GB2578101A

GB2578101A - Quick fit bollard system

Info

Publication number: GB2578101A
Application number: GB1816754.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gerrard Robert; Gerrard Marcus
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2018-10-15
Filing date: 2018-10-15
Publication date: 2020-04-22
Also published as: GB201816754D0

Abstract

A bollard 10 comprises a base plate 12, an attachment 14 for connecting the base plate to a ground surface, and a bollard post 18. The base plate has at least one through hole for receiving the attachment, and a plurality holes for receiving threaded fixings 42 for attaching the bollard post to the base plate. The bollard post may comprise a hollow, vertical elongate section and a mounting plate for attachment to the base plate. A raised lip 30, upraised location features or a recess may be provided on the base plate for locating the mounting plate. The attachment may comprise a rawl plug and a bolt, or a metal spike. The spike may be welded to the base plate. Also claimed is a method of installing a bollard, the method including the step of creating a hole in the surface and fixing the attachment in the hole. The method may comprise drilling a hole and inserting a rawl plug for a bolt, or placing grout in the hole and inserting a metal spike.

Description

QUICK FIT BOLLARD SYSTEM

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a bollard, in particular a bollard that can be quickly installed 5 and removed.

BACKGROUND

It is known to provide bollards or posts to separate areas from one another in a way that allows pedestrians and smaller vehicles such as bicycles to pass through unimpeded, but which prevent the passage of larger vehicles, for example automobiles, without the vehicles impeding on the bollards.

The majority of such bollards require at least some excavation of the surface on which they are to be installed which, at busy venues such as drive through retail outlets, may be inconvenient and result in reduced sales at that venue due to the interruption and subsequent resurfacing required.

It is an aim of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages associated with the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and embodiments of the invention provide a bollard, and a method of installing a bollard as claimed in the appended claims According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a bollard comprising a base plate, an attachment means for, in use, attaching the base plate to a ground surface, and a bollard post; wherein the base plate has at least one through hole for receiving the attachment means therethrough, and a plurality of threaded holes therein for receiving fixing means for attaching the bollard post to the base plate.

Preferably the at least one through hole comprises a single substantially centrally located through hole which may be countersunk or counterbored.

The bollard post may comprise a substantially vertical elongate section and a mounting plate, wherein the mounting plate comprises a plurality of mounting holes for receiving said fixing means therethrough to attach the bollard post to the base plate. The mounting plate and the vertical elongate section may be welded to one another, and the fixing means are preferably removable fixing means.

The base plate may be provided with location means for locating the mounting plate thereon.

The location means may comprise one or more of an upraised lip at or around the perimeter of the base plate, upraised location features on the base plate, or a recess in the base plate for receiving the mounting plate.

In an embodiment the base plate may have an upraised lip around its perimeter and the mounting plate of the bollard may be shaped and dimensioned to locate within the upraised lip. In this manner, where the base plate is, for example, not circular, the mounting plate and bollard post may be rotationally located relative to the base place.

The bollard may further comprise a cover plate that is shaped and dimensioned to locate within the location means and which is attachable to the base plate by said fixing means such that it is interchangeable with the bollard post. In this manner, once the base plate has been fixed in place, the bollard posts can quickly and easily be removed and replaced with the cover plate. This allows the temporary removal and replacement of the bollard posts without the need to remove the base plates. The cover plate ensures that the threaded holes are maintained clean and free from debris, thereby easily allowing replacement of the bollard post at a later time.

In one arrangement the attachment means may comprise a rawl plug and a bolt.

In another arrangement the attachment means may comprise a metal spike comprising a shaft having a cross section smaller than the through hole in the base plate, and wherein the spike locates in said through hole in the baseplate and extends therefrom. The shaft may have an enlarged head, the enlarged head having a cross section greater than the diameter of the through hole in the baseplate so as to prevent the metal spike from fully passing through said through hole. Optionally the shaft may be welded to the plate so that it extends therefrom.

Preferably the bollard post comprises a hollow tubular structure.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of installing a bollard according the first aspect of the invention.

The method comprises: creating a hole in the surface; placing the base plate over the hole such that the attachment means can extend into the hole; fixing the attachment means in the hole; and attaching the bollard post to the base plate by securing said threaded fixing means in said threaded holes.

In an embodiment, creating a hole in the surface may comprise drilling a hole and wherein fixing the attachment means in the hole comprises inserting a rawl plug into the hole and passing a bolt through the base plate and tightening it in the rawl plug so as to attach the base plate to the surface. In another embodiment, creating a hole in the surface and fixing the attachment means may comprise driving a metal spike into the surface so as to attach the base plate to the surface. In a further embodiment creating a hole in the surface may comprise drilling a hole and wherein fixing the attachment means in the hole comprises placing grout in the hole and inserting a metal spike into the grout before it sets, the metal spike attaching the base plate to the surface.

