EP1762659A1

EP1762659A1 - Guardrail post plate cover and fixing bolt cover

Info

Publication number: EP1762659A1
Application number: EP06017037A
Authority: EP
Inventors: S.P.A. Eurosuole
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-09-09
Filing date: 2006-08-16
Publication date: 2007-03-14
Also published as: ITMC20050090A1

Abstract

The present invention concerns a covering element Fig. 1(1) for a guardrail post Fig. 2(4) ground fixing system, generally consisting of a plate Fig. 1(2) and bolts Fig. 1(3), of rounded shape and made of all kinds of material such as polyurethane, rubber, thermoplastic material and polystyrene, that will in any case absorb impacts and prevent accidents to guarantee greater road user safety, as well as protect the fixing components from corrosion over time.

Description

The present invention relates to an element made of all kinds of material that covers the components that fix guardrail posts to the ground, generally consisting of a plate and its bolts, in order to absorb impacts and prevent accidents, guaranteeing greater road user safety and also protecting the fixing system from corrosion over time.
Currently, guardrails placed with a safety function on roads for motor and non-motor vehicles and on lanes, cycle paths, bridges or other places, are held up by special posts, spaced about twenty metres apart, fixed in turn to the ground by means of a 10/20 mm thick square or rectangular metal plate on the sides of which bolts are screwed to anchor the whole assembly to the ground.
The problem with this fixing system is that the plate and bolts protrude from the guardrail profile presenting a hazard to pedestrians who may trip over them and to other road users such as cyclists and motorcyclists who may collide with them in case of accidents, possibly with serious consequences.
Furthermore, since this metal fixing system has no cover to protect it from the natural elements, it is subject to being corroded easily and therefore requires constant and costly periodic maintenance.
It is an object of the present invention to eliminate the problems reported above with the making of an element to cover the whole guardrail post fixing assembly to be made of different materials such as polyurethane, rubber, thermoplastic material, polystyrene or other material, with the function of preventing injury to persons and damage to property by the protrusions of the fixing components consisting of rectangular plate, fixing bolts or other component.
It is another object of the present invention to protect the components that fix guardrail posts to the ground from the natural elements to slow their corrosion and, consequently, reduce maintenance work on them, with obvious cost savings for the bodies responsible for the performing of such duties.
These and other objects are achieved by the invention that is the subject of the present application concerning a complete cover for the elements that fix guardrail posts to the ground, made of different materials such as polyurethane, rubber, thermoplastic material, polystyrene or other material that will in any case ensure energy absorption in case of impact, in order to guarantee the safety of all road users, as well as protect the said fixing components from corrosion.
The invention of the present patent application is also characterized by a rounded shape and can consist of just a single body or two separate pieces formed of the same material.
The invention of the present application can consist of a single body to be used preferably in the case where the posts at the base of which they must be placed are not yet supporting the guardrail, and in that case it will be inserted by sliding it down over the post.
In the case in which the guardrails have already been fixed to the base of the posts, the user shall use the version of the invention of the present application consisting of two separate pieces, which can be slotted together or joined using special glue products around the base of the guardrail post.
Further features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the present application, illustrated by way of nonlimiting example in the drawing units in which:

Fig. 1 is a side section view showing the guardrail post plate cover and fixing bolt cover, which is the subject of the present application, in the one-piece version;
Fig. 2 and Fig. 2/a are respectively a front view and a top view of the guardrail post plate cover and fixing bolt cover in the two-piece joined version;
Fig. 3 is an internal view of the post fixing components covered by the invention of the present application;
Fig. 4 shows the operation of inserting the invention in the single body version from the top of the post in the case where the post is not yet supporting the guardrail;
Fig. 5 shows the housing of the invention in the version with two pieces to be slotted together or joined using special glues in the case in which the post is already supporting the guardrail;
Fig. 6 depicts the guardrail post whose ground fixing base is covered by the invention in the single body version.

The invention that is the subject of the present application, as shown in Fig. 1, is a covering element Fig. 1(1) made of all kinds of materials, which are in any case designed to absorb impacts, such as polyurethane, rubber, thermoplastic material, polystyrene, etc. and with a rounded shape, intended for covering the plate Fig. 1(2) and the bolts Fig. 1(3) that fix a guardrail post Fig. 2(4) to the ground.
The said covering element Fig. 1(1), with rounded sides and corners in order to afford greater protection in case of impact, can consist of two symmetrical pieces Fig. 2(5/a) and Fig. 2(5/b) to be used in case of application to posts that are already supporting the guardrail Fig. 5, which, when they are fitted, are slotted together at the base of the post Fig. 2(4) or joined using gluing materials currently on the market.
As an alternative to this, the covering element Fig. 1(1) can consist of a single piece that, during fitting, can be inserted from the top of the post Fig. 4(4) in the case in which the guardrail has not yet been assembled to it.
Fig. 3 shows an internal view of the covering element Fig. 3(1) of the guardrail post fixing components with the bolts Fig. 3(3) and the plate Fig. 3(2).
Fig. 6 shows the covering element Fig. 1(1) of the plate Fig. 1(2) and the bolts Fig. 1 (3) fixing the support post Fig. 6(4) to which the guardrail is fitted.
The materials, sizes and shapes of the invention as described above, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and claimed below, can be of any type, according to requirements. Furthermore, all the details can be replaced with other technically equivalent ones, without departing from the protective scope of the present invention patent application.

Claims

Guardrail post Fig. 2(4) plate cover and fixing bolt cover Fig. 1(1) characterized by being made of different materials such as polyurethane, rubber, thermoplastic material, polystyrene or other material that will ensure energy absorption in case of impact and consequently greater safety for all road users as well as protecting these fixing components from corrosion by the natural elements;
Plate cover and fixing bolt cover Fig. 1(1) as claimed in claim 1 characterized by a rounded shape;
Plate cover and fixing bolt cover Fig. 1(1) as claimed in claims 1 and 2 characterized by a single body Fig. 1(1) that, during fitting, is inserted from the top of the post Fig. 4(4) in the case where it is not yet supporting the guardrail;
Guardrail post Fig. 2(4) plate cover and fixing bolt cover Fig. 1(1) as claimed in claims 1, 2 and 3 characterized by two separate pieces Fig. 2(5/a) and Fig. 2(5/b) formed of the same material and that, during fitting, are slotted together or joined with glue at the base of the post Fig. 2(4) in the case where the post is already supporting the guardrail;
Guardrail post Fig. 2(4) plate cover and fixing bolt cover Fig. 1(1) as claimed in the previous claims and as described and illustrated for the specified objects.