EP4223933A1

EP4223933A1 - Road barrier element

Info

Publication number: EP4223933A1
Application number: EP23154659.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giuseppe Parenti; Fabio ZUCCONI; Nicoletta Stecconi; Cesare Montenet; Isotta Parenti; Nicola Parenti; Leonardo Maffi
Original assignee: Paver SpA
Current assignee: Paver SpA
Priority date: 2022-02-03
Filing date: 2023-02-02
Publication date: 2023-08-09

Abstract

The present invention relates to a road barrier element comprising a concrete block having a base (15), side walls (16,17), two end faces (18, 19) and an upper wall, said block being elongated in a development direction extending between the two end faces. The barrier element further comprises at least two wheel assemblies housed in respective housings formed in the base (15), wherein each wheel assembly comprises at least one wheel mounted on a support so as to rotate about a substantially horizontal axis and parallel to the direction of development of the barrier element. The wheels protrude at least partially from the base so that the barrier element can translate in support of said wheels. At least one of said wheels is connected to a handling mechanism for rotating said at least one wheel to translate the barrier element.

Description

The present invention relates to an element for a road barrier, more precisely a concrete element of the type commonly referred to as New Jersey (or Jersey).
The present invention relates to the field of road safety systems, in particular road restraint systems whose purpose is to contain vehicles in the event of a collision and to limit the consequences on the occupants in the event of a collision. In particular, the main function of road barriers is to absorb part of the kinetic energy due to impact and to deflect the impacting vehicle according to an optimal trajectory.
Existing road barriers are usually placed at the edge of the roadway, to delimit the carriageway laterally, or they are used as a traffic divider, i.e. to separate two carriageways.
Concrete barriers of the New Jersey type are particularly widespread and are characterised by the trapezoidal shape of the profile, which allows damage to vehicles to be limited in the event of impact while ensuring adequate prevention of jumping into the oncoming lane and the consequent risk of head-on collisions.
These barriers are formed by a plurality of elements or blocks, consisting of reinforced concrete products, equal to each other and arranged consecutively adjacent to each other to form a substantially continuous vertical barrier.
Nearly all known barriers provide for such barrier elements or blocks are provided with connection means adapted to connect one element to adjacent ones in order to form a continuous structure, with adequate strength, and to prevent that, following an impact from a vehicle the latter can spread apart said elements and go beyond the barrier or in any case divert said barrier excessively from its initial position..
In Italy and in other European countries, however, the regulations that regulate the characteristics of these barriers establish that the barriers used as traffic dividers on stretches of motorway or similar are configured to provide, at pre-established distance intervals, socalled emergency gates, i.e. sections of the barrier that can be moved easily and quickly to make the two carriageways communicating in order to facilitate rescue operations in the event of accidents or other emergency situations.
In the prior art, some solutions for opening emergency gates are known, which, however, have certain limitations or drawbacks.
Currently, in most cases, mobile metal structures that occupy a section of the barrier instead of concrete blocks are used to open a passage in road barriers, particularly in traffic dividers. This solution, in addition to having a worse aesthetic impact, is also expensive.
EP 3124703 A1 describes a New Jersey-type barrier element provided with a lifting and handling device integrated in the element itself. More in detail, the element is provided with two wheel assemblies housed in respective housings in the lower part; each wheel assembly is provided with a jack and a crank gear connected to the wheels. The wheel assembly is also mounted in a rotatable manner around a vertical axis.
In the normal condition, the element is resting on its base and the wheels of the wheel assembly are raised off the ground. When it is necessary to open a gap, first the element is decoupled from the two elements adjacent to it and released from any anchorage to the ground, then the jacks are actuated to lift the element resting on the wheels, and then the gearboxes are actuated to move the element.
To place the element parallel and side by side to the barrier, it is first necessary to move it sideways and then, after turning the wheel assemblies, to move it parallel to the barrier.
Such elements are, however, quite complex and expensive and are generally available in limited sizes.
In addition, the time for lifting and then moving the element can be excessive, especially in emergencies and when only one or two operators are available to create the gap.
The object of the present invention is now to propose an element for a road barrier, in particular a concrete element of the New Jersey type, which exceeds the limitations of the above-mentioned prior art.
In particular, it is the object of the present invention to provide an element for a road barrier configured to be moved conveniently and quickly from its original position to open a gap in a road barrier.
More specifically, it is the object of the present invention to provide an element for a road barrier that does not require machinery or other means to move it.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a barrier element provided with an integrated handling system that can also be operated by a single operator.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an element for a road barrier that provides the same performance in terms of impact resistance as conventional barrier elements.
