GB2491558A

GB2491558A - Panel fencing system

Info

Publication number: GB2491558A
Application number: GB1107665.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Steve Phillips
Original assignee: ALLTYPE FENCING SPECIALISTS Ltd
Current assignee: ALLTYPE FENCING SPECIALISTS Ltd
Priority date: 2011-05-09
Filing date: 2011-05-09
Publication date: 2012-12-12
Anticipated expiration: 2031-05-09
Also published as: GB201107665D0; GB2491558B

Abstract

A fencing system 10 comprises fence posts 11, 12 and support rails 32, 33, 34. The fence posts 11, 12 each have a longitudinal channel 21, 22 and the support rails 32, 33, 34 extend between two adjacent fence posts 11, 12 and have rail ends 30, 31 engagable with the channel 21, 22 of each of the two adjacent fence posts 11, 12. The support rails comprise a lower support rail 32, an upper support rail 33 and one or more intermediate support rail 34 located between the lower support rail 32 and the upper support rail 33 when the rails are connected between the posts 11, 12. A first fence panel 26 extends between the two adjacent fence posts 11, 12 and is connected to the lower support rail 32 and an intermediate support rail 34. A second fence panel 27 extends between the two adjacent fence posts 11, 12 and is connected to the upper support rail 33 and an intermediate support rail 34.

Description

Fencing System This invention relates to a fencing system which can be used to erect a fence simply and quickly from the constituent parts and which system provides a strong fence structure which meets the necessary safety requirements, while also being cost effective. The invention also relates to a fencing system which minimises the potential for damage as a result of vandalism and which may be disassembled and re-used as many times as required.

This invention has been developed principally for use as demountable hoarding in works areas such as construction sites, which require a temporary yet secure fencing structure, and therefore will be described herein with particular emphasis on such use. It should be appreciated however, that the fencing system of this invention may be used for substantially any type of fencing requirement, whether temporary or permanent.

Demountable hoardings are essentially fencing structures which are often required at construction sites for safety purposes, allowing access for the construction workers whilst protecting the general public from the area and the works that are taking place. The fencing structure needs to be of a reasonable size effectively to provide the required protection. The greater the height of the structure, the greater the strength required for the fence panels in order to withstand the effects of weather. Many existing fencing structures can suffer from damage as they do not provide the required support to the fence panels and strong winds can cause fence panels of the structure to bow in or out.

Fencing structures are also often subjected to vandalism caused for example by people climbing on the structures or removing fence panels in an attempt to gain access into the protected area. Most existing fencing systems have parts which protrude from the general surface of the structure. These parts serve not only as climbing aids but they also provide an area which can be gripped and potentially removed.

Various types of fencing structure exist. The most common type utilise fence posts having slots formed in the side for the insertion of the edge of the fence panel. To erect the structure, the fence post is installed first followed by a fence panel, then a further fence post and so on, until the entire structure is erected. When a fence panel has suffered damage, to replace the panel, it is usually necessary to disassemble the entire fence from one end up to the damaged region. The damaged panel cannot simply be removed by lifting it up and out of the structure because safety requirements stipulate that there should be no working from height. As a result, damaged panels are usually left as they are, or removed only when a number of panels, significant enough to warrant the cost and time of disassembly, need replacing. It would be beneficial to have a fencing structure which facilitated the replacement of a damaged panel without having to disassemble the majority of the structure.

It is a principal aim of the present invention to provide a fencing system which is easy to erect, complies with the safety requirements and addresses the problems of the known structures discussed above.

According to this invention, there is provided a fencing system comprising: -fence posts, each having a longitudinal channel; -support rails extending between two adjacent fence posts and having rail ends engagable with the channel of each of the two adjacent fence posts, the support rails comprising: a lower support rail; an upper support rail; and one or more intermediate support rail located between the lower support rail and the upper support rail when the rails are connected between the posts; -a first fence panel extending between the two adjacent fence posts and connected to the lower support rail and an intermediate support rail; and -a second fence panel extending between the two adjacent fence posts and connected to the upper support rail and an intermediate support rail.

Preferably each fence post is adapted for either permanent or temporary connection to the ground so that, when the system is erected, the posts are located adjacent to but spaced from each other with the second fence panel positioned above the first fence panel.

