FR2852979A1 - Shock limiting device for roadway, has successive shock absorption panel made up of compressible material and connected on protection screen facing highway, and fixation unit fixing panel to wall/safety barrier - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a panel (1) made up of a compressible material for successive shock absorption. The panel is connected on a protection screen (3) facing highway. A fixation unit fixes the panel to a wall or safety barrier. The protection screen (3) fills spaces present between posts and a concrete rail of the safety barrier. The fixation unit has a fixation clamp with an extended body (12). An independent claim is also included for a protection system comprising a protection screen.

Description

"Device to limit shock against a barrier or low wall

security of

  roadway, barrier screen and corresponding protection systems "The present invention relates to a device for limiting shocks against a roadway safety barrier or wall, a screen for a security barrier and corresponding protection systems.

  Safety barriers or walls placed parallel to the lanes open to road traffic are intended to restrain motor vehicles, heavy goods vehicles and motorcyclists in the event of a traffic accident.

  Typically a safety barrier (also called a safety barrier) consists of a heald mounted at a distance from the ground using a series of spaced posts. The barrier can be made of wood and / or metal depending in particular on environmental and economic constraints.

  One of the problems in road safety encountered with this type of barrier is specific to motorcyclists: in the event of an accident, a motorcyclist risks being very seriously injured if he slides flat under the barrier beam and all the more strongly if it is thrown against one of the posts becoming sharp when the impact is very violent.

  To overcome this problem, several solutions have been proposed to date 20 including: - the direct production of concrete walls poured in place; - the installation of a protective screen to fill the empty spaces under the beam and to make a screen in front of the posts of the classic barriers, existing or to be assembled. Several implementation solutions exist in this direction, for example as described in patent application FR 2 814 766, the production of a protective screen made up of metal plates fixed end to end mounted suspended by means of fixing arms. at the lower edge of the heddle; and - the production of plastic barriers with integrated or attached protective screens.

  However, with these solutions, the following disadvantages still remain: - a concrete wall is certainly easy to maintain and inexpensive, but, on the one hand, it causes significant bodily damage at the time of the shock and, on the other hand, it returns very strongly the shocks; a motorcyclist is therefore not only injured by the impact but bounced on the concrete and is violently returned to the track where he risks being struck again; a plastic barrier is less injurious because it is more absorbent in terms of impact than concrete or metal, but it is expensive to manufacture (specific molds, etc.), complicated to install; it has a limited lifespan and risks shattering under the effect of a shock with all the drawbacks which result from it, for example the risk of being injured by the fragments, the need to change one of the elements forming the barrier etc .; - a protective screen attached in suspended metal plates makes it possible to limit the effects of dismissal of the motorcyclist thanks to the possible and final pivoting of the screen under the effect of the shock, but is still insufficient in terms of bodily damage caused to the motorcyclist by the shock.

  The present invention aims to overcome these drawbacks, and mainly to significantly reduce the personal injury caused to motorcyclists and to provide a solution which is economical, easy to manufacture and install either on existing barriers or walls or on new systems. protection.

  It proposes a device for limiting shocks against a protective screen for a low wall or a road safety barrier, said protective screen preventing in particular the passing of a motorcyclist under the barrier or low wall, characterized in that it comprises at least one panel, made of a compressible material suitable for the absorption of successive shocks, intended to be attached to said screen on its road side face and means for fixing said panel to said wall or barrier of security.

  In the case of a low wall made of concrete or another approved material, a protective screen is formed by the external wall of said low wall which extends in height substantially vertically towards the top of said low wall. There are low walls having a single protective screen intended to protect one side of a taxiway or separating walls defining two protective screens back to back.

  In the case of a protective barrier consisting of a stringer and posts, the protective screen consists of a series of plates, typically metallic, attached under the stringer and extending in front of the posts.