A further object of the present invention is also to provide an element for a road barrier that has low construction costs.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a road barrier provided with mobile barrier elements that allow the opening of a large gap, which also allows the passage of two traffic lanes, in a particularly short time.
These and other objects are achieved by an element for a New Jersey-type road barrier according to claim 1 and a road barrier according to claim 13.
The barrier element according to the invention comprises a concrete block having a base surface, side walls, two end faces and an upper wall. The block is elongated in a development direction extending between the two end faces. The block typically, but not necessarily, has the classical shape of a New Jersey type element, i.e. with an enlarged trapezoidal base from which a vertical wall section extends.
According to the invention, the barrier element is provided with at least two wheel assemblies housed in respective housings formed in the base surface. In detail, each wheel assembly comprises at least one wheel mounted on a respective support so as to rotate around a substantially horizontal axis parallel to the direction of development of the barrier element. The support is fixed, preferably, integrally to the walls of the housing. The support is thus, preferably, fixed with respect to the housing without any possibility of rotation or translation.
The wheels are mounted on the respective support in such a way as to protrude at least partially from the base surface so that the latter is slightly raised from the ground and the latter can move resting on said wheels.
In practice, the barrier element is always resting on the wheels of the wheel assembly.
According to the invention, at least one of said wheels is connected to a movement mechanism capable of rotating said at least one wheel to translate the barrier element.
By virtue of the configuration described above, the road barrier element, once any locking/anchoring elements have been removed from the ground, can be moved from its original position by operating the handling mechanism. The presence of wheels makes the movement quick and easy, without requiring the aid of means or vehicles to lift or drag the element.
In addition, the configuration with the barrier element always resting on the wheels allows the movement mechanism to be operated directly to reduce the opening time of the gap as much as possible.
Thus, one or more barrier elements according to the present invention, when installed in a road barrier, allow a gap even of considerable size to be opened in the latter easily and quickly.
As will be better described below, the operation of moving one or more elements to open the gap can also be performed by a single operator.
According to one aspect of the invention, the movement mechanism comprises a gearbox housed in the wheel assembly housing. Said gearbox has an input and an output. The output is connected to an axle integral in rotation with at least one wheel of the respective wheel assembly, and the input is connected to a transmission shaft. In detail, a first end of the transmission shaft is connected to said input, and a second end of said shaft is placed in an opening that leads to a side wall or to the upper face of the block.
This second end of the drive shaft is then placed in an area of the block that is easily accessible by the operator, in order to connect a drive tool to the shaft.
For this purpose, the second end of the shaft is preferably provided with a coupling head configured to be connected to the aforementioned drive tool.
According to another variant of the invention, the inlet of the gearbox can be connected directly to the coupling head, the latter preferably being arranged in an opening that leads to the side wall of the trapezoidal base.
According to one aspect of the invention, said drive mechanism is manually operated. The actuation tool may therefore be a crank, or the like, with which the drive shaft can be set in rotation.
For this purpose, the gearbox is designed so that the effort required to move the barrier element is in any case rather limited.
According to another variant, the movement mechanism can be operated by automatic tools, such as a screwdriver or other equivalent motorised devices, to make the opening operation even more practical and faster.
According to a preferred variant, the gearbox is of the irreversible motion type, such as a worm gearbox or equivalent. In this way, the gearbox can act as a brake to prevent unwanted displacement of the barrier element, e.g. if the barrier element is on a slope.
According to another aspect of the invention, the barrier element comprises a first wheel assembly and a second wheel assembly. The first wheel assembly comprises a pair of wheels aligned along the rolling direction and mounted free to rotate on a support fixed to the walls of the housing formed in the base surface.
According to a first variant, the second wheel assembly instead comprises a single wheel connected to the handling mechanism.
According to a preferred variant, the outer surface of said wheel has a toothed, clawed or otherwise protruding profile, said profile being adapted to aid grip on the ground during the operation of moving the barrier element.
Such a configuration, i.e. with only one "driving" wheel, allows the barrier element to perform a rotational movement in the plane. As will be described in more detail below, this is particularly advantageous because it is possible to connect the movable element according to the invention to a fixed element of the barrier and in a rotatable manner and, by operation of the "driving" wheel, the movable element can with respect to the fixed element create the gap in the barrier.
This configuration also keeps manufacturing costs down as only one wheel assembly is provided with the handling mechanism.
According to another variant, the second wheel assembly comprises a track wound around the wheel connected to the handling mechanism and at least one support-mounted guide wheel free to rotate. This configuration offers a greater bearing surface, reducing the pressure exerted on the ground and thus also the possible failure of the ground.
