NL1027258C2 - Overgrown soundproof screen consisting of planted panels and support structure. - Google Patents

Description

Overgrown soundproof screen consisting of planted panels and support structure.

This invention relates to a plant-covered sound-proofing screen for installation along, for example, motorways, railways or airports. The screen is made up of a support structure that is covered on two sides with planted panels.

Traffic noise is one of the most important disruptive environmental factors that burden people in residential areas in the vicinity of intensive traffic. To prevent the noise from traffic from reaching a residential area to be protected to its full extent, noise-reducing structures are installed. Planting applied to or against these constructions softens the artificial character and makes a positive contribution to the acceptance by local residents and road users.

Overgrown soundproof screens are known in many forms and compositions. In the first place, the earthen embankments are sometimes filled with waste products such as old car tires filled with compost and the like (DE 3734411 A1; DE 4443478 A1). When little space is available for an earthen wall or a relatively high wall is required, one moves to planted stacked structures from e.g. concrete (EP 0452744 A1; EP 1312718 A2) or recycled plastics (DE 4212093 A1). At even greater height-width ratios, vertical walls are used, against which greenery is planted. The core of such a wall often consists of one or more layers of sound-absorbing plates (NL 8801579; WO 99/22075). By installing the vertical wall modularly, the efficiency of the installation can be increased (WO 02/48463).

In the case of existing green noise-limiting structures, despite the many options available, problems arise, which are mainly related to the vitality of the plants and / or the often high management costs. Vitality of the planting is highly dependent on the amount of precipitation. During dry periods, a shortage of moisture quickly develops, while an excess of water can lead to acidification of the substrate in which it is planted. Stacked constructions are particularly sensitive to this. The maintenance of overgrown screens often entails high costs for replacing the plants, pruning and cleaning up. Research under extreme conditions has shown that the aforementioned objections to screens that would be planted with sedum species will occur to a much lesser extent. A condition for this is that the screen is not placed vertically, but at least 10 degrees out of the lead. Two-sided screens require two walls that are placed against each other with an enclosed top angle of at least 20 degrees. In order to create an environment suitable for sedum under these practically vertical conditions, adaptations are required in the structure of the overgrown screen, which the present invention provides.

The object of the invention is now to realize a practically vertical sound-proofing screen, to be planted on both sides, on which optimum growth conditions are possible for, among other things, sedum species. The screen must offer efficient protection against the normal traffic noise and must be constructed from elements that can be manufactured and easily transported at the factory. All this at minimum costs for: a). growing the plant material, b). the construction and installation of the screen construction, and c). the maintenance of plants and screens.

This goal is achieved by, in contrast to the method with existing green vertical soundproof screens, no longer arranging the planting on location, but starting from cultivation and planting at nurseries under the conditions optimal for the plant species in a planting conditions specific substrate. The result of this choice is that good logistics for growing, harvesting, transport, application to the screen, maintenance and replacement of plants must be developed. For the cultivation of 30 pot plants, product carriers such as e.g. plastic crates in use. Placing these existing product carriers as a kind of panel on the sound-proofing screen leads to insufficiently optimal growing conditions for the plants. After all, the product carriers have been developed for the cultivation and transport of pot plants and the growing conditions have not been taken into account under permanent practically vertical placement on a sound-proofing screen. There is therefore a need for a plastic product carrier specially developed for green sound-proofing screens with properties that lead to optimum conditions in all process phases and in the installed condition. The invention satisfies this need with a plastic product carrier which is mounted as a panel on a support structure in the sound-proofing screen. The panel is made up of at least two parts. A first part filled with a substrate that provides optimum growing conditions for the planting and that is designed in such a way that erosion of the substrate is prevented after installation on the screen. And a second part that can be connected to the first part, thus forming a product carrier for transport from the nursery and which once installed as a panel on the screen regulates the moisture supply to the plants by temporary storage and slow release of the trapped by the screen precipitation.

The invention will now be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show in the drawings:

FIG. 1: The first part of the product carrier

FIG. 2: The first part of the product carrier in the first phase of the cultivation.

FIG. 3: The second part of the product carrier.

FIG. 4: A corner support that connects the two parts of the product carrier.

FIG. 5: A number of stacked product carriers ready for transport to the construction site.

FIG. 6: The product carrier placed under the slope of the screen.

FIG. 7: A first exemplary embodiment of the support structure.

FIG. 8: Stacking of concrete elements 30 Fig. 9: Fixing the panels to the support structure of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10: A second exemplary embodiment of the support structure.

FIG. 11: First part of product carrier further divided.

35

In FIG. 1, the first part of the product carrier is shown. The part denoted as 1 as a whole is a holder in which a partitioning is arranged on a grid-shaped bottom 4 by placing ribs 5 on this bottom. The closed sides 6 make it possible to fill this part of the product carrier with a substrate 7 suitable for growing the planting. The ribs 5 give the holder a compartmentalization that secures the planting in position and after placement on the sound-proofing screen prevents that rinse the substrate and parts of the planting. The first phase of the cultivation can take place in a greenhouse. Sowing or cutting can be done here in a good working environment and optimum growing conditions can be set.

FIG. 2, shows the first part 1 of the product carrier in the first phase of cultivation under glass. If the crop is sufficiently rooted, the cultivation can be continued in the open air. Because the growing conditions in the outside air can be controlled less well, the amount of substrate available for rooting 15 can be expanded at this stage of cultivation by coupling the first part of the product carrier to the second part. This connection can also be postponed until a later stage of the cultivation or even until the moment of installation on the screen.

