GB2273304A - Noise wall system and component for building same. - Google Patents

Abstract

A unit 50 for building a noise wall system is substantially rectangular as seen in front elevation and has first and second wing portions 54, 56 extending in opposite directions from a central core portion 52. The core portion has a substantially vertical hole 58 therethrough. Such units are used to build a free-standing noise wall system 30 in which the units are held one on top of another by tensioned rods e.g. 66. The core portion 52 may be generally rectangular as seen in plan, the longer axis of this portion extending in a front to back direction of the panel unit. Each unit may be supported on a levelling plate 70 (fig 8), a threaded stub 81 of a T-section member 80 extending through a slot 79 for engagement with a threaded female lower end of the tensioning rod. <IMAGE>

Description

NOISE WALL SYSTEM AND COMPONENT FOR BUILDING SAME This invention relates to a noise wall system and component for building same.

It is often desirable, particularly near noisy factories or near main road or rail traffic routes, to build walls (herein called noise walls) whereby the effect of noise on nearby persons or residents is reduced. Prior noise walls have been provided either by conventional wooden fencing or by conventionally-built brick or block walls. These conventional walls may be partly effective in their main aim of reducing the transmission of noise, but have the disadvantage that their construction is expensive and labour-intensive, and their acoustic qualities are less than ideal.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a freestanding noise wall system in which panel units having substantially flat and horizontal top and bottom surfaces are held one on top of another by tensioned rods.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a unit for building a noise wall system which is substantially rectangular as seen in front elevation and has first and second wing portions extending in opposite directions from a central core portion, the core portion having a substantially vertical hole therethrough. In use, such a hole receives a tensioning rod.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention a noise wall system includes a series of adjustable supports. Each of these establishes a datum position and is designed to receive and hold the lower end of a tensioning rod. As regards the positioning of each tensioning rod, provision is made for upward and downward adjustment and for limited adjustment in the longitudinal direction of the wall.

For this purpose each adjustable support has mounted thereon a threaded boss into which can be engaged a threaded end of the tensioning rod, and a mechanical arrangement is provided to adjust the rod's position in relation to a foundation block, e.g. of concrete, in which the adjustable support is mounted.

Of course in an alternative arrangement an upwardly projecting threaded stud is mounted on the adjustable support and on this can be fixed a tensioning rod having an internally-threaded boss at its lower end. Mechanical connection other than screw threading could be employed as yet another alternative.

A preferred embodiment of a panel unit has a generally rectangular core portion, as seen in plan, the longer axis of this portion extending in a front to back direction of the panel unit. From this core portion the two wings extend generally in the longitudinal direction of the wall. In a most preferred embodiment, one wing portion joins with (or is joined to) the core portion at its rear and curves shallowly forwardly (as seen in plan) whereas the other wing portion joins with (or is joined to) the core portion at its front, and curves shallowly rearwardly. With this design of panel unit, improved stability is obtained, coupled with a curvature of panel unit which is acoustically effective for noise reduction.

The main advantages of the preferred embodiment of the invention are considered to be: (i) the wall can be easily assembled without employing expensive tradesmen; (ii) the wall is substantially permament and does not deteriorate due to weather; (iii) the panel units of the wall can be economically manufactured; (iv) the curved configuration of the wings yields the good acoustic qualities; (v) the wall may be built to any desired height (within reason) by using a further row of panels units; (vi) the problems of sloping or irregular ground are substantially completely overcome; (vii) gaps can be provided in the wall without the need to build any extra structure; (viii) the wall has an attractive appearance;; (ix) the wall resists windloading efficiently, in other words, compared to conventional noise walls, for the same cost of construction per unit length, higher wind loading forces can be successfully resisted.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description and drawings.