  The present invention thus provides a protection solution according to which: - a protective screen, for example made of concrete, metal or plastic, provides the rigidity necessary to prevent a motorcyclist from going flat under a safety barrier and being violently injured by a barrier post; and - a panel of compressible absorbent material, provides the flexibility necessary for the absorption and absorption of a shock to prevent rebounding on the track of the motorcyclist and limit his injuries due to impact against said rigid material.

  The present invention thus has the advantage of not modifying the mechanical characteristics of a protective screen and of thus being able to be implemented on existing approved protection systems.

  The damping characteristics depend on the nature of the compressible material used and the thickness of the panel.

  The compressible material of the damping panel has a compression ratio capable of absorbing an impact and minimizing the damage caused, preferably having a compression ratio substantially at most of 50% compression.

  The compressible material will also be chosen as a function of its resistance to temperatures, weathering and ozone for the intended use.

  It may be a foam of synthetic material, for example of elastomeric polymer. It may also be a composite material, in particular composed of crushed recycled tires.

  The simplest form of the panel is a parallelepiped having an appropriate thickness, depending in particular on the specific compression characteristics of the material used, its homogeneity and, where appropriate, economic criteria. The panel can typically be produced by molding.

  According to an advantageous embodiment, means are provided for fixing the shock absorbing panels without bolts which could prove to be dangerous for the human body striking the device, mounting easily and quickly, and preferably without tools, for example by means of latching or pinching means. In addition, one can provide locking means to prevent fraudulent removal of the panels by blocking access to the panel fixing means.

  In the particular case of a security barrier, which is provided under its heald with a protective screen, the means for fixing a damping panel may advantageously consist of a fixing flange comprising an elongated body attached to and cooperating with the external face of the damping panel 5 with attachment means adapted at its ends to cooperate with the upper and lower edges of said protective screen.

  The number of flanges depends on the size of the shock absorber panel. For example, one can provide a 2m long panel fixed with several flanges.

  According to a possible embodiment, the damping panel has a recess for housing the fixing means, that is to say in the case of a flange, at least the elongated body, so that no part is protruding on the exposed surface of the road side panel. This recess is preferably made at a distance from the vertical edges of the panel so that the positioning of the fixing flange is automatic along the barrier or the wall. More particularly still, the width of such a recess is greater than the width of the body of the flange in order to be able to adapt, if necessary, to the different radii of curvature of the protective screen.

  In a particular application to a concrete wall, the fixing means 20 of the damping panel can consist of a flange which is interposed between the wall and the panel with its elongated body this time attached to the substantially vertical wall of the wall forming the protective screen, the upper and lower attachment means, for example in the form of hooks, projecting outward on the road side and cooperating with the respectively upper and lower edges of the damping panel.

  The present invention also relates to: - a protective screen for a safety barrier comprising at least one panel made of rigid material intended to be fixed under the rail of said barrier and which is characterized by at least one device for limiting shocks according to 30 l the invention comprising at least one damping panel and means for fixing to said panel; - A security system comprising a barrier consisting of a heald mounted on posts, a protective screen intended to be attached under the heald and in front of the posts and characterized by a device for limiting shocks as defined above; and - a security system comprising a low wall comprising a substantially vertical wall forming a protective screen, characterized by a device for limiting shocks as defined above.

  The present invention will be better understood and other advantages will appear in the light of the description which follows of embodiments, description made with reference to the appended drawings in which: - Figure 1 is a perspective view in section of a first embodiment of the device according to the invention installed on a safety barrier safety screen; - Figure 2 is a perspective view of the fixing flange of the device of Figure 1; Figures 3 and 4 are perspective views of the inner face of the flange of Figure 2 showing details of the flange; - Figure 5 is a perspective view of the safety clip of the device of Figure 1; - Figure 6 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a safety barrier equipped with protective screens and devices to limit shocks 20 according to the invention; - Figure 7 is a view similar to that of Figure 1 illustrating an alternative embodiment; Figure 8 is a schematic sectional view of an embodiment of the invention of the device of the invention for a concrete safety wall.