According to another aspect of the invention, the road barrier element may comprise at least one pair of seals protruding from the base surface of the block and remaining interposed between said base and the ground. Said seals are typically straight and oriented parallel to the direction of development of the block. Preferably, they extend across the entire width of the block.
The seals thus configured isolate the void space below the base surface of the block, preventing the accumulation of debris, dirt or the like in the vicinity of the wheel assemblies.
According to another variant of the invention, these seals are arranged around the perimeter of the two seats of the respective wheel assemblies.
Alternatively, in order to prevent the accumulation of debris, dirt or the like under the base surface or near the wheel assemblies or both, guards may be provided comprising bristle strips protruding from the base surface of the block and remaining interposed between said base and the ground.
According to another aspect of the invention, the barrier element may comprise temporary connecting means at the two end faces. As mentioned above, said connecting means allow a barrier element to be joined to two other adjacent elements. Said temporary connecting means are therefore configured to be decoupled and allow for movement of the movable barrier element. According to the invention, the connecting means provided at least one of the leading faces are further configured to allow rotation in the plane of two connected elements.
According to one embodiment of the invention, said connecting means may comprise vertically oriented cylindrical bushings. The bushings are spaced apart to allow the interposition of respective bushings on the end face of an adjacent barrier element. These bushings of the two adjacent elements accommodate a locking pin. The pin and bushings, when coupled, form a hinge for the rotation of the two barrier elements.
The pin can be pulled vertically out of the bushings to disengage the two end faces of adjacent barrier elements.
Thus, by releasing the connecting means at a first head face of the movable barrier element and actuating the handling mechanism, it is possible to cause the movable element to rotate relative to the connecting means at a second, opposite head face.
According to a preferred variant, at least one or preferably both head faces may be tapered. Thus, during rotation, said tapered end face does not interfere with the end face of the adjacent element to which it is connected. With such a configuration, it is possible to rotate a movable element with respect to an adjacent element by an angle of, typically, between 15° and 35°.
The present invention also relates to a road barrier comprising a plurality of concrete barrier elements arranged aligned along a longitudinal direction, wherein at least one of them is a movable barrier element according to one or more of the variants of the invention described above.
In particular, said movable element is preferably provided with the temporary connecting means described above, which can be released quickly and easily to allow the movable element to be moved (or rather rotated).
According to a variant of the invention, the road barrier comprises at least two or more of the above-mentioned movable elements connected consecutively to each other. This allows creating a gap with the desired width depending on the length of the blocks of each element and/or the permitted relative angle of rotation.
According to another aspect of the invention, the barrier element may be provided with a motorised device for operating the movement mechanism, in particular for setting the gearbox in rotation.
Said motorised device is preferably configured to be detachably attached to the barrier element. Said device, moreover, is preferably battery-powered.
This configuration allows the motorised device to be applied to the barrier element only when necessary, i.e. when it is necessary to move the barrier element in order to create a gap, this operation being carried out on site by the operator(s).
In this way, it is possible to preserve the motorised device from the weather and other damaging events, ensuring its operation when needed.
In addition, a battery-powered motorised device can be used, simplifying the barrier installation operations.
According to a preferred variant, where the barrier comprises several barrier elements according to the present invention, each of them may be provided with a motorised device pre-tuned to operate at a certain speed.
In this way, when it is necessary to create a gap with a width corresponding to two or more barrier elements, it is possible to integrally rotate these elements with respect to a common centre of rotation, i.e. to rotate each of them with the same angular velocity so that they all remain aligned with each other.
According to the invention, the motorised devices may be operated manually by an operator or automatically by means of a remote control such as a radio control or a mobile electronic device provided with a specific application.
According to another aspect of the invention, the barrier element comprises housings, formed in the base, adapted to accommodate anchoring elements, for example in the form of pins or profiles, to keep the barrier element stably locked in its operating position.
According to a variant of the invention, the barrier comprises a prefabricated foundation element arranged below the barrier element according to the present invention. Said foundation element comprises a body, typically substantially in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped, with a flat upper face arranged at ground level. On said upper face, a plurality of slots are provided for housing said anchoring elements of the barrier element, such as, for example, steel profiles.
These housings are shaped to allow the anchoring elements to be inserted and removed by simple sliding, making the opening operation even easier and quicker to implement.
Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the description of an exemplary embodiment as illustrated in the accompanying figures, in which:

