WO2007148110A1

WO2007148110A1 - Safety barrier

Info

Publication number: WO2007148110A1
Application number: PCT/GB2007/002340
Authority: WO
Inventors: Richard Mark Endersby; John Edward Talbot
Original assignee: Highway Care Limited
Priority date: 2006-06-23
Filing date: 2007-06-22
Publication date: 2007-12-27
Also published as: GB0612462D0

Abstract

A safety barrier (2) is provided which includes one or more upright members (4). A surface of said upright members and/or a surface of one or more rail members attached to or forming part of said upright members provides a crash surface (10,12) for the barrier. Protruding means (6) are associated with an upper part of the rail members and/or said upright members. The protruding means (6) are arranged so as to protrude outwardly of said rail members and/or said upright members to create a recess or shoulder portion (56,58) between said protruding means (6) and said crash surface (10,12).

Description

Safety Barrier

This invention relates to safety barriers, and particularly but not necessarily exclusively to safety barriers for use on roads for reducing the speed and/or movement of a vehicle on impact therewith.

It is known to provide a series of safety barriers on the edge of roads, such as between dual carriageways on a motorway for example, to reduce or limit movement of a vehicle on impact therewith. This prevents or reduces the likelihood of a vehicle impacting with the barriers crossing onto an opposite carriageway or travelling off the road. Conventional safety barriers can come in many different shapes and forms. A common example of one such conventional safety barrier is a W- profiled rail attached between a plurality of spaced apart upright post members. A problem associated with such barriers is that when a car or truck hits the barrier, the rear end of the vehicle has a tendency to lift up or rebound, which could result in the vehicle flipping over or rebounding back into a line of traffic.

In an attempt to solve the above problem, GB2393992 discloses a crash barrier which is inclined to the vertical and downwardly facing, with a trough defined below the barrier and extending below the level of the road surface, the trough being of such a size appropriate to receive a wheel of a vehicle. When a vehicle wheel enters the trough, this restrains the vehicle from rebounding back into the line of traffic. Crash bars can be provided adjacent the top of the crash barrier and are inclined to the vertical and face downwardly. The crash bars provide a crash surface that can be retrofitted to a pre-existing barrier and assist in directing the wheels of the vehicle into the trough. A problem with this barrier system is that is requires a trough to be made in the roadway which is time consuming, expensive and can fill up with debris over time.

A further example of a crash barrier is disclosed in EP0058915 wherein the barrier includes a travel surface which slopes upwardly from the carriageway and a guard device which protrudes from an upper part of the travel surface.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide an improved safety barrier.

It is a further aim of the present invention to provide an attachment for use with a safety barrier.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a safety barrier, said barrier including one or more upright members, a surface of said upright members and/or a surface o f one or more rail members attached to or forming part of said upright members providing a crash surface for said barrier, and wherein protruding means are associated with an upper part of said rail members and/or said upright members, said protruding means arranged so as to protrude outwardly of said rail members and/or said upright members to create a recess or shoulder portion between said protruding means and said crash surface.

The crash surface is arranged so as to reduce the affect of impact of a moving object therewith, such as for example a vehicle, and to dissipate the energy from said impact. The crash surface is typically arranged below the protruding means of said barrier.

Preferably the protruding means extends outwardly a predetermined distance beyond said rail member, upright member and/or said crash surface, such that the recess or shoulder portion formed is sufficient to catch a tyre or part of an object , such as a vehicle, thereunder following impact of the object or vehicle with said barrier or the crash surface of said barrier. This prevents the vehicle or object from rebounding off the crash barrier, such as for example back into a line of traffic.

The protruding means typically protrudes outwardly from a side of the safety barrier in use.

The pre-determined distance of protrusion is preferably substantially equal to or greater than an outer surface of a side wall o f said barrier, such as the crash surface, upright member and/or rail member.

Preferably the protruding means is arranged substantially at right angles or at an acute angle to the side wall of said barrier.

Preferably the protruding means is attached to or formed with a top surface of the rail member and/or said upright member.

Attachment and/or location of the protruding means to the top surface of said barrier reduces the likelihood of the attachment effecting the strength and/or rigidity of the crash surface. In addition, attachment of the protruding means to the top surface is quick and easy to undertake and requires no special alignment.

Preferably a base of the protruding means is substantially parallel to the top surface of the barrier.

The barrier of the present invention is typically located on a substantially flat surface without the need for a trough to be formed in the ground adjacent the barrier. Thus the total recess or shoulder is formed between said protruding means, said crash surface and a surface of the ground substantially parallel and on the same level as the base of the barrier or the base of the barrier visible from the ground surface. The base of the protruding means is preferably substantially parallel to the upper surface o f the ground on or adjacent which the barrier located.

Preferably the protruding means includes a base and said base is orientated substantially horizontally in use. In a preferred example, the base is substantially parallel to the top of the barrier and/or substantially perpendicular to a side wall of the barrier.

Preferably the height of the protruding means as a percentage of the total height of the barrier is substantially equal to or less than 30%, further preferably less than 20% and most preferably between 7-10%.