  According to the embodiment of the invention chosen and shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the device for limiting shocks comprises a shock absorbing panel 1 of here rectangular shape intended to be fixed on a protective screen 3 to the using at least one fixing flange 4 and comprising a safety clip 5. FIG. 6 shows the conventional positioning of a series of 30 metal panels 3a arranged side by side so as to form the protective screen 3 and s 'extending in a substantially vertical plane under the heald 6 of a safety barrier and in front of its posts 7 road side. The means for fixing the panels 3a to each other and to the heald 5 are not shown in this figure 6. There is shown in this figure 6, a series of devices according to the invention, each comprising a damping panel 1 fixed to the using at least one flange 4, the panels being mounted juxtaposed in front of the protective screen 3 on the taxiway side.

  The damping panel 1 is made of a flexible compressible material 5, typically an elastomeric foam, for example of EPDM base, for example of the Hutchinson brand under the reference C162, having the following characteristics: - temperature resistance: -40oC to + 1100C; lift at 50% compression; and - excellent resistance to weathering and ozone.

  The thickness of the panel is chosen so as to offer the adequate damping characteristics corresponding to a given impact (depending in particular on the location of the barrier), for example of about 3 cm for the Hutchinson C162 foam mentioned above.

  According to the example chosen, a protective screen 3 consists of a central panel 8, intended to extend substantially vertically when it is operational, and of two lower flaps 9 and upper 10 connected respectively to the lower edges 8A and upper 8B with an angle a substantially of 1300. This shape is here symmetrical so that the direction of assembly is advantageously indifferent, one of the flaps allowing a fixing by suspension under the rail of the barrier while the other flap forms a part re-entering just above the ground not protruding and injuring for the motorcyclist sliding flat.

  The flange 4 is made of rigid plastic material, also resistant to weathering and ozone, typically of high density polyethylene or similar material. It is advantageously produced by molding, which can thus, as in the example described here, be shaped to so as to best adjust to the shape of the parallelepiped damper panel 1 and the upper 10 and lower flaps 9 of the protective screen, so as to help wedge and best fix said damper panel without play and not to exceed . For this purpose, the flange 4 comprises an elongated body 12, adapted to cover a vertical strip of the external or exposed face 13 of the damping panel 1 on the side of the traffic lane, and comprising at its upper end a side wall s' extending at a right angle 14 and at its lower end a side wall extending at a right angle 15. According to the example chosen, the elongated body 12 and the two side walls 14 and 15 substantially match the shape exposed on the road side of the panel damper 1, ie a vertical strip on its front or exposed face 13, a horizontal strip on its upper side 16 and a horizontal strip 5 on its lower side 17. The flange 4 can also be positioned to cover two vertical strips respectively of two juxtaposed damping panels, such as 1, at their junction. The upper side wall 14 of the body 12 of the flange 4 has one end which can form a bearing zone 20 on the external face 8 of the protective screen 1, for example for a standard thickness of damping panel 1. likewise, the bottom side wall 15 is extended by a wall 22 extending at a right angle which can act as a support on the external face 8.

  Compensation pads 23 of the thickness of the damping panel 1 are formed transversely over the width of the internal face 24 of the body 12 of the flange 4. In addition to prevent the panels from sliding, one or more claws, such as 25 in FIG. 3, can be arranged projecting from the studs 23.

  To match the shape of the protective screen 3 and its two upper 10 and lower 9 flaps, the flange has at its upper end a wall 20 upper terminal 25 which is connected to the side wall 14 slightly recessed from the support end 20 at an angle of approximately 120. Similarly at its lower end, the flange has a lower end wall 26 which is connected to the end edge of the support wall 22 also forming an angle of about 1300. These two end walls 25 and 26 are intended coming into contact respectively with the upper 10 and lower 9 flaps of the protective screen. Means for attaching the flange are provided at the ends of these upper 25 and lower 26 end walls.

