US1977286A - Highway guard fence - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 16, 1934. J. D. MILLER 1,977,286

HIGHWAY GUARD FENCE Filed Feb. 2, 1953 2 Shets-Sheet 1 FIG. 3.

INVENTOR.

John DJ HHEI' ATTORN EYS.

Oct. 16, 1934. v MlLLER 1,977,286

HIGHWAY GUARD FENCE Filed Feb. 2, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 9.

INVENTOR.

Jul-m D.Mi11er I A ORNEYS.

Jim

Patented Oct. 1 6, 1934 1,977,286 nianwar GUARD FENCE John D. Miller, Austin, Tex.

Application February 2, 1933, Serial No. 654,933

. 9 Claims.

The present invention relates to highway guard fences or barriers and the primary object of the invention is to provide improved means for yieldably supporting guard members upon fixed supporting members whereby the guard members are offset in spaced relation to the road side of the supporting members so as to permit yielding of the guard members upon impact of a motor vehicle therewith.

A further object of the invention is to provide a yieldable guard fence offset whereby the guard fence is held spaced from the supporting post to prevent vehicles from striking the post and thereby reducing damage to the vehicle and injury to the occupants.

.A further object of the invention is to provide a spring guard'fence offset for highway guard fences that will tend to deflect the colliding vehicle back upon the highway rather than bring the vehicle to a sudden stop.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shock absorbing guard fence wherein inherently resilient supports or offsets, embracing the supporting post, permit yielding of guard rails or cables toward the post in a manner to cushion the impacting force of a motor vehicle striking the guard rails or cables. I

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved spring guard fence offset having an arcuate portion at the road side of the supporting post upon which the guard rails or cables are secured, said arcuate portions having their axes arranged vertically so that the horizontally disposed guard rails or cables extend tangentially thereto.

A still further object of the invention is toprovide a yieldable fastening for highway guard fences which will be reasonable in cost and easily maintained.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a barrier or guard fence post provided with the improved yieldable offset supporting the guard cables in spaced relation at the road side of the post.

Figure 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the showing in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the s-shaped spring guard fence offset as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a barrier or guard fence post provided with a circular or ovaloffset.

Figure 8 is a top-plan view of the showing in Figure '7.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the spring offset shown in Figure 7.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and referring first to the form of invention disclosed in Figures 1 to 3, 5 designates a highway barrier or guard fence post which may be of wood, concrete or metal and preferably of cylindrical formation. The supporting and spacing members 6 for vertical spacing upon the post 5 are of S-shape providing a post embracing portion 7 and a cable attaching portion 8 which is reverseiv curved to that of the portion 7. The supporting members 6 are preferably formed of spring metal straps whereby after yielding, the members will tend to return to their normal condition as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The portions 7 and 8 are each of arcuate formation with the portion '7 being slightly greater than a semi-circle and the portion 8 being substantially a full circle. The portion '7 for embracing the post 5 is provided at its free end with an elongated slot 9 and at its juncture with the attaching portion 8, with a circular opening 10. This slot 9 and opening 10 receives a bolt 11 extended diametrically thru the post 5 and having its shank threaded for receiving a nut 12. The bolt 11 serves to rigidly secure the supporting member to the post and the slot 9 will permit proper attachment of the support to posts. of slightly varying diameters. The yieldable supporting members 6 are secured to the post 5 with the attaching portions 8 extending from the post in the direction of the roadway.

Secured to the yielding portion 8 in alignment with the bolt 11 is an attaching member 14 preferably in the form of a J bolt for securing the wire cable 15 in spaced relation to the post. As

will be observed, the cables 15 extend in a direction tangentially of the cable attaching portions 8 and at a right angle to the axis of the portions. The cable 15 may be secured to the support in any preferred manner, altho the J bolt permits ready and easy attaching of the cables after the post, together with the supporting and spacing members 6, have been properly placed along the highway.

Should a vehicle strike the cables 15, the portions 8 will yield and thus tend to relieve the force of the impact and at the same time act to deflect the'vehicle back upon the highway. The shock will be taken up by a number of the yieldable supports upon posts adjacent the point at which the vehicle contacts the cables. By arranging the supports so that the same are disposed in a horizontal plane, substantially parallel to the highway so that the cables extend tangentially of the attaching portions 8, any portion of the vehicle contacting the arcuate surface of the attaching portions will ride readily past the support without any abrupt stopping of the vehicle. Since the inherently resilient supports 6 support the cables 15 in spaced relation from the road side of the post, the vehicle will be prevented from striking the post and resulting in considerable damage to the vehicle and possible injury to the occupants. The attaching portions 8 are also permitted to yield in a direction longitudinally of the cables 15 and due to their resiliency will return to a normal position.

Referring now to the form of spring guard offsets shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, the cable supporting and spacing members 20 are of circular formation and each embodies a pair of arcuate or semi-circular- shaped spring leaves 21 and 22 provided at their ends with eyes 23 for receiving coupling pins 24 whereby the leaves are connected in circular formation. The circular or oval supporting member 20 is of a diameter considerably greater than that of the post 5 and two of these supporting members are preferably provided in vertically spaced relation upon each post of the barrier fence. The crown portion of the spring leaf 21 is apertured as at 25 to receive a mounting bolt 26 extended diametrically thru the post 5 in a direction at a right angle to the line of the guard fence. The supporting and spacing rings or members 20 are disposed in a horizontal plane and extend from the road side of the post in a direction toward the highway. The crown portions of the spring leaves 22 are apertured as at 27 to receive an attaching member 28 such as a J bolt or the like serving to secure the cables 15 to the supporting rings in spaced relation to the post 5. The inherent re siliency of the supporting rings 20 will permit ready yielding of the cables 15 in a direction toward and from the supporting post and also allow for yielding of the rings in a direction longitudinally of the barrier fence.