In one embodiment the protruding means extends outwardly from two or more sides of said barrier, and preferably two or more opposing sides of said barrier. Thus, in one example, the safety barrier has crash surfaces on at least two sides thereof and protruding means extend from both of said sides.

In one embodiment the protruding means includes a first part, and a second part provided at an angle to said first part. The second part can be angled in an upwardly and/or downwardly direction but it is preferably to angle the second part in an upwardly direction. The angled part can aid nesting of the protruding means during storage. The angled or second part typically forms one or more side walls of the said protruding means and protrudes upwardly and preferably substantially perpendicularly to a base or first part of said protruding means. The first part or base is typically attached to the top surface of said rail member and/or said upright member and extends outwardly from said top surface.

In one embodiment the protruding means is substantially U- shaped in form with a channel defined between the base and side walls. At least part of the base of the U-shape or channel is provided adjacent and/or attached to the top surface of said rail member and/or said upright member and extends beyond the crash surface of said barrier.

The opening of the channel preferably faces upwardly of the barrier and further preferably is located at a top of the barrier.

Preferably one or more apertures and/or slots are defined in a base of the protruding means, U-shaped channel or a surface of the protruding means to allow water and/or debris to pass therethrough. In addition, or as an alternative, the apertures and/or slots can be used to aid attachment of the protruding means to the barrier.

Preferably the apertures and/or slots are provided at spaced apart intervals along the length of the protruding means.

The protruding means can be integrally formed with the safety barrier or detachably or fixedly attached thereto. Thus, for example, the protruding means can be attached to a pre-existing safety barrier.

The protruding means can be attached via any suitable attachment means, such as any or any combination of welding, adhesive, chemical bonding, nuts and bolts, clamping, one or more inter-engaging members, one or more ties, clips, screws and/or the like. In one embodiment the protruding means is provided substantially at right angles to said crash surface. In one embodiment the protruding means is provided at an acute angle to said crash surface.

The crash surface can be in any required form or have any suitable pro file, such as for example, angled, substantially vertical, concave, convexed, W-shaped profile and/or the like.

The protruding means typically comprises an elongate member, and a plurality of elongate members are attached together in an end to end manner to form an elongated structure running substantially parallel to an upper part or surface of said barrier (i.e. along the longitudinal axis of said barrier) . The elongate elements can be attached together via any suitable means, such as any or any combination of welding, adhesive, chemical bonding, nuts and bolts, clamping, one or more inter-engaging members, one or more ties, clips, screws and/or the like.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a safety barrier attachment, said attachment including a base and one or more side walls extending upwardly from said base.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of attaching protruding means to a safety barrier, said barrier including one or more upright members, a surface of said upright members and/or a surface of one or more rail members attached to or forming part of said upright members providing a crash surface for said barrier, and wherein said method includes the steps of attaching protruding means with an upper part of said rail members and/or said upright members, such that the protruding means are arranged so as to protrude outwardly of said rail members and/or said upright members to create a recess or shoulder portion between said protruding means and said crash surface.

The present invention can be retrofitted to an existing safety barrier.

One or more other devices can be attached to or formed with the safety barrier, protruding means or attachment as required, such as for example one or more reflective members, anti-glare devices and/or the like.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein:

Figure 1 is a cross sectional view of a safety barrier according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded view of the safety barrier in figure 1 ;

Figures 3a-3c show detailed views of the attachment for attaching elongate elements of the protruding portion together, the attachment of the protruding portion to the top surface of the upright member and a detailed view of the attachment in figure 3b respectively; and

Figures 4a and 4b illustrate cross sectional views of a preexisting safety barrier and the safety barrier with the attachment according to an embodiment of the present invention respectively.

Referring firstly to figures l -3c, there is illustrated a safety barrier 2 including an upright member 4 and an attachment 6 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The upright member 4 includes a base 8, side walls 10, 12 and a top surface 14. The base 8 is located on the side of a road way in use, at a location beyond which vehicle travel is to be prevented. The side walls 10, 12 are provided at an acute angle to the vertical such that the side walls have a narrowing taper from base 8 towards top surface 14. These side walls 10, 12 form crash surfaces to limit the impact and further travel of a vehicle contacting the same in use.

The upright member 4 comprises a series of elongate elements 16 which are joined together at the ends thereof via a series of nuts 18 and bolts 20 to form a barrier, as shown in figure 2.

The attachment 6 is in the form of a U-shaped channel including a base 22, and upwardly protruding side walls, 24, 26. Base 22 is fitted to top surface 14 of upright member 4 via attachment means 28. More particularly, attachment means 28 includes a bolt member 30 which locates through an aperture 32 on an intermediate plate 34 and an aperture 36 of a bolt plate 38. Slots 40 are located in the base 22 of attachment 6 and intermediate plate 34 is positioned substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said slot when assembled. The screw thread 42 of bolt 30 passes through apertures 32, 36 and slot 40.

The attachment 6 comprises elongate elements 42 and the ends of adjacent elongate elements 42 are attached together via an attachment plate 44. Apertures 46 defined in said attachment plate 44 allow a nut 48 and bolt 50 to join said attachment plate to said adjacent elements 42.