  At the lower end, the means of attachment of the flange comprise a groove 27 shaped by a return of material from the end edge of the end wall 30, and into which is intended to be inserted the end edge of the lower flap 9. This groove 27 has a substantially circular cross-sectional section wall defining at its entry two lines of nip wall facing each other 30A and 30B adapted to nip between them the end edge of the flap 9. In addition, for facilitate the introduction of the terminal edge of the flap 9 into the groove 27, the end edge 32 of the return forming said groove is curved outward to form a wedge introduction slot.

  At the upper end, the means for attaching the flange comprise an end return 34 from the edge of the upper end wall 25 forming a shoulder 35 adapted to bear against the end of the upper flap 10.

  The clip 5 has the function of locking the attachment of the flange 4 to make it very difficult to remove it. It has a U-shaped sectional profile, suitable for enclosing, here over their respective length, both the end edge of the flap 10 and the end edge with its shoulder 35 of the upper end wall 10 25, as is see in FIG. 1. The locking means comprise locking means provided on the end wall 25 of the flange and complementary locking means provided in the clip 5. On the clip side 5, one of its branches, here 36, has a hook-shaped end edge 37 directed towards the inside of the clip and adapted to cooperate with a shoulder 39 15 formed on the external surface of the end wall 25 at a distance from its end edge 34. To facilitate the positioning of the hook 37 against the shoulder 39, between this shoulder 39 and the end edge 34, the end wall 25 is thicker forming a ramp 40 inclined going up from the edge 34 to the shoulder 39. The means locking ns further comprise a locking tab 41 which extends opposite the outer face of the branch 36 of the clip 5 so as to block access to the shoulder 39 cooperating with the hook 37. In addition, provision may be made for the locking tab 41 to come into contact with the external face of the branch 36 of the clip 5 in order to further pinch this branch 36 of the clip. The locking tab 41 has an edge 42 curved outwards, a wedge insertion slot 43 thus being formed between the latter and the end of the ramp, facilitating the positioning of the clip 5. The clip 5 further comprises a rib 45 formed on the internal face of its second branch 46 adapted to come against the rear face of the flap 10 of the protective screen and which can serve as a retainer for the shoulder 35 once at the bottom of the clip 5. Furthermore, this branch 46 has a beaded end edge 47 which can serve both to facilitate the positioning of the clip 5, the end edge 34 of the flange being itself rounded, and to serve as a second retained for the shoulder 35 of the flange 4.

  Furthermore, the clip 5 includes a notch 50 in the thickness of the hook part 37, opening onto the internal face of the branch 36 and at the front end of the branch 36. This notch 50 is intended to cooperate with a lug 51 (see FIG. 5) formed transversely between the shoulder 39 and the locking tab 41 on the end wall 25 of the flange, advantageously serving to prevent lateral movement of the clip 5.

  Conventionally, gussets for stiffening the flange are provided in different places: on its outer face, intended to be on the road side, a gusset 55 between the upper end wall 25 and the locking tab 41, a gusset 56 between the wall side 14 and said upper end wall 25, and a gusset 57 extending between the lower end wall 22 and the side wall 15.

  The device according to the invention is installed either on an already existing slide protection screen, or at the same time as a new installation of slide and protective screen. In the latter case, the device according to the invention can be mounted in advance in the workshop on one or more panels 15 intended to form said protective screen to reduce the installation time on site. However, provision can be made for assembly of the assembly on site, for example advantageously covering, with a damping panel, the junction zone of two metal panels forming the protective screen and its fixing means.

  Furthermore, the fixing flange can be positioned either in the middle of the damping panel, or to cover the junction of two neighboring panels.

  Preferably, a panel will be provided, the length of which will require only one fixing flange for adequate maintenance or two lateral flanges at its junctions with each neighboring panel.

  FIG. 7 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the device of FIGS. 1 to 5.