The or each longitudinal channel may comprise an aligned series of separate channel parts formed in the fence post to correspond to the required position for each support rail and, if required, each fence panel. Alternatively, the or each longitudinal channel may extend substantially unbroken along the full length of the fence posts. Each longitudinal channel may be formed by two protruding members on the post. To facilitate easy replacement of a fence panel it is preferable that one of the protruding members is secured to the post (for instance by bolts) so that it can easily be removed and reattached. Of course, one of the protruding members on each of the posts could be removable, though in most instances to provide one or more removable protruding member on at least every fifth post will be sufficient. ln this way, a panel may be removed from the system without having either to lift the panel out from above or to disassemble the entire fence structure from one end till the required panel is reached.

As well as holding the panels securely in place the support rails may provide support to the structure so that the fence panels, which may be formed of lower strength material, do not bow under external pressure, such as the force of strong winds or a person attempting to damage the structure. The edge regions of the fence panels may engage with the support rails to connect thereto. In such an arrangement the support rails may each have a rail channel into which the edge region of the fence panel locates to engage the rail. The or each intermediate support rail may support two adjacent fence panels and preferably therefore has two opposed rail channels into which the edge regions of adjacent separate fence panels locate. The support rails may be designed to grip the edge region of a connected fence panel so as to provide a secure connection. Alternatively, the rail channel may be sized appropriately so that the edge region of the panel connects in the rail channel in a sufficiently tight fitting arrangement to hold the panel in place when the fence is assembled.

The rail channels are ideally defined by a generally flat first wall and a second wall having an inwardly directed lip. The first wall is arranged to lie against a part of an inside or outside face of a fence panel that is engaged with the rail channel. The second wall is arranged such that the lip engages the opposing face of the fence panel. In this particular arrangement, the first wall is preferably arranged to lie against the outside face of the fence panel. The outside face is that normally directed to the public, i.e. away from the area being fenced off. The external profile of the first wall may be configured to minimise the number of protruding parts which may serve as grip or climbing aids.

The upper and lower support rails are equivalently sized and shaped but arranged in opposing orientations so as to reflect a mirror image of each other in cross section. The upper support rail is configured to engage a panel extending downwards from the rails lower edge. The lower support rail in contrast engages a panel extending upwards therefrom. The or each intermediate support rail combines the function of both upper and lower support rails. In a preferred embodiment the intermediate support rail is essentially an upper support rail connected to a lower support rail. The intermediate rail could be formed by securing an upper and a lower support rail together, or by forming one integral member, or indeed in some other way.

The support rails may be configured such that when a fence panel is engaged in a rail channel a part of the second wall is spaced from the fence panel by the inwardly directed lip. By spacing at least part of the second wall away from the connected fence panel, the strength of the support rail is enhanced. The second wall need not necessarily be a planar wall and can be of any shape.

Preferably the support rails are formed from elongate hollow four sided sections. The sections are generally square or rectangular but do not form a complete loop as one side does not join both adjacent ones. One side forms the first wall, an opposed side forms the second wall of the rail channels, and those are linked by a third side which extends past the edge of the panel. The forth side of the sections forms the lip that extends from the second wall.

The fencing system of this invention is not limited to having only one intermediate support rail extending between the two adjacent fence posts, and it is envisaged that where there is more than one intermediate support rail provided, there is preferably one or more further fence panel that locates between the first and second fence panels, so that the or each further fence panel engages between adjacent intermediate support rails. In this arrangement, the fencing structure may be formed to stand at any height (provided the fence posts permit) without requiring fence panels to be over large, which can make them weaker.

In most situations it will be sufficient that the fencing system comprises only one intermediate support rail located between the lower support rail and the upper support rail, with the first fence panel engaging between the lower support rail and the intermediate support rail and the second fence panel engaging between the upper support rail and the same one intermediate support rail. In this particular arrangement, the intermediate support rail is preferably centrally located, equidistant from each of the upper and lower support rails. Of course other arrangements where the intermediate support rail is not equidistant from the upper and lower support rails is equally applicable, but by making the spacing between each adjacent support rail equal, it is possible to use fence panels of the same size.