The invention will be better understood from the following non-limiting description of examples thereof given with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an artist's impression of noise walls according to the invention erected in a residential area; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating an example of noise wall according to the invention and also showing three adjustable supports; Figure 3 is a perspective view from above and to the left illustrating part of a noise wall according to the invention consisting of nine panel units; Figure 4 is a top plan view of one panel unit according to the invention; Figure 5 is a top plan view showing part of a noise wall according to the invention and illustrating an arrangement which provides a gap;; Figure 6 is a front elevation view illustrating the building of a noise wall according to the invention on sloping ground; Figure 7 is a cross section on a vertical plane and illustrating one form of adjustable support usable according to the invention; Figure 8 is a view from above illustrating support structure components used in an adjustable support; Figure 9 is a detail view seen in vertical cross section of an upper part of a core portion of one panel unit according to the invention also showing a top cap thereto; Figure 9A is a front elevation showing a tensioning rod joined to an adjustable support; Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9 but illustrating an upper region of a panel unit and showing an upper tensioning rod attached to a lower tensioning rod by a threaded connection;; Figure 11 is a plan view on an enlarged scale and illustrating the extent of angular tolerance possible when abutting two adjacent vertical edges of panel units according to the invention; Figure 12 is a view from above and to the left of an alternative embodiment of panel unit according to the invention; Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 12 and of a yet further alternative embodiment of panel unit according to the invention; and Figures 14A and 14B illustrate prior art noise wall constructions, Figure 14A showing erection on flat ground and Figure 14B on sloping ground.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates noise walls 30 and 32 erected either side of a road 34 in order to reduce the effect on houses 36 of traffic noise. Figure 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of a length of noise wall according to the invention showing adjustable supports 38, tensioning rods 40, and three rows of noise wall panel units one of which is indicated at 42. The appearance of these noise wall panel units when assembled together is better seen by looking at Figure 3, in which a lower row of panel units is made up of panel units 44A, 46A and 48A, a middle row is made up of panel units similarly numbered with the suffix 'B', and the top row is made up of panel units similarly numbered with the suffix 'C'.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of panel unit according to the invention. The panel unit is moulded or formed in one piece, preferably of concrete, but possibly of a synthetic plastics or other material, and it is of rectangular shape as seen in front elevation, that is, as seen looking in the direction of the arrow A. The illustrated panel unit 50 consists of a core portion 52 and two wing portions 54 and 56. Each of the wing portions has a stepped end remote from the core portion. The preferred structure of the stepped ends is best seen by viewing Figure 11 herein. The core portion 52 has a vertical hole 58 completely therethrough, this hole preferably but not necessarily being cylindrical in shape. In a preferred version of panel unit according to this design, assuming that the thickness of the wings (dimension b) is considered to be one unit, then the other dimensions are preferably as follows: Dimension Range (units) Preferred a 35 to 45 40 units b 0.8 to 1.2 1 unit c 7 to 13 10 units d 2.5 to 5 3 units Height of panel unit 16 to 24 20 units Diameter of hole 58 0.2 to 0.3 0.25 units Angle e 8 to 12 100.

Figure 5 shows two noise wall panel units 50 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention and parts of two adjacent units. These units have been arranged so as to provide a gap 60. It will be seen that this gap does not provide any direct linear path for transmission of noise from one side of the noise wall to the other.

Figure 6 is a front elevation showing the building of a noise wall according to the invention on sloping ground and illustrating, by the arrow B, that the noise wall panel units mounted on the adjustable support 62 can be moved upwardly or downwardly in relation to the noise wall panel units mounted on the adjustable support 64. A rod 66 will later be used for tensioning the three panel units which will be mounted on the support 62 is shown at 66. Each of these panel units are preferably in accordance with that illustrated in Figure 4.

Referring now to Figures 7 and 8, these illustrate an adjustable support generally indicated at 70. This support is best embedded in a concrete foundation 71, the concrete being placed in an excavated hole 72. The surrounding earth or soil is seen at 73. The adjustable support 70, in its presently preferred form, consists of four legs 74 which extend downwardly from a frame 75. Extending upwardly from this frame 75 are four threaded rods 76. These rods 76 have bolts 77 thereon, there being a pair of bolts on each rod 76. These pairs of bolts trap between them a plate 78, having a central slot 79. In this way, by adjusting the bolt 77 on site, the plate 78 can be arranged to be horizontal and can be bodily raised and lowered in a vertical direction. Extending through the slot 79, and made captive to the plate 78 is a tee piece 80.This tee piece 80 is made captive to the plate shown but is arranged so that a bolt 81, constituting the stem of the tee, extends upwardly through the slot 79. For example, as seen in Figure 8A, which is a vertical cross section on the line 8A-8A of Figure 8, the plate 78 may have attached to its underside, e.g. by welding, an opposed pair of L-shaped brakets 82, these being arranged so that the tee piece 80 can slide longitudinally within the slot 79 (i.e. into and out of the paper as seen in Figure 8A) but is otherwise substantially restrained from movement and restrained from separating from the plate 78. Consequently, by adjusting the plate 78 so that it is horizontal, one can be sure that the threaded rod 81 is vertical.Then, in assembling a noise wall according to the present invention, a tensioning rod having at its lower end a female thread is screwed on to the threaded stub 81, after having been passed through a hole such as hole 58 in a panel unit 50, so attaching the panel unit to the adjustable support. Figure 9A is a simplified diagram showing in front elevation a tensioning rod 84 attached to an adjustable support 70, the latter being mounted in a foundation 85.

Referring now to Figure 10, this shows a panel unit 50 having a hole 58 therethrough. The hole opens at its upper end into a recess 88. This recess receives a nut 90 threaded on the upper end of the rod 84. A further tensioning rod 84A has a female thread bounding a cylindrical recess 89 located within a bell-mouthed end of rod 84. In this way, tensioning rod 84A is connected to tensioning rod 84. When the noise wall system is assembled, the rod 84A will extend through a hole, which corresponds to a hole 58, in the that unit which is placed on top of the panel unit 50 of Figure 10.

