the flanges (legs) of the connecting elements.

This connection of the segments in the manner according to the invention is extremely economical and practical. The cams designed according to the invention at the front exit of the slots save the largely C-shaped rail otherwise known for such connections. If, for example, a piece of I-profile or C-profile with a profile height of h = 140 mm or h = 160 mm is used as the connecting element, the cams can be dimensioned accordingly in order to avoid damage from the flanges (legs) of the I-profiles to be able to record. Since the connecting elements are arranged so that they can be pushed in from below, it is possible to place the segments on pre-arranged connecting elements from above, or in the case of disassembly or damage repair by simply lifting, eg with an assembly or mobile crane to release from the chain. No screwing work or the like is required and each segment can be taken out of the row individually.

The foot planks can be equipped on their rear side facing the posts with a device for fastening or for receiving the posts.

A very advantageous embodiment of the invention can be carried out in such a way that the device for receiving the posts is designed as a pot or the like fastened to the rear of the foot planks with an interior that is matched to the item profile.

This offers the advantage of simplified assembly and disassembly or the replacement of damaged posts. These can be used for pots with a bottom and e.g. be wedged. In the case of pots without a bottom, it is possible to insert the posts and then ram into the bottom, whereby an exact distribution is specified and the posts have a guide when ramming.

Advantageously, it can also be provided that the device for receiving the posts is designed as a horizontal and longitudinal largely C-shaped anchor rail including anchor screws with pressure plates or the like, which can be pressed onto the flanges of the posts, in the rear of the foot planks.

This makes it especially useful when the base planks are attached to an existing metal rail guide possible on posts to attach the planks to the posts, whereby inaccuracies in the spacing of the posts to one another along the carriageway can be compensated for with regard to the predetermined post distribution, since the anchor bolts, together with the pressure plates, are longitudinally displaceable in the anchor rail.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the slots in the foot planks can be formed in the lower region and closed at the top.

This ensures that the connecting elements are protected inside the foot planks. Thus, the connecting elements can neither be removed by unauthorized persons, nor can they e.g. damaged by weather, de-icing salt, etc.

Provision can also be made to cover or provide the front of the capture stage with a retroreflective layer.

An optical guiding effect is thus achieved in the dark, the arrangement of the retroreflective layer on the front of the catching step having the advantage that this at least approximately vertical surface is less contaminated than, for example, the oblique deflecting surface or the horizontal top of the foot plank, with which the Retroreflective effect is rather guaranteed.

According to the invention, the foot planks can be provided on the front side with a baseboard made of particularly wear-resistant material such as Granite natural stone, fiber-reinforced concrete or the like, be equipped. This is particularly advantageous in countries and regions with winter snow removal, where snow plows are used. The baseboard can better withstand the abrasive snow plows and thus increases the lifespan of the planks.

Fig. 1

einen Querschnitt durch eine erfindungsgemäße Leiteinrichtung,

Fig. 2

eine Schrägansicht einer Fußplanke,

Fig. 3

einen Querschnitt durch eine Fußplanke,

Fig. 4

einen Querschnitt durch eine Fußplanke,

Fig. 5

einen Teilgrundriß einer Fußplanke,

Fig. 6

eine Rückansicht einer Fußplanke,

Fig. 7

einen Teilgrundriß einer Fußplanke,

Fig. 8

eine Stirnansicht einer Fußplanke, und

Fig. 9

einen Teilgrundriß einer Fußplanke.

The invention is illustrated in some possible exemplary embodiments with the aid of drawings. The total of 9 figures show:

Fig. 1

a cross section through a guide device according to the invention,

Fig. 2

an oblique view of a foot plank,

Fig. 3

a cross section through a foot plank,

Fig. 4

a cross section through a foot plank,

Fig. 5

a partial floor plan of a foot plank,

Fig. 6

a rear view of a foot plank,

Fig. 7

a partial floor plan of a foot plank,

Fig. 8

a front view of a foot plank, and

Fig. 9

a partial floor plan of a foot plank.

Fig. 1 shows schematically in cross section a guide device according to the invention, which essentially consists of a metal rail 3 mounted on post 4 and a foot plank 1 placed on the traffic side. The foot plank 1 has an interception level 2 as the upper traffic or front end, which lies above the oblique deflection surface. The foot plank 1 has an approximately trapezoidal cross-section, the base width is e.g. 40 to 50 cm, the height about 30 to 35 cm. The capture level 2 has a height of approx. 6 to 7 cm. The capture stage 2 runs below the metal rail 3 and is somewhat upstream of the metal rail 3 in this exemplary embodiment.

