Patent ID: 11970826
Assignee: VALTIR, LLC
Field: Civil engineering (Other fields)
Classification: CPC E | IPC E

Claim 15:
16. A crash cushion comprising:
a first rail section comprising an upstream end portion, a downstream end portion and a first side;
a second rail section comprising an upstream end portion, a downstream end portion and a second side, wherein the upstream end portion of the second rail section overlaps with and is secured to the downstream end portion of the first rail section with a fastener wherein the first and second sides face each other, and wherein the first rail section is moveable relative to the second rail section from a pre-impact position to an impact position in response to an axial impact to the crash cushion;
a support post releasably connected to the first rail section and rotatable from an upright position to a laid over position as the first rail section is moved from the pre-impact position to the impact position, wherein the support post absorbs a first amount of energy as it is rotated to the laid over position and is released from the first rail section; and
wherein the first rail section comprises a plurality of longitudinally spaced slots aligned with and extending upstream of the fastener, wherein a first adjacent pair of slots are separated by a tab, wherein the fastener engages the tab and absorbs a second amount of energy after the support post absorbs at least 75% of the first amount of energy.