Figure 1 is a front representation of a barrier element according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a lateral representation of the barrier element in Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a top plan representation of the barrier element in Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional representation along a vertical longitudinal plane A-A of the barrier element in Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional representation along a vertical transverse B-B plane of the barrier element in Figure 1;
Figure 6 is a cross-sectional representation along a vertical transverse plane C-C of the barrier element in Figure 1;
Figures 7 and 8 are cross-sectional representations along a vertical transverse plane of a barrier element, according to other variants of the invention;
Figures 9a and 9b are representations of a side sectional view and a front view of a road barrier section provided with barrier elements according to a variant of the present invention;
Figure 10a is a plan view of a road barrier provided with barrier elements according to the present invention in a normally operational configuration;
Figure 10b is a plan view of the road barrier in Figure 10a in which some barrier elements are moved to create a gap.

With reference to the figures, a barrier element 10 and a related road barrier section 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention are illustrated.
The barrier element 10 comprises a concrete block 11, preferably reinforced. The block 11 has the classical shape of barrier elements of the New Jersey type, i.e. it has an enlarged trapezoidal base 12 is a wall section 13, tapered towards the top, which protrudes from said base 12 in a vertical direction. The block 11 has a base surface 15, side surfaces 16, 17, end faces 18, 19 and an upper wall 20. The block develops with a substantially constant external profile along a main direction. The length of the block is generally 6 metres, like most standard New Jersey elements, but may possibly be less.
On the head faces 18, 19 there are connecting means 30 comprising vertically aligned circular bushings 31. As shown in the details of Figures 7a, 7b, the bushings 31 placed on the respective head faces of two adjacent blocks 11 are constrained by means of a pin 32.
The bushings 31 and pin 32 together form a hinge that allows two adjacent barrier elements to rotate in plane with respect to each other.
The barrier element 10, in the lower part, comprises a first wheel assembly 40 and a second wheel assembly 50, each housed in a respective seat 41, 51 obtained in the base surface 15. The seats 41, 51 are typically formed by a substantially parallelepiped-shaped recess which extends from the base surface 15 towards the inside of the block.
The wheel assemblies 40, 50 are typically arranged symmetrically with respect to the centreline of the block 11 in the direction of development. Each is typically placed substantially equidistant between the centreline of block 11 and the respective end face 18, 19.
As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the first wheel assembly 40 comprises a pair of supports 42 fixed to the walls of the housing 41. Said supports are typically fork-shaped or similar. A wheel 44 is mounted on each support 42, by means of an axle 43, free to rotate about a horizontal axis and parallel to the direction of development of the block 11. In detail, the two supports 42 are arranged so that the two wheels 44 are aligned with each other in the rolling direction Possibly, the first wheel assembly 40 may comprise a single support 42 on which the two wheels 44 are mounted.
The second wheel assembly 50 comprises a support 52 fixed to the walls of seat 51; a wheel 54 supported by an axle 53 is mounted on such support.
As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the second wheel assembly 50 also comprises a movement mechanism indicated as a whole with reference numeral 55. Said mechanism 55 comprises a gearbox 56 whose output is connected to the axle 53 of the wheel 54. The gearbox 56 is preferably a worm gearbox. The input of the gearbox 56 is connected, preferably by means of a joint 57, to a transmission shaft 58. The transmission shaft 58 extends between the recess of the seat 51 and a seat 21 which flows into the upper wall 20 of the block 11. In more detail, the shaft 58 is housed in a rotatable manner in a tube 22 passing through the wall 13 of the block 11.
At the upper free end, the shaft 58 is provided with a coupling head 59 that allows coupling with a drive tool, such as a crank or screwdriver.
By rotating the drive shaft 58 with said tool, the rotary motion is transferred, by means of the gearbox 56, to the wheel 54 of the first wheel assembly 50.
As a result, the barrier element 10 is then moved along a direction transverse to the direction of development.
Figure 7 shows the barrier element 10 according to another variant of the present invention. According to this variant, the input of the gearbox 56 of the second wheel assembly 50 is connected directly to the coupling head 59. The coupling head 59 is housed in an opening 22b which opens onto the side wall 16, at the height of the base 12.
Figure 7 also shows the wheel 54 with a toothed or clawed outer profile 54b to ensure greater grip and prevent slippage when operating the handling mechanism 55.
Figure 8 shows a further variant of the second wheel assembly 50. More specifically, according to this variant, the second wheel assembly comprises a wheel 54, which is connected to the gearbox 56, and a track 54b, which winds around said wheel 54 and two idler-mounted guide wheels 54c on the support 52 of the wheel assembly 50.
It should be noted that the wheel variants 54 illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 may also be used with the handling mechanism illustrated in Figures 5 and 6.
