GB2539573A

GB2539573A - Improvements in or relating to street furniture

Info

Publication number: GB2539573A
Application number: GB1613532.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nicholas Alan; Nicklin Chris
Original assignee: Signpost Solutions Ltd
Current assignee: Signpost Solutions Ltd
Priority date: 2013-03-07
Filing date: 2013-03-07
Publication date: 2016-12-21
Anticipated expiration: 2033-03-07
Also published as: GB201304101D0; GB2511548A; GB2539573B; GB2511548B

Abstract

The base 10 is used to support street furniture such as a bollard or low level Sign. The base comprises a body 12 which provides at least one fixing location 14 for securing a base to the ground. The body has a cavity 16 with a mouth which is upwardly directed. A resilient connector connects the cavity and a fixing location. A mounting member 20 is received in the cavity and is chemically bonded to the body, to retain the mounting member in the cavity. Preferably threaded mounting sockets 34 allow an item of street furniture to be attached. The resilient walls 18 allow the body to deform during use, e.g. when an item of street furniture is deflected by a vehicle impact. The mounting member is maintained in the cavity during deflection, by the chemical bond. The chemical bond may be provided by an adhesive. The body may be rubber and thus provide the connection between the cavity and the fixing location(s).

Description

Improvements in or relating to Street Furniture The present invention concerns improvements in or relating to bases for items of street furniture.

Items of street furniture, such as traffic bollards or low-level traffic signs are vulnerable to damage from vehicle impacts, particularly if they are rigidly mounted on the ground. Consequently, various attempts have been made to provide flexible mounting arrangements, allowing the bollard or sign to deflect in the event of a vehicle impact or other force. It is desirable for the arrangement to provide for the return of the bollard or sign to the original position, including the original orientation, after the impact or after the removal of the deflecting force.

Examples of the present invention provide a base for an item of street furniture, comprising: a body which provides at least one fixing location for securing the body to the ground, a cavity having a mouth which is upwardly directed in use, and a resilient connection between the cavity and the fixing location or locations, the base further comprising a mounting member received in the cavity and providing a mount for securing an item of street furniture to the base, and wherein the mounting member is chemically bonded to the body to retain the mounting member in the cavity.

The mounting member may be chemically bonded to the body at surfaces 30 which are smooth and/or flat. The mounting member may be coated with a bonding agent prior to introducing the material of the bond.

The body may be pre-formed with the cavity, the mounting member being subsequently introduced into the cavity. The mounting member may be secured in the cavity by adhesive.

The mounting member may have a cylindrical outer surface. The outer surface may be a circular cylinder having a central axis which is upright when the base is relaxed and in use. The mounting member may have transverse end faces. One of the end faces may provide mounting sockets for receiving fittings for securing an item of street furniture.

The base may further comprise an elongate member extending through the body and between the mounting member and a spreader plate which bears against a body face, the body face being remote from the cavity, and the elongate member pulling the spreader plate and the mounting member together, to hold the mounting member in the cavity.

The mounting member may be metal. The body may be rubber.

Examples of the present invention will now be described in more detail, by 20 way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an exploded view of an example base in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the body component of the base of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of the body of Fig. 2; and Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of the base, respectively from above and below.

Overview Fig. 1 illustrates a base 10 which is used to support an item of street furniture such as a bollard or low-level sign (not shown in Fig.1). The base comprises a body 12 which provides fixing locations 14 for securing the base to the ground. The body 12 also provides a cavity 16 which has a mouth which is upwardly directed in use (in the orientation illustrated in Fig. 1). Domed or sloping walls 18 extend between the cavity 16 and the fixing locations 14. The walls 18 provide resilient connections between the cavity 16 and the fixing locations 14, as will be described.

The base further comprises a mounting member 20 which is received in the cavity 16 in the assembled base 10 and provides a mount for securing an item of street furniture to the base 10, as will be described.

The mounting member 20 is chemically bonded to the body 12, to retain the mounting member in the cavity 16, as will be described.

Main Body In more detail, the body 12 has the general form of a horizontal, square flange 22 with a central prominence formed by the walls 18. The cavity 16 is formed at the peak of the prominence provided by the walls 18. The fixing locations 14 are provided around the periphery of the flange 12, generally in the region of each corner of the flange 22.

