WO2017064651A1

WO2017064651A1 - Panel for a noise barrier

Info

Publication number: WO2017064651A1
Application number: PCT/IB2016/056150
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giampaolo Tizzoni
Original assignee: Giampaolo Tizzoni
Priority date: 2015-10-16
Filing date: 2016-10-14
Publication date: 2017-04-20
Also published as: ITUB20155141A1

Abstract

A panel (1) for a noise barrier comprises a main body (2) having a first surface (2a) which can face a source of noise to be shielded and having a plurality of guides (8); at least one sound-absorbing element (9) having a constraint member (12) configured to slide inside the guides (8) to constrain the sound-absorbing element (9) to the main body (2); the guides (8) are defined by the main body (2).

Description

PANEL FOR A NOISE BARRIER

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a panel for a noise barrier. Noise barriers comprising such a panel are useful for acoustically insulating areas where there is loud environmental noise of artificial origin, such as for example a road with heavy traffic. Such a noise barrier may be used for example, to separate a highway from an adjacent residential area so as to isolate residents from the traffic noise.

BACKGROUND ART

Over the last few years, the request for noise barriers has increased. Noise barriers of known type are described in Patent Applications WO 2012/017460 and

PCT/IB2015/055969. Such barriers are formed by support pillars which define parallel securing surfaces (and also coplanar in the case of PCT/IB2015/055969) on which concrete, lightweight concrete or aerated concrete panels are secured.

A panel for a noise barrier of known type is described in Patent Application WO 2012/107871 . Such a panel comprises a main body, essentially shaped as an elongated plate. Connection elements are installed on such a main body which define a seat in which noise absorbers are secured.

Namely, such connection elements are installed rigidly to the panel in predetermined positions. Thereby, a corresponding fixed position for the noise absorbers is established. The connection elements typically are made through Halfen profiles while the sound-absorbing elements are provided with a protrusion with a head which is caused to slide inside the guide. Several panels are stacked on one another between a pair of support pillars and then, following the securing on the pillars, they define the noise barrier. The pillars may have a configuration as the one described in Application WO2012/017460. In many applications, the pillars are instead defined by a profile having an H or a C section. Here, the panels typically are inserted into the grooves defined by such sections. The panels must also comprise further connection elements for securing them to the pillars of the noise barrier.

The panels are usually made of concrete, while the guides are made with metal profiles constrained to the concrete itself. Disadvantageously, each panel with the related connection elements is made with a predetermined configuration that takes into account the position which the panel should occupy along the noise barrier. Accordingly, there is a need to manufacture, number and logistically manage a large variety of panels. In particular, the connection elements of the sound-absorbing bodies for each individual panel are located in predetermined positions according to the position provided for the sound-absorbing elements. Similarly, also the connection elements to the pillars of the barrier are to be located in predetermined positions. Generally, the above translates into the impossibility of making the panels in series. Contrarily, it becomes necessary to execute construction specifications for each panel according to where the connection elements are to be arranged. This is also in addition to the fact that the panels typically are made of concrete precisely to allow the installation of the constraint elements. This aspect makes the panels particularly heavy and therefore difficult to manage both during the manufacturing step and the installation step.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Within this context, the technical task at the basis of the present invention is to propose a panel for a noise barrier which overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art.

In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a panel for a noise barrier which is capable of allowing quick assembly. It is another object of the present invention to provide a panel for a noise barrier which is capable of allowing a modular assembly of the barrier itself. In other words, it is an object of the present invention to allow a standard and uniform production of all the panels, regardless of the position in which the noise absorbers will be applied and where they are to be coupled to the load-bearing structure. It is a further object of the present invention to make available a panel for a noise barrier which is capable of being manufactured with an industrial economy of scale.

The technical task explained and the objects specified are substantially achieved by a panel for a noise barrier comprising the technical features explained in one or more of the appended claims. In particular, a panel for a noise barrier comprises a main body. Such a main body has a first surface configured to face a source of noise to be shielded and has a plurality of guides.

The panel according to the invention further comprises at least one sound-absorbing element having a constraint member configured to slide inside the guides mentioned above to constrain the sound-absorbing element to the main body. Such guides are defined by the main body itself.

The invention solves the technical problem because the panels, which are already prepared with the guides for the constraint members, may be quickly assembled with the sound-absorbing elements required, arranged in the most suitable position by simply inserting the constraint member into the appropriate guide, causing the sound-absorbing element to slide up to the predetermined position and then blocking it inside the guide itself.

Moreover, further guides advantageously may be positioned on the opposite wall. Such further guides may allow both the securing of further sound-absorbing elements or alternatively, allow the securing to a load-bearing structure.