Referring now to Figure 11, this illustrates on an enlarged scale an end of a wing portion 56A of one panel unit and an opposite end of wing 54A of another, abutting, panel unit. As stated, Figure 11 is a top plan view. It will be seen that each end region of the respective wing portion is of stepped formation; the step angle being, however, in the region of 700 rather than 900.

As seen in Figure 11, a tolerance of approximately 30 exists in the angles at which two abutting wing portions can be placed in relation to one another. The normal positioning will be that indicated by the dotted lines 56A but if it is desired to achieve a curved noise wall according to the present invention, the wing portion 56A can be located slightly tilted as seen in plan so that it occupies the position indicated at 56B. The amount of interengagement between the respective end regions is sufficient, at any mutual positions within 0 this 3 tolerance range, to give satisfactory stability to the wall, satisfactory interengagement between adjacent panel units and to prevent any substantial escape of noise through the join of the abutting wing portions.

Figure 12 illustrates an alternative embodiment of panel unit according to the present invention. This unit as seen in plan is of a rectangular Z-shape with a short intervening web acting as a core portion. That is to say, the illustrated panel unit of Figure 12 has a core portion 100, wing portions 102, 104, and a vertical through hole 106. The vertical edges, one seen at 108, are substantially flat and, in use, butt directly face to face against an adjacent end of the next panel unit along the row. These panel units may be fixed on adjustable supports in the same manner as previously described with reference to earlier figures, in particular Figures 6-10.

A noise wall panel unit according to a further embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figure 13, this unit having a core portion 110, wing portions 112 and 114, a vertical through hole 116, and a flat front face 118. As with the other panel units referred to, such a unit may be made of concrete. In making a noise wall system with units of this kind, the end faces of the end regions of the panel unit 118, one such end face being seen at 119, are butted in face to face manner with the end faces of the respective adjacent panel units.

This embodiment of the invention may be less preferred in certain circumstances, because the resulting cracks between adjacent units which extend completely through the wall usually result in the wall being a less effective noise barrier. Panel units of this kind may be supported by adjustable supports of the kind described and illustrated in Figures 6-10.

A prior art construction of noise wall, involving two posts, 130, 132, has these posts separately embedded in the ground. Between is suspended a panel member 134. In the case of level ground, Figure 14A, the erection is not too difficult although there is need to properly and separately bed each of the two posts in the ground. In the case of sloping or irregular ground, as seen in Figure 148, considerable care needs to be taken in bedding the posts 130, 132 in order to have the panel 134 top edge substantially norizontal. In this situation, the arrangement according to the preferred embodiment of the invention is superior in that once one has correctly levelled the support plate 78 (Figure 8) one can be assured of the verticality of the tensioning rods and the horizontality of the top edge of the panel units. In practice, this is an important advantage of the present invention.

Those skilled in the art will realise that modifications and variations may be made to the arrangements particularly disclosed and illustrated herein, without departing from the invention. For example, other means than those illustrated can be employed to achieve a vertical positioning of the tensioning rods and hence of the noise wall, and other specific shapes than the preferred form illustrated in Figure 4 can be utilized for the panel units. So long as a panel unit has an appreciable width provided by its core portion and has wing portions of shape which can be satisfactorily abutted together, most of the advantages of the present invention will be obtainable. While three rows of panel units have been illustrated in Figures 3 and 6, of course any desired number (up to a reasonable limit) may be employed. While it is preferred that the panel units be made of concrete by an automated casting or moulding process, other kinds of panel unit or other methods of manufacture could equally well be employed. Panel units of the shape shown in Figure 4 are advantageous in that they can be easily stacked for transport.

Claims (11)

1. A unit for building a noise wall system which is substantially rectangular as seen in front elevation and has first and second wing portions extending in opposite directions from a central core portion, the core portion having a substantially vertical hole therethrough.

2. A free-standing noise wall system in which panel units having substantially flat and horizontal top and bottom surfaces are held one on top of another by tensioned rods.

3. A unit according to claim 1 in which the core portion is generally rectangular as seen in plan, the longer axis of this portion extending in a front to back direction of the panel unit.

4. A unit according to claim 3 in which one wing portion joins with (or is joined to) the core portion at its front, and curves shallowly rearwardly.

5. A noise wall system according to claim 2 including a plurality of adjustable supports each of which supports at least one unit according to claim 3 or claim 4.

6. A noise wall system according to claim 5 in which a plurality of interconnected tensioning rods extend vertically from and are suppcrted by the support, these rods extending through respective core portions of respective panel units of which each one except the lowermost is placed on top of the panel unit immediately below.

7. A noise wall system according to any of claims 2, 5 or 6 in which each adjustable support includes a slotted plate adjustably connected to a frame embedded in a foundation, there being a tee piece part of which extends through the slot in the plate and is constructed to connect with a tensioning rod.

8. A noise wall system according to claim 7 in which the tee piece is mounted for limited horizontal sliding movement relative to the plate.

9. A unit for a noise wall system substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

10. A noise wall system substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

11. Any novel combination or sub-combination of features disclosed and/or illustrated herein.