In FIG. 3, the second part 2 of the product carrier 20 is shown. This part also has the shape of a holder. However, the bottom 8 is largely closed. A compartment division is arranged on this bottom by placing ribs 9. Each bottom compartment is provided with a drainage opening 10. In the exemplary embodiment of part 2 shown, the ribs 9 compartmentalize the bottom into 100 compartments, while compartmentation in the first part Has 400 courses. Above each compartment in part 2, when combined with part 1, four boxes are filled with plants. The compartments of part 2 are filled with a substrate 11 which has a large water buffer capacity. Examples of substrates suitable for this purpose are Grodan rock wool or Bims lava, which is 50-60 vol. % water.

FIG. 4 shows a corner support indicated as a whole with 3, which is attached to part 2 of the product carrier by means of snap elements 12. The ribs 13 arranged on the corner supports clamp the parts 1 and 2 of the product carrier together. For the coupling of the parts 1 and 2, a choice can be made in the second phase of the cultivation to allow the planting by rooting in the substrate 11 with which part 2 is filled. In view of good manageability, the total weight of product carrier, wet substrates and planting must remain below 25 kg per product carrier. Main dimensions of the product carrier are therefore set at 60 x 60 cm in this exemplary embodiment, without, however, excluding other suitable main dimensions.

The product carriers are prepared for transport at the end of the cultivation. In FIG. 5 shows that the product carriers can be stacked on the corner supports 3 which connect the parts 1 and 2 of the product carrier. There is so much space between the stacked product carriers that the crop is damaged as little as possible during stacking and transport.

In FIG. 6, the product carrier is shown in the position which after mounting on the support structure of the sound-proofing screen is taken. In this practically vertical position the function 15 of the parts 1 and 2 of the product carrier becomes clear. Part 1 has the layout with small compartments to properly hold the plants and the substrate 7 under extreme weather conditions such as a heavy fall and storm. Part 2 regulates moisture management. As much moisture as possible is retained in the water-buffering substrate 11, while an excess of moisture can nevertheless drain off via the drainage openings 10 in the bottom 8 of part 2.

The product carrier constructed from parts 1 and 2 and 3 is mounted as a panel in a supporting structure and together with this structure forms a sound-proofing screen. Two possible exemplary embodiments of a support structure are given.

In FIG. 7. A stacked concrete support structure consisting of U-shaped channel elements 14, 15, 16, 17 is shown. The elements 14 are placed as a first layer at a mutual distance equal to the base width of the ü-shaped trough on a vibrated sand bed. The second layer consists of less wide elements 15. When the support structure is at height, it can be covered with a semicircular concrete element 18.

In FIG. 8. It can be seen how the elements 14 to 17 are positioned relative to each other. The elements 15 form a connection at the corners 19 at the base to the top 20 of the vertical walls of elements 14. Shifting in the direction of guttering 1027253 6 is prevented by projections 21 on element 15 falling into a groove 22 in element 14.

FIG. 9 shows the attachment of the planted panels to the concrete support structure of FIG. 7. At the corners 23 of the parts 2 of the panels the fixing takes place to the concrete support structure. A mounting plate 24 clamps the corners of 4 adjacent panels on the support structure with the aid of a bolt 25. A plastic plug is included in the relevant concrete element for fixing the bolt.

A second exemplary embodiment, a support structure from steel 26, shows FIG. 10. The steel structure can be attached to concrete sleepers or to a cast concrete foundation 27. Because the steel structure does not use molds specific to the structure, there are more options for variation in this support structure for each project. For example, a steel support structure will require a less broad base in comparison with a concrete support structure.

In the event of damage to the overgrown sound-proofing screen 20 according to the invention or in the case of partial replacement of dead plants, part 1 of the product carrier can be removed and replaced by a specimen grown with new plant material. For replacement of the planting on surfaces which are smaller than the dimensions of one panel, it is useful not to make part 1 but to divide it into e.g. three or six sub-elements which together cover one part 2. FIG. 11 shows a division into three sub-elements 28.

1027258

Claims (7)

A double-sided overgrown sound-proofing screen for installation parallel to traffic roads consisting of - a construction which supports two walls placed diagonally at an enclosed top angle of at least 20 degrees against each other, 10. a front wall and rear wall provided with plants, characterized in that these and rear wall consist of easily manageable panel-shaped plastic product carriers provided with at least one substrate in which plants suitable for this application, such as various types of sedums are kept. 15 A sound-proofing screen according to claim 1, characterized in that the panel-shaped plastic product carriers are used, in succession, to cultivate the planting, transport it to the construction site and install it on the screen. A panel-shaped plastic product carrier according to claim 2, characterized in that it is made up of two parts. A first part provided with a fine-meshed compartmentation for holding substrate and planting and a second part provided with a wider compartmenting for holding a moisture-regulating substrate A panel-shaped plastic product carrier according to claim 3, characterized in that it is made up of two parts which are coupled to each other by means of snap connections. A panel-shaped plastic product carrier according to claim 3, characterized in that the substrate and planting part is further subdivided into three or more identical elements, which together form a complete substrate and planting part. A concrete support structure for panel-shaped plastic product carriers according to claim 3, characterized in that it is composed of stacked U-shaped channel elements, which are placed in each stacked layer at a mutual distance equal to 1 x the basic width of the gutters in that layer. the layers of which engage at the corners of the U-shaped channel elements and are secured against displacement relative to each other by means of grooves and creases. A concrete support structure according to claim 6, characterized in that the ends of the gutters are chamfered at an angle of at least 10 degrees and mounted in the openings formed by the ends of the gutters panel-shaped plastic product carriers according to claim 3. 1 0 277;