EP4372150A1

EP4372150A1 - Double-profile concrete barrier

Info

Publication number: EP4372150A1
Application number: EP23382860.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Daniel Antolino Gandia
Original assignee: Givasa SA
Current assignee: Givasa SA
Priority date: 2022-11-17
Filing date: 2023-08-22
Publication date: 2024-05-22
Also published as: ES1296905U; ES1296905U9; ES1296905Y

Abstract

The present invention relates to a new type of concrete safety barrier that is executed in situ, which is a barrier with a symmetrical configuration with respect to a cross section, i.e., of those called double-profile barriers, which is used as a safety feature on roads and highways hosting road traffic, although it can be used as a guarding or delimiting feature for other activities. This barrier, compared to others known in this industrial sector, is characterised in that it is configured to be executed in situ on a safety dwarf wall already arranged on the road, so it is not required, when executing the barrier, having to first remove the existing dwarf wall to subsequently execute a barrier again, as the present barrier embeds the previously executed dwarf wall.

Description

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a new type of concrete safety barrier that is executed in situ, which is a barrier with a symmetrical configuration with respect to a cross section, i.e., of those called double-profile barriers, which is used as a safety feature on roads and highways hosting road traffic, although it can be used as a guarding or delimiting feature for other activities. This barrier, compared to others known in this industrial sector, is characterised in that it is configured to be executed in situ on a safety dwarf wall already arranged on the road, so it is not required, when executing the barrier, having to first remove the existing dwarf wall to subsequently execute a barrier again, as the present barrier embeds the previously executed dwarf wall.
The field of application of the present invention is the civil construction sector, and focusses on the execution and maintenance work of linear working sites, and more specifically it falls within the different safety elements executed in situ.

State of the art

Concrete barriers are safety elements that are well known in the civil construction sector, and the main function of which is to absorb the kinetic and potential energy transmitted when a moving vehicle collides with same, so that said barrier safety element in turn contains the vehicle and prevents it from jumping onto another road, causing even greater damage. Another use thereof is that of delimiting the directions of circulation, although they can be used as a guarding or delimiting feature for other construction activities.
Within this typology of safety barriers, different types can be distinguished, such as mobile and fixed barriers, those made of plastic material of different colours able to be filled with water or sand, or those made of concrete. The present invention focusses on fixed concrete barriers, and more specifically on those executed in situ and those commonly known as New Jersey barriers, i.e., continuous longitudinal barriers, which do not have male-female joint systems. Within this type of barriers, double-profile barriers and single-profile barriers are known, where the double ones have a symmetrical cross section, while the single ones have an asymmetrical cross section. By way of example, that which is disclosed in document ES0161381U is known, where a very basic double barrier is described which does not meet the current requirements of this industrial sector, or document ES1255396U wherein a double-profile barrier with symmetrical inclined lateral faces is described the configuration of which allows improving the performance of the barrier against impacts.
Taking into account the existing background in the state of the art, it can be understood that premanufactured New Jersey type concrete barriers have advantages over those executed in situ because they have the possibility of incorporating different elements that improve the performance of the set and because their cross sections and therefore their volumes of concrete and steel are smaller. However, the technical problem that arises when carrying out paving work on roads and highways is well known, whether it is maintenance work, patching or comprehensive reconditioning of the pavement in a segment, and where in these segments there is already a dwarf wall or safety barrier previously executed in situ on said pavement.
This problem consists of the fact that, when laying the new pavement to fix the road, the original safety dwarf wall that was already placed in situ, is lower than the new pavement, so, when the pavement is raised, this original wall loses effectiveness against possible impacts from vehicles circulating on the new road surface. Faced with this problem, there is no other solution currently known other than removing the original dwarf walls and re-execute a new barrier in situ on the new pavement.
Taking this technical problem into account and considering that there is no solution that does not require the removal of the original dwarf wall built in situ, the present invention consists in executing a concrete barrier over the original dwarf wall, so that the removal of said original dwarf wall is not required, and wherein the configuration of the new barrier allows the volume of concrete to be reduced without affecting its performance as a vehicle containment system.
Therefore, the present invention solves the technical problem of avoiding having to remove the safety dwarf walls executed in situ on a road when reconditioning work of the pavement of said road is to be done.