Attaching the bollard post to the base plate by said fixing means may comprise locating a mounting plate of the bollard post in location means of the base plate, and passing said threaded fixing means through mounting holes in said mounting plate and securing them in the threaded holes.

Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and/or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and/or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and/or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a bollard according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows a top view of a base plate of the first embodiment; Figure 3 shows a base plate and rawl plug of the first embodiment; Figure 4 shows an alternative base plate and rawl plug of the first embodiment; Figure 5 shows a bollard post suitable for use with any of the embodiments; Figure 6 shows a cover plate suitable for use with any of the embodiments; and Figure 7 shows bollard of a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 8 shows a cross section through the base plate of the second embodiment; Figure 9 shows a metal spike of the second invention; Figure 10 shows bollard of a third embodiment of the invention; Figure 11 shows a cross section through the base plate and metal spike of the third embodiment; and Figure 12 shows a flow chart of the method of installing the bollard of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A bollard in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is described herein with reference to the accompanying Figures 1 to 6.

With reference to Figures 1 to 6 a bollard 10 is shown. The bollard 10 substantially has three main components: a base plate 12, an attachment means in the form of a bolt 14 and rawl plug 16, and a bollard post 18.

To install the bollard the method is to drill a hole in a ground surface corresponding to the size of the rawl plug 16 and to locate the rawl plug 16 in the hole. In an example embodiment the hole may be a 20mm diameter hole drilled 180mm deep to receive an M16 rawl plug. The bolt 14, which may be an M16 bolt, is then passed through a through hole 20 in the base plate 12 which is substantially centrally located on the base plate 12, and is tightened into the rawl plug causing the rawl plug 16 to expand and lock into the hole in which it is located. The through hole 20 may be countersunk or counterbored 44 (see Fig. 4) to allow for the head of the bolt 14 to be partially or fully recessed thereinto. In this manner the base plate 12 is simply and quickly attached to the ground.

Once the base plate 12 is firmly attached to the ground the bollard post 18 is attached to the base plate. The bollard post 18 has a substantially vertical (in use) tubular elongate section 22 and a mounting plate 24 attached, for example by welding, to a lower end thereof substantially perpendicular to the elongate axis of the bollard post 18. In this example embodiment the mounting plate 24 is substantially square and four mounting holes 26 are provided therein, one in each corner. It will be appreciated, however that different shaped mounting plates and different numbers of mounting holes maybe provided. The base plate 12 is also substantially square and is provided with four corresponding threaded holes 28. The bollard post 18 is attached to the mounting plate 12 by threaded fixing means, in the form of screws or other threaded fasteners, which pass through the mounting holes 26 and are tightened into the threaded holes 28, thereby removably attaching the bollard post 18 to the base plate 12.

The base plate 12 has an upraised lip 30 that extends around its perimeter and the mounting plate 24 of the bollard post 18 is dimensioned to locate within the upraised lip. In this manner the bollard post can easily be located so that the mounting holes 26 align with the threaded holes 28 to allow for easy assembly. It will be appreciated that the raised lip 30 serves the purpose of locating the mounting plate 24 on the base plate 12 and that alternative location means may be used. For example, the raised lip need not need be continuous or could be replaced by a plurality of discreet lips or other raised features. In another alternative the base plate 12 may have a recessed area therein for receiving and locating the mounting plate 24.

The bollard 10 may also be provided with a cover plate 32 that is shaped and dimensioned to locate within the upraised lip 30 of the base plate 12, and is attachable to the base plate 12 by said screws or the like 42 which pass through cover plate holes 34 and tighten into the threaded holes 28 such that it is interchangeable with said bollard post. In this manner, once the base plates are installed the bollard posts may be quickly and easily removed and replaced. When the bollard post 18 is removed, the cover plate 32 can be fitted which will prevent or reduce any dirt build up in the through hole 20, the rawl plug 16, or the threaded holes 28 so that the bollard post can easily be refitted at a later time. It will be appreciated that it is an advantage of providing a counterbore 44 to receive the head of the bolt that the head of the bolt need not protrude above the top of the base plate allowing for a flat cover plate 32 to be used.

Referring now to Figures 7 to 10 an alternative embodiment of the bollard 100 is shown. This embodiment is substantially the same as that described hereinabove in relation to Figures 1 and 2 except in that, instead of having a bolt and rawl plug to attach it to the ground a metal spike 36 having a shaft 38 with a cross section smaller than the through hole 20 in the base plate 12 and an enlarged head 40, is used to secure the base plate 12 to the ground. This design may be particularly suitable for softer surfaces such as tarmacadam. As with the first embodiment, a hole is first drilled in the ground, in this instance slightly smaller than the diameter of the shaft 38. The hole may for example be drilled with a 16mm diameter, 200mm deep and the shaft 38 may be 300mm in length and have a 22mm diameter. The end of the spike 36 is then passed through the through hole 20 and is driven into the drilled hole until the enlarged head 40 abuts the base plate 12, optionally locating into a recess 44 therein.