The fence panels may also engage with the longitudinal channel of each of the two adjacent fence posts between which they extend. In this way, each fence panel may extend into the fence post and the edge region of the panels will be neither visible nor accessible without disassembling the fencing system.

Having the panels extend into the fence posts, minimises the number of parts of the fencing system which can be gripped or potentially levered.

So that long fences may be erected, the fence posts preferably each have two longitudinal channels, within which the rail ends of support rails are engagable. More than two channels in a fence post is of course also possible, for example to form corners, joints or branches in lines of fencing. The orientation of adjacent posts and the panels that run between depends on the particular fencing layout which is required. For example, where the fence is to run in a straight line, longitudinal channels may be provided on opposite sides of the fence post. Any possible locations of the channels may be utilised depending on the direction a fence panel is expected to extend.

Where the fencing is to be a temporary structure, the fence posts are preferably removeably securable to the surface of the ground on which the fence is to be erected. Potentially the system includes an anchor point which can be connected to the ground and a post removably secured to that. The fence posts may be secured in any suitable way, for example by including base plates on each of the posts which may be bolted down onto solid foundations or by providing a ground spike on each fence post which may be inserted into the ground. Where a permanent fencing system is required the fence posts or an anchor point may be secured into the ground using cement or some other securing system.

By way of example only, one specific embodiment of fencing system of this invention will now be described in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:-Figure 1 is a front view of a fence erected from a fencing system according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of an end region of the upper support rail of the system of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of an end region of the intermediate support rail of the system of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a perspective view of an end region of the lower support rail of the system of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the fencing system of the present invention with one of the fence posts removed; and Figure 6 is a perspective view of a fence post of the fencing system of the invention.

Referring initially to Figure 1, there is shown a fence 10 formed from a fencing system according to the present invention. This comprises two elongate fence posts 11, 12, each of a generally rectangular profile when viewed from the side and an H-shaped cross-section. These in use are often arranged generally vertically, but can locate at any angle. Both fence posts may be attached to a base plate 13. The base plate 13 may have openings 14 for the insertion of bolts to secure the fence post 11, 12, to the ground.

Alternatively the post could have some other form of securing member, such as a ground spike, adapted to be driven into the ground.

As shown in Figures 1 and 6, four elongate protruding members 17, 18, 19, 20 extend from each fence post 11, 12. The protruding members 17, 18, 19, 20 are arranged to define two longitudinal channels 21, 22 which extend most of the length of the fence post 11, 12. The channels 21, 22 are appropriately sized to receive the vertical side edge region 25 of a fence panel 26, 27. The protruding members 17, 18, 19, 20 may be attached to or integrally formed with the fence post 11, 12. In a preferred arrangement at least two of the protruding members 19, 20 are removably secured to the main body of at least some of the fence posts 11, 12 in a fence. In this way access to an attached fence panel 26, 27 may be easily achieved (discussed in more detail below). As shown in Figure 6, the removable protruding members 19, 20 may have a flange 28 which includes holes (not shown) for the insertion of screws or other securing means to enable the protruding member 19, 20 to be secured to the main body of the fence post.

The rail ends 30, 31 of three support rails 32, 33, 34 are arranged to be received in the channels 21, 22 of two adjacent fence posts 11, 12 so that the rails extend between the posts. The support rails 32, 33, 34 comprise a lower support rail 32, an upper support rail 33 and an intermediate support rail 34 and together they support the fence panels 26, 27. The lower support rail 32 is arranged to lie in a lower part of the channels 21, 22. It may rest upon some form of abutment to prevent it falling downwards. The upper support rail 33 is arranged to extend between upper parts of the channels 21, 22. The intermediate support rail 34 locates within the channels and is between the lower and upper support rails 32, 33, when the fencing is erected.

As best shown in Figures 2 to 4, the lower support rail 32 and the upper support rail 33 each define a single rail channel 38 into which a top or bottom edge region of a fence panel 26 or 27 locates. The intermediate support rail 34 -10-has two equivalent opposed rail channels 38 arranged so that the top and bottom edge regions of two adjacent fence panels 26, 27 may be simultaneously engaged.