The cross-section of Fig. 3 shows the flange 22 extending away from the lower extremity of the walls 18, and also shows the cavity 16 at the top of the walls 18. The walls 18 form an inverted cup defining an internal space 24 centrally of the flange 22 and below the cavity 16.

The fixing locations 14 are circular apertures for receiving ground bolts or other fixings for securing the base 10 to the ground. In this context, it is to be understood that the term "ground" refers to prepared or unprepared ground, such as paving or natural ground. The required nature of the fixings used for securing the base 10 to the ground will depend on the nature of the ground to which the base 10 is to be fixed.

The body 12 is a moulding of a resilient material such as a synthetic or natural rubber of appropriate hardness to provide the resilience required for performing in the manner to be described. Many formulations of synthetic rubber are known. The body 12 is preferably formed by moulding.

Accordingly, the walls 18 provide a resilient connection between the material surrounding the cavity 16, and the flange 22. When the base 10 is in use, this allows the body 12 to deform, e.g. when an item of street furniture mounted on the base 10 is deflected by a vehicle impact or other force. As this deflection occurs the walls 18 will buckle. Material of the body 12 may move into the internal space 24, as the body 12 deforms. When the deforming forces are removed, the resilience of the material of the body 12 will return the body 12 to the form illustrated in Fig. 3, thereby returning the item of street furniture to its original position, including orientation.

Mounting Member The mounting member 20 is formed of metal in this example. The mounting member 20 has a circular upper face 26 and a circular lower face 28 separated by a cylindrical wall 30. The cylindrical wall 30 is a circular cylinder and has a central axis 32 which is upright when the base is relaxed and in use (Figs. 4 and 5). The upper and lower faces 26, 28 are transverse to the circular cylinder of the wall 30. One of the end faces, in this case the upper face 26, provides mounting sockets 34, such as threaded bores, for receiving attachments for attaching an item of street furniture.

Reinforcement Fig. 1 also shows a reinforcement plate 36 which forms the lowermost surface of the base 10. The plate 36 may be steel of appropriate gauge, for example.

The plate 36 has a central aperture 38 aligned with the internal space 24 and thereby leaving the internal space 24 open from below, so that the plate 36 does not interfere with movement of the walls 18, discussed above. The plate 36 also provides apertures 40. In the finished base 10, the apertures 40 are in register with the apertures 14.

Assembled Base The exploded elements of the base 10, illustrated in Fig. 1, can be seen in their assembled condition in Figs. 4 and 5. The mounting member 20 is in position in the cavity 16, with the mounting sockets 34 exposed from above. The plate 36 forms the lower face of the base 10, being received in a shallow recess in the body 12, bounded by a frame 42 of material of the body 12.

In use, the base 10 will be secured to the ground by means of ground bolts or other fixings located in the apertures 14. An item of street furniture 44, schematically illustrated in Fig. 4 can then be secured to the mounting member 20 by means of bolts or other threaded members engaging the sockets 34. The item 44 is held in the desired position and orientation above the ground. In the event that deflection forces are experienced by the item 44, such as a vehicle impact, these forces are transferred to the mounting member 20 and accommodated by deflection of the walls 18.

When the deflection forces are removed, the item 44 is returned to the original position and orientation, as the material of the walls 18 relaxes to the original shape (Fig. 4).

Manufacture of the Base The body 12 may be moulded from rubber, as noted above. The mounting member 20 is chemically bonded to the body 12, within the cavity 16. In one example, the mounting member 20 is coated with an appropriate bonding agent or combination of agents, prior to the introduction of the rubber material of the body 12. The bonding agent or agents are chosen to create a metal-torubber bond between the body 12 and the mounting 20 so that the mounting member 20 becomes chemically bonded to the body 12.

Many examples of commercially available chemical systems for achieving chemical bonds of adequate strength between rubber and metal will be known to the skilled reader. The use of a simple shape for the mounting member 20, particularly the use of smooth surfaces for the cylindrical wall 30, and a flat lower face 28 are expected to allow a good chemical bond to be achieved, sufficient to allow considerable forces to be transferred between the mounting member 20 and the body 12, during use. Known chemical bond processes provide a bond which has high shear properties and high peel resistance. The chemical bond process may include the use of an appropriate adhesive.

