Patent ID: 6793204
Filing Date: 2004-09-21
Classification: E01F,Y10T

Abstract:
A breakaway support post for mounting a guardrail thereon as part of a highway guardrail system disposed adjacent to a roadway comprising:an elongated body which resists impact by a motor vehicle from a strong direction and yields to impact by the motor vehicle from a weak direction; the weak direction and the strong direction disposed substantially perpendicular to each other; the elongated body having a first end and a second end; the elongated body having a cross section operable to be oriented with respect to an attached guardrail, the cross section having a low mechanical strength in the weak direction whereby an impact from the weak direction with one end of an attached guardrail, which is substantially parallel to said weak direction, will tend to buckle the breakaway support post; the cross section further operable to be oriented with respect to the attached guardrail to resist an impact in the strong direction and the elongated body operable to be driven directly into the soil adjacent to the roadway.