The barrier element 10 further comprises housings 60, formed in the base surface 12, for accommodating anchoring elements, in the form of pins or profiles, to keep the barrier element 10 securely locked in its operating position. Said housings 60 are passed between the lateral surfaces 16, 17 and the base surface 15. The anchoring elements, partially protruding from the base surface 15, are inserted in appropriate holes cut in the surface where the barrier rests.
In order to make moving operations quicker and less tiring, a preferred variant of block 11 includes a relieving hole 25 parallel to the direction of development and running through the whole of block 11 between the two end faces 18, 19.
According to a variant of the invention, the barrier element may comprise at least one pair of seals 26, typically made of rubber or equivalent materials, protruding from the base surface 15 of the block 11. More in detail said seals are interposed between said base and the ground and are configured to remain pressed into contact with the ground when the block is in its original operating position. Said seals are straight, oriented parallel to the direction of development of block 11 and, preferably, extend across the entire width of said block.
The seals 26 so configured isolate the void space below the base surface 15 of the block, preventing the accumulation of debris, dirt or the like that could cause malfunctions of the wheel assemblies or otherwise make it more difficult to move the barrier element.
Figures 9a and 9b show a of a section road barrier 100 according to a variant of the present invention.
According to this variant, the barrier 100 comprises a prefabricated foundation element 71 arranged below the barrier element 10.
The foundation element 71, typically in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped, has an upper face substantially aligned at ground level.
A plurality of slots 72 are formed on said upper face to accommodate anchoring elements 73 of the barrier element, such as, for example, steel profiles. Said anchoring elements 73 protrude from the upper face of the foundation element and are accommodated in the slots 60 in the base 12 of the barrier element.
Figures 10a and 10b show a plan view of a road section with two carriageways C1, C2 separated by a traffic divider 100. The barrier 100 comprises fixed barrier elements 110 and movable barrier elements 10a-10f according to the present invention, which occupy a section Tv of the barrier 100 at which it is possible to open a passage.
The movable barrier elements 10a-10f are joined together and joined to the fixed barrier elements 110a,110b delimiting the gap by means of the connecting means 30 comprising the bushings 31 and the pin 32.
In order to open the gap in the road barrier 100, according to the example illustrated in Figure 10b, it is sufficient to remove the ground anchoring elements of all the movable elements 10a-10f and to remove one of the pins 32 connecting two movable barrier elements. In the illustrated example, there are six movable barrier elements and the third element 10c and the fourth element 10d are decoupled, i.e. in the centre of the movable elements.
In another mode of use, depending on the size of the type of gap to be opened, it is possible to decouple one of the movable barrier elements from a fixed one by removing pin 32.
Then, by operating the handling mechanisms 55 of each of the movable barrier elements 10a-10f one at a time by means of a hand crank or a screwdriver, it is possible to rotate these movable barrier elements 10a-10f in relation to the fixed barrier elements by hand, thereby freeing a gap in the road barrier.
In the example in Figure 10b, three movable barrier elements 10a-10c are moved towards the carriageway C1 while the remaining movable elements 10d-10f are moved towards the carriageway C2.
More in detail, first the movable barrier element 10c, which is disconnected from the other movable barrier element 10d, is rotated with respect to the movable barrier element 10b. Then the latter is rotated with respect to the movable barrier element 10a, which, in turn is rotated with respect to the fixed barrier element 110b by means of the connecting means 30.
The rotation of a barrier element with respect to an adjacent one is facilitated by the tapered shape of the head faces 18, 19. This shape reduces interference with the head faces of the adjacent element by increasing the useful rotation angle.
At the end of the operation, the three movable barrier elements 10a-10c are arranged aligned along a direction transverse to the barrier and angled by an angle α typically between 15° and 25°.
In the same way, elements l0d-10f are rotated sequentially in the opposite direction until the configuration shown in Figure 10b is achieved.
The operations described above can also be carried out by a single operator in between 20 minutes and 60 minutes.
As mentioned above, the rotation of the barrier elements 10a-10c, 10d-10f may be carried out by the motorised devices. In this case, using pre-tuned motorised devices, the three barrier elements 10a-10c, 10d-10f of each group are simultaneously rotated with the same angular velocity while remaining substantially aligned with each other.
If the motorised devices can be controlled remotely, the complete operation to create the gap can be performed by a single operator in a matter of minutes.
However, the number of movable barrier elements used to create the gap may vary, e.g. depending on the length of blocks 11, the width of the carriageway and/or the respective lanes and the type of gap, e.g. if it is an emergency gap or for maintenance work.
If the friction between the wheels and the ground is excessive or if the ground is soft, a support, such as a sheet metal plate, maybe placed under the block at the wheels.
The invention has been described for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, according to some preferred embodiments. The man skilled in the art will be able to find several other embodiments and variants thereof, all falling within the scope of protection of the following claims.