In accordance with the present invention, parts 52, 54 of base 22 adjacent edges 56, 58 protrude beyond the edges of top surface 14 of the upright member on either side thereof. More particularly, parts 52, 54 are provided substantially horizontally and form an acute angle with the angled crash surfaces of side walls 10, 12. A recess or shoulder 56, 58 is defined between parts 52, 54 and the side walls/crash surfaces 10, 12 with the attachment 6 in place. The recesses 56, 58 are of such dimensions to allow the wheel of a vehicle impacting with crash surface 10, 12 to be caught under parts 52, 54, thereby preventing the wheel from rebounding or lifting. This in turn reduces the likelihood of the vehicle rebounding into a line of traffic.

Referring to figures 4a and 4b, there is illustrated a further embodiment of a crash barrier 102. The upright member 104 has crash surfaces 106, 108 with a K-shaped profile. Attachment 110 is attached to a top surface 112 of said upright member 104 via attachment means. The base of the attachment extends to the side of the top of the crash surfaces and faces downwardly to form a recess between the base of the attachment and the crash surfaces.

Claims

Claims :

1 . A safety barrier, said barrier including one or more upright members, a surface of said upright members and/or a surface of one or more rail members attached to or forming part of said upright members providing a crash surface for said barrier, and wherein protruding means are associated with an upper part of said rail members and/or said upright members, said protruding means arranged so as to protrude outwardly of said rail members and/or said upright members to create a recess or shoulder portion between said protruding means and said crash surface.

2. A safety barrier according to claim 1 wherein the protruding means extends outwardly a pre-determined distance beyond said rail member and/or said upright member such that the size of the recess or shoulder portion formed is sufficient to catch a tyre or part of an object or vehicle thereunder following impact of the object or vehicle with said barrier.

3. A safety barrier according to claim 2 wherein the predetermined distance of protrusion is substantially equal to or greater than an outer surface of a side wall of said barrier.

4. A safety barrier according to claim 1 wherein the protrusion means protrudes substantially at right angles to a side wall of said barrier.

5. A safety barrier according to claim 1 wherein the protrusion means protrudes substantially at an acute angle to a side wall of said barrier.

6. A safety barrier according to claim 1 wherein the protruding means is attached to or formed with a top surface of said rail members and/or said upright members.

7. A safety barrier according to claim 1 wherein a base of the protruding means is substantially parallel with a top surface of said rail members and/or said upright members.

8. A safety barrier according to claim 1 wherein a base of the protruding means is substantially parallel with an upper surface of the ground on and adjacent to which the barrier is located in use.

9. A safety barrier according to claim 1 wherein the protruding means protrudes outwardly from both side walls of the barrier.

10. A safety barrier according to claim 1 wherein the protruding means includes one or more side walls protruding upwardly from a base of said protruding means.

1 1. A safety barrier according to claim 10 wherein the one or more side walls are substantially perpendicular to said base.

12. A safety barrier according to claim 1 wherein the protruding means is substantially U-shape in form having a base and two side walls, a channel being defined between the base and side walls and the opening of the channel facing upwardly of the barrier.

13. A safety barrier according to claim 1 wherein one or more slots and/or apertures are defined in a base of the protruding means.

14. A safety barrier according to claim 1 wherein the protruding means is detachably attached or fixedly to said barrier.

15. A safety barrier according to claim 1 wherein the protruding means are integrally formed with said barrier.

16. A safety barrier according to claim 14 wherein the protruding means are attached via any or any combination of welding, adhesive, chemical bonding, one or more nuts and bolts, clamping, inter-engaging members, ties, clips or screws.

17. A safety barrier according to claim 1 wherein the crash surface has any or any combination of an angled profile, substantially vertical profile, concave profile, convex profile or W-shaped profile.

18. A safety barrier according to claim 1 wherein the protruding means comprises an elongate member and a plurality of elongate members are joined together in end to end relationship to form an elongated structure on said barrier.

19. A safety barrier according to claim 18 wherein the protruding means are joined together via any or any combination of welding, adhesive, chemical bonding, one or more nuts and bolts, clamping, inter-engaging members, ties, clips or screws.

20. A safety barrier according to claim 1 wherein one or more reflective members and/or anti-glare devices are formed with or attached to said barrier.

21. A safety barrier according to claim 1 wherein the height of the protruding means as a percentage of the total height of the barrier is substantially equal to or less than

30%.

22. A safety barrier according to claim 21 wherein the height of the protruding means as a percentage of the total height of the barrier is preferably less than 20%.

23. A safety barrier according to claim 21 wherein the height of the protruding means as a percentage of the total height of the barrier is between 7- 10%.

24. A safety barrier attachment, said attachment including a base and one or more side walls extending upwardly from said base.

25. A method of attaching protruding means to a safety barrier, said barrier including one or more upright members, a surface of said upright members and/or a surface of one or more rail members attached to or forming part of said upright members providing a crash surface for said barrier, and wherein said method includes the steps of attaching protruding means with an upper part of said rail members and/or said upright members, such that the protruding means are arranged so as to protrude outwardly of said rail members and/or said upright members to create a recess or shoulder portion between said protruding means and said crash surface.