  The same references are used here for the means common to these two embodiments of the device. These common means are in particular the flange 4 itself and the safety clip 5. What distinguishes this variant, on the other hand, is the shock-absorbing panel 1 which has a recess 60 on its outer face 13 30 for housing the elongated body 12 of the flange 4. This recess 60 extends over the entire height of the panel 1. On the other hand, it is preferably wider than the width of the body 12 of the flange, as can be seen in FIG. 7. This allows a part to accommodate the flange 4 in the thickness of the damping panel so that no part of it protrudes from the surface of said panel and can injure a motorcyclist, on the other hand, to wedge the flange 4 and avoid its displacement laterally with the risk that a panel accidentally comes off, and to define the position of the flange 4 of the device automatically in this recess, which rationalizes the operation of mounting the devices on the protective screen. The fact that the recess 60 is slightly wider than the flange makes it possible to compensate for possible lateral clearances between two neighboring damping panels.

  FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of the invention intended more particularly for a concrete wall 70 poured on site, according to the example chosen here io symmetrical and which can therefore serve as a separator between two traffic lanes A and B. Conventionally and to meet homologation criteria currently in force, this consists of a lower part forming, over a defined height, a sole 71 with vertical external walls on the side of the traffic lanes extending upwards by a part wall 15 proper 72, generally vertical and defining two screens or protective walls 72A and 72B back to back, of slightly curved shape concave. The device according to the invention is according to this embodiment consisting of a damping panel 75 secured to the wall 70, above the sole part 71, to the part forming a protective screen (72A in the figure), to the using a fixing flange 76. Unlike the embodiment described above, the fixing flange 76 is interposed after the installation of the device between the damping panel 75 and the protective screen 72A. It is made in one piece by molding in a plastic material like the flange 4 of FIGS. 1 to 7, and comprises an elongated body 78 extending over the height of the damping panel 75 with at its upper end a return 79 in hook shape defining a groove 80, here of section in parallelepipedal section, intended to house and possibly hold by pinching the upper edge 82 of the damping panel 75. Similarly, at its lower end, the flange 76 has a return 83 in the form hook defining a groove 84 30 for securing the lower edge 85 of the damping panel 75. The flange 76 is fixed beforehand to the protective screen 72A using for example suitable dowels 86 to the concrete and the damping panel 75 is then installed by playing on the flexibility and deformability of its material allowing it to be inserted into the grooves 80 and 84 of the flange. The damping panel 75 extends over the protective screen 72A up to a defined height which can go to the top of the wall and which corresponds to the shock zone of a motorcyclist sliding flat on the roadway.

  It goes without saying that alternative embodiments of these embodiments are possible, in particular the shape of the panel may be other than rectangular or else there could be, instead of a fixing flange, attachment means separate upper and lower for the shock absorber panel. Furthermore, the fixing means can be limited to appropriate means for bonding the panel to the protective screen or pinching means.

  Furthermore, the flange 4 could also be mounted in reverse with the safety clip 5 at the bottom of the protective screen 3.

  The shape of the protective screen may be different from that given in the example of FIGS. 1 to 7, in particular simply consisting of a flat panel with angled inside edges for example, the flange in this case having means of 'fastener with a corresponding profile.

  The plastic material of the flange may, where appropriate, have a certain flexibility or elasticity, locally or as a whole, to allow or facilitate the installation and / or removal of the flange and also constitute the means of fixing by pinching. and / or click-in.

  In the case of a low wall, the device according to the invention can extend to the ground also above the sole forming part.