Surfaces of the mounting member 20 may be prepared by chemical treatment, such as phosphate treatment or chemical etching, or physically by shot blasting or vapour blasting. These steps prepare the surface by removing oxidation, and by degreasing and cleaning. Chemical bonding agents may be applied to the mounting member 20 by spraying, dipping, painting or otherwise coating the surface.

Modification The structures described above are expected to be sufficiently robust to tolerate significant deflection forces on the item 44, including vehicle impacts. The size and condition of the surfaces of the mounting member 20 is expected to result in a chemical bond which is sufficiently strong to prevent the mounting member 20 being ripped from the cavity 16. However, the base can be further reinforced in a manner indicated schematically in Fig. 3.

This further reinforcement makes use of three additional components, these being an elongate member 46 in the form of a bolt, a spreader plate 48 or large washer, and a threaded fastener such as a locking nut 50. In this example, once the base 10 has been constructed as described above, the mounting member 20 is drilled from above, down the central axis 32. The drilling process continues through the material of the body 12 until the drilled bore reaches the internal space 24. The upper end of the drilled bore may be countersunk. This bore receives the elongate member 46, which has sufficient length to extend down through the mounting member 20 and through the body 12 into the internal space 24. The spreader plate 48 is then placed onto the elongate member 46, by means of a central aperture 52, and the locking nut 50 is threaded onto the elongate member 46 and tightened. The process of tightening the nut 50 drives the spreader plate up in the internal space 24 until it bears against the body 12 at the roof of the space 24. As the nut 50 continues to tighten, the elongate member 46 serves to pull the spreader plate 48 and the mounting member 20 together, thereby providing a further hold on the mounting member 20 in the cavity 16.

Concluding Comments Many variations can be made to the apparatus described above, without departing from the scope of the present invention. In particular, many different shapes, sizes and relative shapes and sizes could alternatively be used. Various materials could be used. The mounting member 20 has been described as metal and may be steel. Other materials could be used, including synthetic materials, synthetic rubber etc. We envisage that the use of chemical bonding will provide quick, easy, reliable and sufficiently strong attachment between the mounting member and the body 12. We envisage that the bond will be improved by the use of a simple shape for the mounting member 20, with smooth surfaces. This, in turn, is envisaged to result in a mounting member 20 which can be produced simply and cheaply and can be formed with a body 12 into a base 10 in several different ways, as indicated above.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims

Claims A base for an item of street furniture, comprising: a body which provides at least one fixing location for securing the body to the ground, a cavity having a mouth which is upwardly directed in use, and a resilient connection between the cavity and the fixing location or locations, the base further comprising a mounting member received in the cavity and providing a mount for securing an item of street furniture to the base, and wherein the mounting member is chemically bonded to the body to retain the mounting member in the cavity.
2. A base according to claim 1, wherein the mounting member is chemically bonded to the body at surfaces which are smooth and/or flat.
3. A base according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mounting member is coated with a bonding agent prior to introducing the material of the bond.
4. A base according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the body is pre-formed with the cavity, the mounting member being subsequently introduced into the cavity.
5. A base according to any preceding claim, wherein the mounting member is secured in the cavity by adhesive.
6. A base according to any preceding claim, wherein the mounting member has a cylindrical outer surface.
7. A base according to claim 6, wherein the outer surface is a circular cylinder having a central axis which is upright when the base is relaxed and in use.
8. A base according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the mounting member has transverse end faces.
9. A base according to claim 8, wherein one of the end faces provides mounting sockets for receiving fittings for securing an item of street furniture.
10. A base according to any preceding claim, further comprising an elongate member extending through the body and between the mounting member and a spreader plate which bears against a body face, the body face being remote from the cavity, and the elongate member pulling the spreader plate and the mounting member together, to hold the mounting member in the cavity.
11. A base according to any preceding claim, wherein the mounting member is metal.
12. A base according to any preceding claim, wherein the body is rubber.
13. A base, substantially as described above, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
14. Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter disclosed herein, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the preceding claims.