GB2431955A - Folding safety post - Google Patents

Abstract

The folding safety post, primarily for supporting signs, lamps and other street furniture, is intended to collapse or deform whilst still remaining tethered or anchored to a specific point when impacted by a vehicle and includes a weakened region that is designed to partially shear on impact while a remaining portion of the post acts as a hinge or pivot to bring the post down in a controlled direction. The weakened region may be formed by a groove A in the post that extends around a portion, e.g. two thirds, of the post to provide a shear point, with the remaining portion of the post acting as a hinge in the event of an impact. The shear action may be limited by two holes B, one at each end of the groove. The weakened region may alternatively be formed by drilling, swaging, scoring or a series of dimples or perforations. The hinge may alternatively be formed from a tether, cable, chain or strap.

Description

<p>1 2431955 litie: FOLDING SAFETY POST</p>

<p>DESCRIPTiON:</p>

<p>Background</p>

<p>1) Field</p>

<p>This invention relates to a post that is anchored in the ground the post has a groove or number of grooves designed to create shear points that partially circumscribe the post leaving an area not scored which will act as a hinge andlor tether to pull the top of the post under the vehicle.</p>

<p>2) Description of the Prior Art</p>

<p>A search made by the inventor revealed CA2059714 this is a post made in a number of de-mountable parts between the ground and the impact points this the inventor believes is expensive to produce and will not perform adequately in an impact situation as there would be a substantial portion of the anchor still protruding above ground level.</p>

<p>Brief Summary of the Invention</p>

<p>A post used to carry any form of road side furniture with a shear point which allows the post to shear partially, the remainder of the post then acts as a hinge or tether to drag the post in the desired direction while keeping it anchored.</p>

<p>Advantages The design is very simple to produce consisting in this case of only one part, and has the advantage over a plain post in that it will not exert an excessive force on the vehicle that impacts with it. Another advantage that this post has over other designs i.e. shear posts is that the post remains tethered to the ground and is dragged under the Vehicle or at the very least the tether imparts enough energy into the impacted portion of the post to propel it forward thus avoiding this portion of the post impacting with the upper parts of the vehicle, which in the case of a Convertible vehicle or the windscreen could result in serious or fatal injuries.</p>

<p>Brief Description of Drawings</p>

<p>Fig. 1 Shows the post embedded in the ground with groove [A] circumscribed partially around it, the groove being positioned between ground level and the impact zone.</p>

<p>Fig.2 Shows the post embedded in the ground with groove [A] circumscribed partially around it with the addition of hole [B] which limits the amount of shear.</p>

<p>Fig.3 Shows the post after impact, arrow [A] showing direction of impact.</p>

<p>Detailed Description of Design</p>

<p>The preferred embodiment of the invention consists of a post embedded in the ground with a groove positioned at/or slightly above ground level machined two thirds of the way round to provide a shear point, Fig.2 Groove A. The groove does not go all the way around the circumference of the post but leaves an area to act as a hinge and/or tether. The shear in this case is limited by machining two holes at either end of the groove, Fig 2 Hole B. In the event of an impact the post shears along the groove the shear is then limited by the two machined holes the remainder of the post then acts as a hinge and/or tether allowing the post to fold flat and be run over, Fig. 3 arrow A showing direction of impact.</p>

<p>However the shear point A. Fig.2 could also be created by but is not limited to drilling, swaging, scoring, pressing a groove creating a series of dimples or perforations along any proportion of the post. The hinge could also be created using a hinge tether, cable, chain or strap, the two holes at either end of the groove may also be omitted. The invention may also be used multiple times on the post to allow the post to deform in any desired direction.</p>

Claims (1)

1. <p>Claims: A sign or other post that is designed to shear and then fold

   while being anchored to a specific point when impacted by a vehicle, the post being made either from a single itemlpart or in multiple sections being permanently joined together.</p>