Each of the support rails 32, 33 include a first wall 40 which is substantially flat and is arranged to lie against a front face of a fence panel 26, 27 SO that, to the front of the fencing system, there are no protruding parts which can be gripped or used as a climbing aid. A second wall 42 is connected to the first wall 40 by an interconnecting wall 45. The second wall has an inwardly directed lip 43 arranged to lie against the opposing rear face of the fence panel 26, 27. Together the first, second and connecting walls 40, 42, 45 along with the lip 43 define a substantially box-shaped cross section. The inwardly directed lip 43 serves to space the remainder of the second wall 42 away from a fence panel 26, 27 located in the rail channel 38. This spacing gives additional support and strength to the connection of the support rail 32, 33, 34 with the fence panel 26, 27.

The lower support rail 32 and the upper support rail 33 are essentially identical in configuration as can be seen in Figures 2 and 4, but are oppositely orientated when the fencing system 10 is erected so that the lower support rail 32 may locate around the bottom edge region of a fence panel 27 and the upper support rail 33 may locate around the top edge region of a fence panel 26. As shown in Figure 3, the intermediate support rail 34 is equivalent to a lower support rail 32 and upper support rail 33, connected back to back. The upper region of one fence panel 27 and the lower region of the other fence panel 26 may locate in the two opposing rail channels 38. The intermediate support rail 34 may be formed as a single integral part or may be formed simply by securing a lower and upper support rail 32, 33 together.

Ideally at least one in every fifth post includes removable protruding members 19, 20 to enable replacement of a fence panel without having to disassemble the majority of the fencing structure from one end to the required fence panel. It is of course possible to remove panels from the fence by simply lifting them upwards out of the channels in the posts, and indeed where removable protruding members are not provided this is the only way to remove the panels without disassembling the structure. However, as mentioned below the upper support rail 33 has a securing member to lock it in place.

For safety purposes workers on construction sites are not permitted to work at height when erecting fencing. However, since there are no such restrictions on others, such as vandals, who may wish to remove parts of the fencing, it is desirable to provide some form of securing means. For this purpose, the upper support rail 33 includes a securing member, which comprises a lug 48 secured at each rail end 30, 31. This may be used to connect the upper rail 33 to adjacent fence post 11, 12 using screws, bolts or similar fixings. This prevents the removal of parts of the fencing system 10 without first removing the securing connection. Such locks could be put on the lower and intermediate rails as well, but there is little benefit to this.

A plurality of posts, rails and panels may be connected together so as to form a fence. The fence posts 11, 12 are arranged so that a conventionally standard sized rectangular fence panel 26, 27 may be arranged to lie with its long dimension horizontally so that the width of the fence panel is greater than -12-the length (rather than the conventional orientation of a fence panel which has a height greater than its width). By enabling standard fence panels 26, 27 to be turned on their side in this way, the distance between adjacent fence posts 11, 12 can be increased and thus less fence posts 11, 12 will be required in the overall fencing structure. Two fence panels 26, 27 are arranged such that one panel 26 is above the other panel 27 and a intermediate support rail 34 is arranged to support these adjacent fence panels 26, 27 so as to provide a strong structure which is not likely to bow easily under lateral force.

In Figure 5 one of the fence posts 11 is not shown so that the arrangement of the support rails 32, 33, 34 with two fence panels can be better seen. To erect the fence 10 a first fence post 11 is installed with either a temporary or permanent connection to the ground.

The support rails 32, 33, 34 may first be connected to the top and bottom edges of the fence panels 26, 27 before that assembly is located into the channel 22 of a first fence post 11. A second fence post 12 is then installed so that the other rail ends 31 and side edges of the fence panels locate in the channel 21 of the second post 12. In this arrangement, the lower edge region of a first fence panel 26 is engaged in the rail channel 28 of the lower support rail 32. The intermediate support rail 34 is then arranged so that the first rail channel 28 engages the upper edge region of the first fence panel 26. A second fence panel 27 is connected so that the lower edge region engages in the second rail channel 28 of the intermediate support rail 34. Next, the upper support rail 32 is arranged to engage the upper edge region of the second fence panel 27. The rail ends 30 and edge regions 25 of the connected support rails -13- 32, 33, 34 and fence panels 26, 27 are then arranged to locate in the channel 21 of the first fence post 11. The second fence post 12 is then installed so that the opposing rail ends 31 and edge regions 25 of the connected support rails 32, 33, 34 and fence panels 26, 27 locate in the channel 22 of the second fence post 12. Of course, the support rails 32, 33, 34 may be connected to the fence panels 26, 27 at the same time as being located in the channel 21, 22 of the fence post 11. Multiple posts, rails and panels can be erected in this way to form a fence of defined shape.