Claims

An element (10) for a road barrier (100) comprising a concrete block (11) with a base (12), side walls (16, 17), two end faces (18, 19) and an upper wall (20), said block (11) being elongated in a development direction extending between the two end faces (18, 19),
characterised in that it comprises at least two wheel assemblies (40, 50) housed in respective housings (41, 51) in the base surface (15),

wherein each wheel assembly (40, 50) comprises at least one wheel (44, 54) mounted on a support (42, 52) so as to rotate about an axis substantially horizontal and parallel to the direction of development of the barrier element (10),

wherein said wheels (44, 54) protrude at least in part from a base surface (15) in such a way that the barrier element can translate resting on said wheels, and

wherein at least one of said wheels (54) is connected to a movement mechanism (55) adapted to rotate said at least one wheel to translate the barrier element (10).
The element (10) according to claim 1, wherein said handling mechanism (55) comprises a gearbox (56) housed in the housing (51) of the wheel assembly (50), said gearbox (56) having an input and an output, wherein said output is connected to an axle (53) rotatably integral with at least one wheel (54) of a wheel assembly (50), and wherein said input is connected to a transmission shaft (58) having a first end connected to said input and a second end located in an opening (22) leading on a side wall (16, 17) or on the upper face (20) of the barrier element (10).
The element (10) according to claim 2, wherein said drive shaft (58), at the second end, is provided with a coupling head (59) configured to be connected to a drive tool.
The element (10) according to claim 1, wherein said handling mechanism (55) comprises a gearbox (56) housed in the housing (51) of the wheel assembly (50), said gearbox (56) having an input and an output, wherein the output is connected to an axle (53) rotatably integral with at least one wheel (54) of a wheel assembly (50), and wherein the input is connected to a coupling head configured to be connected to a drive tool, the latter being arranged in an opening (22b) leading on a side wall (16, 17).
The element (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said handling mechanism (55) is manually operated.
The element (10) according to claims 3 to 5, wherein said operating tool is a crank.
The element (10) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said operating tool is motorised.
The element (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support (42, 52)
of each wheel assembly (40, 50) is fixed integrally to the housing walls (41, 51).
The element (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a first wheel assembly (40) comprises a pair of wheels (44) aligned along the rolling direction and mounted free to rotate on the support (42) fixed to the walls of the housing (41) formed in the base, and
wherein a second wheel assembly (50) comprises a wheel (53) connected to the handling mechanism (55).
The element (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second wheel assembly (50) comprises a track (54b) wound around the wheel (54) connected to the handling mechanism (55), and at least one guide wheel (54c) mounted on the support (52) free to rotate.
The element (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising at least one pair of seals (26) that are straight and oriented parallel to the direction of development of the element, said seals (26) protruding from the base surface (15) and being interposed between said base surface and the ground to prevent the accumulation of debris in the vicinity of the wheel assemblies (40, 50).
The element (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising temporary connecting means (30) at the end faces (18, 19) to enable the joining of a barrier element with two other adjacent barrier elements,
wherein said connecting means (30) of at least one of the end faces (18, 19) are configured to allow rotation in the plane of two connected barrier elements.
A road barrier (100) comprising a plurality of concrete barrier elements (10, 110) arranged aligned along a longitudinal direction, wherein at least one is a barrier element (10) according to claim 8.
The road barrier (100) according to claim 13, wherein two or more barrier elements (10) according to claim 8 are joined consecutively to each other, and wherein each barrier element (10) at both end faces (18, 19) is provided with connecting means (30) allowing rotation of two adjacent connected elements.
The road barrier (100) according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the barrier element (10, 110) comprises seats (60), formed in the base (12), adapted to accommodate anchoring elements (73), said road barrier (100) comprising a prefabricated foundation element (71), arranged below the barrier element (10, 110), having a flat upper face, arranged at ground level, on which a plurality of seats (72) adapted to accommodate said anchoring elements (73) are formed.