Claims (24)

claims   1. Device for limiting shocks against a protective screen (3; 72A, 72B) of a low wall (70) or a safety barrier (6,7) for a road, said protective screen 5 (3; 72A, 72B) preventing in particular the passing flat of a motorcyclist under said barrier or said low wall, characterized in that it comprises at least one panel (1; 75), made of a compressible material suitable for shock absorption successive, intended to be attached to said screen (3; 72A, 72B) on its side on the road side and fixing means (4; 76,86) of said panel to said low wall or security barrier.   2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the compressible material has a compression ratio of substantially 50%.   3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the compressible material is a foam.   4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the compressible material is an elastomeric polymer.   5. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the compressible material comprises particles of crushed recycled tires.   6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is intended for a safety barrier (6,7), the protective screen (3) serving to fill the spaces present between the posts (7 ) and the rail (6) of said safety barrier, the fixing means comprise at least one attached fixing flange (4) comprising an elongated body (12) cooperating with a strip in height of the damping panel (1) with at its two ends of the attachment means (35, 27) adapted to cooperate respectively with the upper edge (10) and the lower edge (9) of said protective screen.   7. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the attachment means of the damping panel (1) comprise a groove (27) adapted to receive the end of a lower edge (9) or upper.   8. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the walls of the groove (27) are adapted to pinch said lower edge (9) or upper.   9. Device according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the means of attachment of the damping panel (1) comprise an end return (35) forming a stop for the end of the lower or upper edge ( 1 0).   10. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises a safety clip (5) intended to block access to the means of attachment of the flange to the upper or lower edge of the protective screen.   11. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that said safety clip is adapted to enclose together the edge (10) of the protective screen (3) and said end return (35), an edge (37 ) in the form of a hook directed towards the inside of the clip cooperating with a shoulder (39) formed in correspondence in the flange, and a locking tab (41) blocking access to said hook (37) cooperating with said shoulder (39) .   1o 12. Device according to one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that the flange (4) comprises on one side groove type attachment means (27) and on the other type of attachment means end return (35).   13. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that the throat type attachment means (27) are intended to cooperate with the lower edge (9) of i5 the protective screen (3) and the return type means end (35) to cooperate with the upper edge (10) of the protective screen (3).   14. Device according to one of claims 7 to 14, characterized in that the elongated body (12) of said flange is extended by two side walls (14,15) forming a substantially right angle with said elongated body adapted to cooperate 20 with a respective side (16,17) of the damping panel so that the flange encloses the absorbing panel (1) on its external face (13) road side and its upper and lower sides (16,17).   15. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, intended more particularly for a low wall (70) comprising at least one outer wall 25 forming said protective screen (72A), characterized in that it comprises a fixing flange (75) having an elongated body (76) intended to be secured at least against said protective screen and comprising at an upper end a return forming a fixing groove (80) for the upper edge (82) of the damping panel (75) and at a lower end a return forming a fixing groove (84 for the lower edge (85) of said damping panel.   16. Device according to any one of claims 7 to 15, characterized in that the flange (4.76) is made in one piece by molding.   17. Device according to claim 16, characterized in that the flange is made of a synthetic material which can undergo an elastic deformation allowing its establishment.   18. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, 5 characterized in that the damping panel comprises on its external face intended to be on the side of the road network at least one recess (60) in which the fixing means (4) are adapted to be accommodated.   19. Device according to claim 18, characterized in that said recess (60) extends over the height of the damping panel and in which is intended to be housed the elongated body (12) of the fixing flange (4).   20. Device according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that the dimension of the recess is slightly larger than that of the fixing means.   21. Protective screen for a road safety barrier and adapted to fill the spaces between the posts (7) and the rail (6) of the barrier and to form a screen in front of said posts on the road side, characterized in that it comprises a device according to any one of claims 1 to 20.   22. Protective wall (70) comprising a wall (72A) forming a protective screen, characterized in that it comprises a device according to any one of claims 1 to 20.   23. Protection system for roadway comprising: - a safety barrier consisting of a heald (6) and posts (7); and - at least one protective screen (3) adapted to fill the free spaces present between the posts (7) and the rail (6) and adapted to form a screen in front of the 25 posts (7) on the road side, characterized in that it further comprises: at least one device for limiting shocks according to any one of claims 1 to 20.   24. Use of particles of recycled crushed tires for the production of the material of the damping panel (1.75) for a device according to any one of claims 1 to 20.