In Fig. 2 a foot plank 1 is shown in an oblique view. It is a segment. The segment length corresponds to the distance between the post axes. The foot plank is chamfered on the front and has a catch level 2 as the upper end of the inclined surface. A pot 5 for receiving posts is mounted on the rear, in this case in the middle of the segment. Slots 10 are formed on the two end faces for receiving T-shaped connecting elements 11, such being shown in the drawing under the left slot 10. The slots are narrowed at the front exit by cams 12. It is not difficult to imagine that I-shaped connecting elements, which sit in the slot and are subjected to a force acting on the longitudinal axis of the segment, find a hold on the cams 12.

A foot plank 1 can be seen in cross section in FIG. 3. A pot 5 for receiving posts is mounted on the back. The pot points in this example no ground on, so that an inserted post in the guide of the pot can be rammed into the ground. The capture stage 2 has a retroreflective layer 13 on the front, by means of which an optical guiding effect can be achieved in the dark.

In Fig. 4, also a cross section through a foot plank 1, you can see on the back a largely C-shaped anchor rail 6 with associated anchor screws 7 and pressure plates 8, whereby it can be seen that these have a post 4 on its flanges (legs) 9 hold tight. At the front, the foot plank 1 has a baseboard 14, which is made of particularly wear-resistant material in order to be able to resist attacks by snow plows.

Fig. 5 is a partial floor plan associated with the drawing in Fig. 4. The device described above for fastening the post 4 consisting of anchor rail 6 together with anchor screws 7 and pressure plates 8 is shown in plan and it is shown how a post is held on the flanges 9 of its profile. It can also be easily imagined from this drawing that the anchor parts in the anchor rail 6 are longitudinally displaceable in order to be adapted in the longitudinal direction to an already fixed post. The skirting board 14 runs on the front left in the plan.

Fig. 6 shows a rear view of a foot plank 1 together with post 4 and the fastening device consisting of anchor rail 6, anchor screws 7 and pressure plates 8 in one possible embodiment.

Fig. 7 shows a partial floor plan of the foot plank. In this partial floor plan the front end of a foot plank can be seen. A slot 10 for receiving an I-profile is formed in the end face. The slot has a narrowing at its front exit, which is generated by cams 12, which are dimensioned and reinforced for absorbing forces from the flanges (legs) of an I-shaped connecting element 11. The reinforcement, which engages in the cams in the manner of pliers, is indicated by dashed lines.

Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 are associated drawings in plan and view showing a slot formation. It is a slot 10 for a connecting element 11 with a C-shaped profile. The view shows that the slot is formed in the lower region and closed at the top. In this example, only one cam 12 is formed, which is reinforced by an approximately hook-shaped element (shown in dashed lines).

The invention is of course not limited to the examples shown, but can be carried out in further forms and combinations of the characteristics and features according to the invention.

Claims (8)

1. Safety guard fence for traffic routes consisting of metal rails (3) on vertical posts (4) and comprising foot boards (1) of concrete or the like with an approximately trapezoidal cross section, the foot boards (1) being bevelled on the traffic side and being provided above an inclined guide surface as an upper edging on the traffic side with a safety step (2) with an at least approximately vertical side on the traffic side which extends substantially below and parallel to the metal rails (3), and the foot boards (1) being made in segments, characterised in that the foot boards (1) are arranged in front of the vertical posts (4), the foot boards (1) being provided on their end faces with vertical slots (10) for receiving substantially C-shaped or I-shaped connecting elements (11), and that the safety step (2) has a height corresponding at least approximately to a fifth of the height of the foot board (1) and forms an obstacle for the wheels of mounting vehicles arranged in front of the metal rail (3).
2. Safety guard fence according to claim 1, characterised in that the connecting elements (11) are arranged so that they can be inserted from below and the slots (10) are narrowed at the outlets on their end faces by means of cams (12) which are designed to divert forces from the flanges or arms of the connecting elements (11) and are optionally reinforced.
3. Safety guard fence according to claim 2, characterised in that the slots (10) are formed in the lower region and are closed at the top.
4. Safety guard fence according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the foot boards (1) are provided on their rear faces directed towards the posts (4) with a means for securing or receiving the posts (4).
5. Safety guard fence according to claim 4, characterised in that the means for receiving the posts (4) is in the form of a pot (5) or the like secured to the rear face of the foot boards (1), with an interior space adapted to the post profile.
6. Safety guard fence according to claim 4, characterised in that the means for receiving the posts (4) is in the form of a substantially C-shaped anchoring rail (6) extending horizontally along the rear face of the foot boards (1), together with anchor bolts (7) with pressure plates (8) or the like which can be pressed against post flanges (9).
7. Safety guard fence according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the front of the safety step (2) is covered in or provided with a reflecting layer (13).
8. Safety guard fence according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the foot boards (1) are provided on their front faces with a baseboard (14) of particularly wear-resistant material, e.g. granite, fibre-reinforced concrete or the like.

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