In order to remove a damaged fence panel or other damaged part from the fencing system of this invention it is not necessary to disassemble all of the posts 11, 12 from one end till the damaged fence panel is reached. As every fifth fence post includes a removable protruding member 19, 20, this member 19, 20 can simply be removed and access to the damaged panel provided.

When the fence is erected, the support rail ends 30, 31 and fence panel edge regions 25 will not be visible as they are located in the channels. The front face of the fencing system 10 is designed to be positioned external to the area which the fencing system is arranged to surround and no access to assembly parts is provided from this side. The connection of the support rails 32, 33, 34 to the fence panels 26, 27 and to the fence posts 11, 12 ensures that there are no protruding parts which can be used as gripping or climbing aids and thus minimises the likelihood of damage due to vandalism. -14-

Claims

CLAIMS1. A fencing system comprising: -fence posts, each having a longitudinal channel; -support rails extending between two adjacent fence posts and having rail ends engagable with the channel of each of the two adjacent fence posts, the support rails comprising: a lower support rail; an upper support rail; and one or more intermediate support rail located between the lower support rail and the upper support rail when the rails are connected between the posts; -a first fence panel extending between the two adjacent fence posts and connected to the lower support rail and an intermediate support rail; and -a second fence panel extending between the two adjacent fence posts and connected to the upper support rail and an intermediate support rail.
2. A fencing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein edge regions of the fence panels engage with the support rails to connect thereto.
3. A fencing system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the support rails each have a rail channel into which the edge region of the fence panel locates.
4. A fencing system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the or each intermediate support rail has two opposed rail channels into which the edge regions of adjacent separate fence panels locate.
5. A fencing system as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the rail channels are defined by a substantially flat first wall arranged to lie against a surface of a fence panel and a second wall having an inwardly directed lip that engages the opposing surface of the fence panel. -15-
6. A fencing system as claimed in claim 5, wherein part of the second wall is spaced from the fence panel by the inwardly directed lip when the fence panel is located in the rail channel.
7. A fencing system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein there is one or more further fence panel that locates between the first and second fence panels, and there is more than one intermediate support rail which extends between the two adjacent fence posts so that the or each further fence panel engages between adjacent intermediate support rails.
8. A fencing system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, in which: -one intermediate support rail is located between the lower support rail and the upper support rail; -each of the support rails has rail channels into which the edge region of a fence panel locates, the intermediate support rail having two opposed rail channels, whereby: -an edge region of the first fence panel locates in the rail channel of the lower support rail and an opposed edge region of the first fence panel locates in one of the rail channels of the intermediate support rail; and -an edge region of the second fence panel locates in the rail channel of the upper support rail and an opposed edge region of the second fence panel locates in the other of the rail channels of the intermediate support rail; and wherein each rail channel is defined by a generally flat first wall arranged to lie against a face of the connected fence panel and a second wall having an inwardly directed lip that engages the opposing face of the connected fence panel with part of the second wall being spaced from the connected fence panel -16-by the inwardly directed lip when the connected fence panel is located in the rail channel of the support rail.
9. A fencing system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the fence panels engage with the longitudinal channel of each of the two adjacent fence posts between which they extend.
10. A fencing system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the fence posts each have two longitudinal channels, within which the rail ends of support rails are engagable.
11. A fencing system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the or each channel extends substantially along the full length of the fence posts.
12. A fencing system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the fence posts are removeably securable to the surface of the ground in which the fence is to be erected.
13. A fencing panel as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the upper support rail has locking means to prevent its unauthorised removal from engagement with the posts.
14. A fencing panel as claimed in claim I and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.