The spike 36 has a pointed end so that once it reaches the end of the drilled hole it is driven onwards into the ground. By drilling the hole smaller than the diameter of the spike 36 as the spike is driven in it forces the ground material radially outwards, thereby compressing it such that it grips the shaft 38. In this manner the spike 36 engages tightly in the hole thereby attaching the base plate 12 to the ground. The exact size of the hole relative to the shaft will be depend on the material of the surface into which the spike 36 is being driven, the harder the surface the less the required size difference that will be needed to obtain a strong attachment. In some instances, in particular if the ground surface is soft or brittle, then prior to introducing the spike 36 into the hole, grout may be placed in the hole so that when it hardens the spike 36 is set therein. The remainder of the assembly and features of this embodiment are the same as described above in relation to Figures 1 to 6.

Referring now to Figures 10 and 11 an example bollard 200, which is a variation of the embodiment of Figures 7 to 9, is shown. In this embodiment, instead of the spike 136 being a separate component from the base plate 112, the spike 136 is welded to the base plate 112 and the base plate and spike are driven together into the hole, with or without the addition of grout. As with the previous embodiment the remainder of the assembly and features of this embodiment are the same as described above in relation to Figures 1 to 6.

Referring to Figure 12 the methods of assembly as described hereinabove are illustrated The method comprises: creating a hole in the surface and then placing the base plate over the hole such that the spike or bolt can extend into the hole; fixing the spike or bolt, for example by driving the spike into the hole (with or without grout) or inserting a rawl plug into the hole and tightening the bolt into the rawl plug; and then attaching the bollard post to the base plate by locating the mounting plate of the bollard post within the raised lip around the perimeter of the base plate and securing it in place with screws or bolts into the threaded holes.

It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present application. For example, although described herein in relation to a square base plate it will be appreciated that alternatively shaped base plates may be used.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A bollard comprising a base plate, an attachment means for, in use, attaching the base plate to a ground surface, and a bollard post, wherein the base plate has at least one through hole for receiving the attachment means therethrough and a plurality of threaded holes therein for receiving threaded fixing means for attaching the bollard post to the base plate.
2. A bollard according to claim 1 wherein the at least one through hole comprises a single substantially centrally located through hole.
3. A bollard according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the through hole is countersunk or 15 counterbored.
4. A bollard according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the bollard post comprises a substantially vertical elongate section and a mounting plate, wherein the mounting plate comprises a plurality of mounting holes for receiving said fixing means therethrough to attach the bollard post to the base plate.
5. A bollard according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the fixing means are removable fixing means.
6. A bollard according to claim 4 or claim 5 wherein the base plate is provided with location means for locating the mounting plate thereon.
7. A bollard according to claim 6 wherein the location means comprise one or more of an upraised lip at or around the perimeter of the base plate, upraised location features thereon, or a recess in the base plate for receiving the mounting plate.
8. A bollard according to claim 7 wherein the location means comprises an upraised lip around the perimeter of the base plate and wherein the mounting plate is shaped and dimensioned to locate within the upraised lip.
9. A bollard according to anyone of the preceding claims further comprising a cover plate that is shaped and dimensioned to locate in the location means and is attachable to the base plate by said fixing means such that it is interchangeable with said bollard post.
10. A bollard according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the attachment means comprises a rawl plug and a bolt.
11. A bollard according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the attachment means comprises a metal spike comprising a shaft, the shaft having a cross section smaller than the through hole in the base plate, and wherein the spike locates in said through hole in the baseplate and extends therefrom.
12. A bollard according to claim 11 wherein the shaft has an enlarged head, the enlarged head having a cross section greater than the diameter of the through hole in the baseplate so as to prevent the metal spike from fully passing through said through hole.
13. A bollard according to claim 11 or claim 12 wherein the shaft is welded to the plate so that it extends therefrom.
14. A bollard according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the bollard post comprises a hollow tubular structure.
15. A method of installing a bollard according to claim 1 on a surface, the method comprising: creating a hole in the surface; placing the base plate over the hole such that the attachment means can extend into the hole; fixing the attachment means in the hole; and attaching the bollard post to the base plate by securing said threaded fixing means in said threaded holes.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein creating a hole in the surface comprises drilling a hole and wherein fixing the attachment means in the hole comprises inserting a rawl plug into the hole and passing a bolt through the base plate and tightening it in the rawl plug so as to attach the base plate to the surface.
17. The method of claim 15 wherein creating a hole in the surface and fixing the attachment means comprises driving a metal spike into the surface so as to attach the base plate to the surface.
18. The method of claim 15 wherein, creating a hole in the surface comprises drilling a hole and wherein fixing the attachment means in the hole comprises placing grout in the hole and inserting a metal spike into the grout before it sets, the metal spike attaching the base plate to the surface.
19. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18 wherein attaching the bollard post to the base plate by said fixing means comprises locating a mounting plate of the bollard post in location means of the base plate and passing said threaded fixing means through mounting holes in said mounting plate and securing them in the threaded holes.