In the form of cable supporting and spacing members shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9, the supporting members 30 are in the form of one piece spring bands secured at one point to the rear side of the post 5 as by mounting bolts 31 extended diametrically thru the post at a. right angle to the line of the guard fence. The circular rings or bands 30 are of a diameter greater than the diameter of the post 5 and are mounted in vertically spaced relation on the post with the plane of the rings disposed horizontally. Thus the rings extend out from the road side of the post and provide arcuate or circular cable attaching portions which are yieldable toward and from the post. The supporting rings or bands 30 are preferably formed of spring metal and are provided with diametrically disposed openings 32 and 33, the opening 32 serving to receive the shank of the mounting bolt 31. The opening 33 is adapted to receive an attaching member 34 such as a J bolt or the like for securing the guard cable to the supporting member.

Thus in each form of cable support, the cable is supported in spaced relation to the barrier post by means of an inherently resilient support or offset which embraces the barrier post and has an arcuate cable attaching portion spaced from the road side of the post. The resilient supports are also of such construction as to permit mounting of the support upon barrier posts of varying diameters.

In each form of yieldable support, the guard cables are secured to the outer surface of an arcuate portion of the support to extend tangentially thereof.

While the inherently resilient supports have been shown supporting flexible wire cables 15, it will readily be apparent that suitable rail members may be connected to the supports in any preferred manner and be supported in spaced relation to the barrier post. If cables such as illustrated are to be used, the cables may be secured to the resilient support in any preferred manner.

From the foregoing it will be seen that an improved means for yieldably supporting guard members upon fixed supporting posts of highway guard fences or barriers has been provided whereby the guard members, such as rails or cables, are supported in spaced relation at the road side of the supporting post and permitted to yield theretoward upon impact of a vehicle colliding with the guard members. It will further be apparent that a yieldable support is'provided which tends to return to its normal position after being deflected in directions either longitudinally of or at a right angle to the line of the guard fence.

Changes in detail may be made to the forms of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A highway guard fence comprising in combination, a guard post, an inherently resilient supporting member embracing the post and having an arcuate attaching portion extending from the post, means rigidly securing-the supporting member to the post, and a guard cable secured to the convex side of the arcuate attaching portion to extend tangentially thereof in spaced relation to the highway side of the guard post.

2. A highway guard fence comprising in combination, a guard post, an inherently resilient S-shaped supporting member providing a post embracing portion and a cable attaching portion, means securing the post embracing portion 5 to the guard post with the cable attaching portion extending toward the highway, and means for securing a guard cable to the cable attaching portion.

3. A highway guard fence comprising in combination, a cylindrical guard post, an inherently resilient supporting member of S-shape in formation providing an arcuate post embracing portion and an arcuate cable attaching portion, said post embracing portion having a slot at its free end and an opening at its point of juncture with the cable attaching portion; a bolt extended thru the post and the opening and slot and securing the supporting member to the post with the cable attaching portion extending toward the highway, and means for securing a cable to the crown portion of the cable attaching portion.

4. A highway guard fence comprising in combination, a guard post, and an inherently resilient circular band encircling the post and secured at one point to the post, said band being of greater diameter than the post and extending outwardly from the highway side of the post.

5. A highway guard fence comprising in combination, a, guard post, an inherently resilient circular band encircling the post and being of greater diameter than the post, means securing the band at one point to the post with the band extending to the highway side of the post, and means for securing a cable to the band whereby the cable may yield in a direction toward and from the guard post.

6. A highway guard fence comprising in combination, a cylindrical guard post, an inherently resilient supporting band embracing the post and being of greater diameter than the post, a bolt extended diametrically thru the post and securing the band at one point to the rear side of the post, and a cable secured to the band for yielding movement toward and from the post.

=7. A highway guard fence comprising in combination, a guard post, an inherently resilient circular band encircling the post and secured thereto at one point at the rear side of the post, said band being of greater diameter than the post, a cable, and means securing the cable to the band to extend tangentially thereof in spaced relation to the post.

8. A highway guard fence comprising in combination, a-guard post, a semi-circular shaped spring leaf secured intermediate its ends to the rear side of the post with its ends extending toward the highway, a companion semi-circular shaped spring leaf hingedly connected at its ends to the ends of said first mentioned spring leaf, said spring leaves providing a circular band of greater diameter than that of the guard post, and means for securing a cable to the crown portion of said companion spring.

9. As an article of manufacture, a spring guard oflset for highway guard fences comprising a companion pair of semi-circular shaped spring leaves, interfitting hinge pin eyes at the ends of the leaves, and coupling pins extending thru said. eyes for connecting the leaves in circular formation, one of said leaves having an opening provided intermediate the ends thereof for mounting JOHN D. MIILER.

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