It is worth noting that the panel according to the invention advantageously may also be used in the case of an "integrated barrie , this expression meaning a noise barrier which also acts as a safety barrier. Indeed, the guides defined by the main body may be exploited to constrain - through suitable constraint elements - a safety device such as for example a guard-rail type sheet. Namely, spacers may be used, which are connected to the safety device and secured in such guides in order to define the operating position of the guard-rail type sheet.

The economy of scale therefore can be obtained mainly due to the functional versatility of the guides defined by the body itself. Such an economy of scale can be improved by making fiberglass panels by means of a pultrusion process or alternatively by making the panels of steel (including Corten steel) or of aluminum. To this end, aluminum panels according to the invention may be made continuously through a drawing or press-bending process. Thereby, an increased number of identical panels may be made which, as a consequence of the modular approach, allow a large variety of noise barriers to be assembled.

The fiberglass, steel or aluminum panels are also much more lightweight with respect to concrete panels. According to the invention, such panels may be empty inside or alternatively filled with sound-insulating material such as glass wool or also aerated mortars with a mass lower than 400-500 kg/m³. This is in order to obtain increased properties of acoustic insulation while in any case maintaining a lightness of the panel lower than 70-80 kg/m². LIST OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the indicative, and therefore non-limiting, description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of a panel for a noise barrier, as disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

- figure 1 is a perspective view of a panel for a noise barrier according to the present invention;

- figures 2 and 3 are diagrammatic cross-section views of respective alternative embodiments of the panel in figure 1 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to the accompanying drawings, numeral 1 indicates a panel for a noise barrier according to the present invention. In particular, the panel 1 comprises a main body 2. Such a main body 2 has a first surface 2a configured to face a source of noise to be shielded. Moreover, the main body 2 has a second surface 2b, opposite to the first surface 2a.

The main body 2 also has a longitudinal direction of development "A". Preferably, during installation, the longitudinal direction of development "A" of the main body 2 is oriented substantially horizontally, or alternatively parallel, to the ground.

With reference in particular to figure 1 , the main body 2 may comprise a first wall 3a and a second wall 3b, opposite to the first wall 3a. Here, the first surface 2a of the main body 2 is obtained on the first wall 3a, in particular on the outer face. Similarly, the second surface 2b of the main body 2 is obtained on the second wall 3b, in particular on the outer face.

The walls 3a, 3b are substantially parallel and extend for the entire extension of the main body 2 along the longitudinal axis of development "A". The space between the walls 3a, 3b defines a cavity 4. Such a cavity 4 may be left empty or may be filled completely or partly according to various types of inventive solutions. Further details will be provided in a subsequent section of the present description. The main body 2 further comprises a pair of edges 5 connected to both the walls 3a, 3b. In particular, the edges 5 connect the walls 3a, 3b at the ends thereof parallel to the longitudinal axis of development "A". In other words, the assembly of the walls 3a, 3b and the edges 5 defines a closed cell having a substantially rectangular section. The main body 2 may be closed at the ends by heads (not shown) connected to the walls 3a, 3b and to the edges 5.

In particular embodiments of the invention, one of which is shown in figure 2, the main body 2 comprises a transverse wall 6 connected to the first 3a and the second wall 3b. In particular, such a transverse wall is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of development A of the panel. In other words, the transverse wall 6 is arranged perpendicularly with respect to the first 3a and the second wall 3b. In other words, the main body 2 in these embodiments has a multi-cell structure and advantageously has increased bending and torsional rigidity.

In further embodiments not shown in the accompanying drawings, the main body 2 may comprise any number of transverse walls 6, arranged in any manner inside cavity 4 of the main body 2. Such transverse walls (vertical, horizontal or generically inclined) may also be steel meshes constrained to the inner wall of the guides 8 and/or 13 again to give the panel itself increased resistance and rigidity. In other embodiments, for example such as the one shown in figure 3, the main body 2 comprises an intermediate wall 7 arranged substantially parallel to the first 3a and the second wall 3b. In particular, the intermediate wall 7 is secured to the edges 5 of the main body 2.

Preferably, the intermediate wall 7 is made of sound-absorbing material. Advantageously, this allows the sound-absorbing features of panel 1 to be significantly increased.

Moreover, advantageously the rest of the main body 2 also may be made of sound- absorbing material. For example, such a sound-absorbing material may be plastic, wood, fiberglass, concrete, lightweight concrete, aerated concrete, aerated mortars and more.

Moreover, in a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the main body 2 is made by pultrusion. Here, the main body 2 is made of fiberglass fixed in an epoxy resin matrix. Alternatively, the main body 2 may be made of galvanized steel, Corten or aluminum. Here, the main body 2 may also be manufactured by drawing or by press-bending. Advantageously, this allows a production in series to be achieved of the main body 2 and, accordingly, of the panel 1 .