Explanation of the invention

The concrete barriers executed in situ, i.e., by means of a sliding formwork continuously and linearly in the same work site area, can be of two types, single or one-sided profile barriers, and double or two-sided profile barriers. The present invention consists of a double-profile concrete barrier, of the type commonly known as New Jersey, for use on roads and vehicle circulation areas, and which is preferably usable for central separation areas between directions of circulation on roadways, bridges and viaducts.
This concrete barrier is symmetric from the cross-sectional point of view, while it is longitudinally continuous. Going into the particularity of the cross section, the external facings of the barrier embed the wall originally executed in situ, and for this, a section is defined by a base that rests on the seating ground and where there are two coverings that give continuity to the base of the original dwarf wall, a discontinuous and inclined wall comprising a lower facing, an intermediate step and an upper facing, on each side of the barrier, and an upper face that closes the set.
In this sense, for a correct formation of the barrier cross section and the correct operation of the barrier, the invention is characterised in that it comprises:

a base having two coverings on both sides of at least 70 mm with respect to the base of the originally executed dwarf wall and that gives continuity to the base of the original dwarf wall;
two discontinuous walls on both sides of the barrier, wherein each wall comprises a lower facing having an inclination (β) with respect to the horizontal comprised between 75° and 89.5°; an intermediate facing having an inclination (Ω) with respect to the horizontal between 27° and 40°; and an upper facing having an inclination (µ) with respect to the horizontal between 70° and 85°;
an upper face, which closes the set, with a width between 220 and 260 mm; and
wherein the height of the discontinuous walls is greater than the height of the previously executed dwarf wall, whereby the barrier comprises the concrete dwarf wall at its core.

Going into a greater degree of detail, and preferably but in a non-limiting manner, the dimensions of a cross section of said barrier are such that:

a total base width between 690 mm and 800 mm; where on each side there is a covering with respect to the base of the previously executed dwarf wall of at least 70 mm;
two discontinuous walls on both sides of the barrier, wherein each wall comprises a lower facing having a height comprised between 180 and 240 mm, and an inclination (β) with respect to the horizontal between 75° and 89.5°; an intermediate facing having a height between 65 and 95 mm, and an inclination (Ω) with respect to the horizontal between 27° and 40°; and an upper facing having a height comprised between 580 and 660 mm and an inclination (µ) with respect to the horizontal between 70° and 85°; and
an upper face, which is a smooth and horizontal surface, which closes the assembly, with a width comprised between 220 and 260 mm.

To improve the connection between the concrete barrier and the existing dwarf wall, the invention may be characterised by comprising a plurality of anchors distributed on the external faces of the dwarf wall and, therefore, are embedded in the core of the barrier, such that these anchors, which are preferably steel screws of at least 8 mm in diameter and at least 70 mm in length, are embedded in the wall for at least 50 mm. In order to improve said reinforcement between the dwarf wall and the barrier, these anchors are distributed in a staggered manner on said external faces of the wall.
As previously mentioned, the concrete barrier is symmetrical from the cross-sectional point of view, while it is longitudinally continuous. In this sense, the barrier comprises a plurality of water passages longitudinally located at intervals of at least 3 metres, therefore, the barrier comprises a plurality of retraction joints in segments of at least 3 metres, and wherein these water passages have preferably minimum dimensions of 250 mm wide by 70 mm high.
This barrier configuration is characterised in that, compared to any other type of barrier or known safety element, it has a differentiated cross section and in that it is based on covering and embedding a dwarf wall previously executed on said road. In this sense, the dimensions and angles previously indicated ensure correct functioning of the set, and have the advantage of reducing the volume of concrete in this type of barrier typology and ensuring satisfactory results in coach launching tests and in light vehicle launching on all occasions, i.e., it allows obtaining good levels of containment and stability, as well as the height and the structure thereof provides same with a correct stability against vehicle overturning. Furthermore, this type of barrier allows same to be located in any area of an infrastructure and for any type of infrastructure, such as viaducts, bridges and road sides.
In a possible embodiment of the invention, the concrete is of the HA type with a resistance of at least HA-30; wherein the consistency is of the type S, P or B; and the I+F type environment; the cement required is a CEM II 42.5 type.
Finally, it must be taken into account that, throughout the description and claims, the term "comprises" and its variants are not intended to exclude other technical features or additional elements, such as the type of concrete or the dosage thereof, or the type of sliding formwork or equivalent means required for the in situ execution of this barrier.

Brief description of the drawings

In order to complete the description and to help a better understanding of the features of the invention, a set of two figures is presented wherein the following is represented by way of illustration and not limitation:

Figure 1 shows a cross sectional view of the safety barrier object of the present invention.
Figure 2 shows the free perspective view of the concrete safety barrier object of the present invention executed linearly.

Detailed description of an embodiment of the invention

As can be seen in the previous figures, one embodiment of the invention consists of a double-profile concrete safety barrier, which is executed in situ and which is characterised in that a cross section covers all the external faces of a dwarf wall (M) previously executed in situ, said wall being embedded in the body of the double-profile barrier, and comprising

a base (1) with a total width of 789 mm; wherein on each side there is a covering (7) with respect to the base of the previously executed dwarf wall of 85 mm;
two discontinuous walls (2) on both sides of the barrier, wherein each wall comprises a lower facing (3) having a height of 200 mm, and an inclination (β) with respect to the horizontal of 82°; an intermediate facing (4) having a height of 80 mm, and an inclination (Ω) with respect to the horizontal of 35°; and an upper facing (5) having a height of 620 mm and an inclination (µ) with respect to the horizontal of 77°;
an upper face (6), which is a smooth and horizontal surface, which closes the assembly, with a width of 241 mm.

As can be seen in said section, to improve the connection between the body of the safety barrier and the dwarf wall originally executed in situ, the dwarf wall (M) includes a plurality of anchors (8) distributed on its external faces and which are equally embedded in the core of the barrier.
Finally, a figure can also be observed showing the concrete safety barrier object of the present invention executed linearly, and wherein said barrier comprises a plurality of water passages (9) longitudinally located at intervals of at least 3 metres.

Claims

A double-profile concrete barrier, which is a barrier built in situ on a road with a cross section with a symmetrical configuration; which is characterised in that the faces of a cross section cover all the external faces of a dwarf wall (M) previously executed in situ on the said road, and wherein said cross section comprises:
a base (1) that gives continuity to the base of the previously executed dwarf wall (M) and having two coverings (7) on both sides of the base of the dwarf wall (M) with a width of at least 70 mm;

two discontinuous walls (2) on both sides of the barrier, wherein each wall comprises a lower facing (3) having an inclination (β) with respect to the horizontal comprised between 75° and 89.5°; an intermediate facing (4) having an inclination (Ω) with respect to the horizontal between 27° and 40°; and an upper facing (5) having an inclination (µ) with respect to the horizontal between 70° and 85°;

an upper face (6), which closes the set; and

wherein the height of the discontinuous walls (2) is greater than the height of the previously executed dwarf wall, the dwarf wall (M) being embedded in the core of the barrier.
The double-profile concrete barrier, according to claim 1, wherein the base (1) has a total width comprised between 690 mm and 800 mm; the lower facing (3) which has a height comprised between 180 and 240 mm; the intermediate facing (4) which has a height comprised between 65 and 95 mm; the upper facing (5) which has a height comprised between 580 and 660 mm; and the upper face (6) has a width comprised between 220 and 260 mm.
The double-profile concrete barrier, according to claim 1, wherein the upper face (6) is flat.
The double-profile concrete barrier, according to claim 1, wherein the dwarf wall (M) comprises a plurality of anchors (8) distributed on its exterior faces that are embedded in the core of the barrier.
The double-profile concrete barrier, according to claim 4, wherein the anchors (8) are distributed in a staggered manner.
The double-profile concrete barrier, according to claim 4, wherein the anchors (8) are steel screws of at least 8 mm in diameter and at least 70 mm in length, said anchors being embedded in the dwarf wall (M) for at least 50 mm.
The double-profile concrete barrier, according to the preceding claims, which is characterised in that it has a plurality of water passages (9) longitudinally located at intervals of at least 3 metres.