In further embodiments of the invention, not shown, the sound-absorbing effect of panel 1 may be further improved by filling cavity 4 with a sound-absorbing material. Such a sound-absorbing material may be plastic, wood, fiberglass, concrete, lightweight concrete, aerated concrete, aerated mortars and more, that is the same material with which the main body 2 is made, or alternatively it may be a different material.

The panel 1 advantageously may comprise one or more sound-absorbing elements 9 secured to the main body 2 at the first surface 2a. With reference to figures 2 and 3, the sound-absorbing element 9 has a semi-cylindrical section and a longitudinal axis of development which, once installed, is oriented according to a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of development "A" of the main body 2.

The sound-absorbing element 9 comprises a substantially flat plate 9a arranged parallel to the first surface2a to which it is constrained. A half-shell 9b having precisely a semi-cylindrical shape is constrained to the plate 9a.

The plate 9a and the half-shell 9b may be made of particular materials and with particular structural arrangements. Additionally, the sound-absorbing elements 9 may be filled with sound-absorbing material adapted to give them the sound- absorbing features required each time by the particular applications, according to technologies which are known to a person skilled in the art, and which therefore will not be described in greater detail.

The sound-absorbing element 9 has at least one constraint member 12 for the securing to the main body 2. In particular, the constraint member 12 comprises a protrusion 10 which extends away from the plate 9a and which is provided with a head 1 1 at the end thereof. The head 1 1 is adapted to slide inside a guide 8 formed on the main body 2.

With particular reference to figure 1 , it is worth noting that the main body 2 has a plurality of guides 8. In particular, according to the present invention, such guides 8 are defined by the main body 2. In other words, such guides 8 are not prepared separately with respect to the main body 2 and secured in a successive step, but they are obtained by conveniently shaping the first wall 3a. In other words again, the main body 2 is made in one piece with the guides 8.

In further detail, the guides 8 have a section having a complementary shape to head 1 1 , so as to withhold head 1 1 in contact with the first wall 3a. The constraint member 12 is therefore configured to slide inside one of the guides 8 so as to constrain the sound-absorbing element 9. The guides 8 are oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of development "A".

It is also worth noting that the second surface 2b of the main body 2 has further guides 13, as shown in figure 1 . Such further guides 13 are made in similar manner to the guides 8. Advantageously, the guides 8 and the further guides 13 may be arranged symmetrically between one another on the main body 2. Said further guides 13 advantageously may be used both for securing noise absorbers also on side 2b, thus advantageously making a panel which has both sides being sound- absorbing and they may allow the securing of a noise barrier to the pillars or more generally to a load-bearing structure like the one in the configuration described in Application WO2012/017460.

As already indicated above, the panel according to the invention advantageously may be used also to make an "integrated barrier" because the guides 8 defined by the main body 2 may be usefully exploited also to constrain, through suitable constraint elements, a guard-rail type sheet or other safety devices. In other words, a panel according to the invention may simultaneously support one or more sound- absorbing elements 9 and/or one or more safety devices.

Claims

1 . A panel (1 ) for a noise barrier, comprising a main body (2) having a first surface (2a) configured to face a source of noise to be shielded and having at least one guide (8). said main body (2) further having a second surface (2b) opposite to said first surface (2a), at least one sound-absorbing element (9) having a constraint member (12) configured to slide inside said at least one guide (8) to constrain said sound-absorbing element (9) to said main body (2), characterized in that said at least one guide (8) is defined by said main body (2).

2. A panel (1 ) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said main body (2) has a longitudinal direction of development (A), said at least one guide

(8) being oriented substantially parallel to said longitudinal direction of development (A).

3. A panel (1 ) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said main body (A) is made in one piece with said at least one guide (8).

4. A panel (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second surface (2b) has at least one further guide (13) defined by said main body (2).

5. A panel (1 ) according to claim 4, wherein said at least one guide (8) is arranged symmetrically with respect to said at least one further guide (13).

6. A panel (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said main body (2) is made of sound-absorbing material.

7. A panel (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said main body (2) is made by pultrusion or by steel drawing or aluminum drawing or by press-bending.

8. A panel (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first surface (2a) is obtained on a first wall (3a) of said main body (2), said second surface (2b) being obtained on a second wall (3b).

9. A panel (1 ) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said main body (2) comprises a transverse wall (6) connected to said first wall (3a) and to said second wall (3b).

10. A panel (1 ) according to claim 9, characterized in that said transverse wall (6) is arranged perpendicularly with respect to said first (3a) and to said second wall (3b).

1 1 . A panel (1 ) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it comprises an intermediate wall (7) arranged substantially parallel to the first wall

(3a) and to the second wall (3b) and preferably made of sound-absorbing material.