Impact recovery delineation system

An impact recovery delineation system comprises a base member that provides improved mechanical and chemical bonding to the road surface and a portable base that provides a rigid center portion and flexible ends to maintain the position of the delineator device after vehicle impact. A sealed, pneumatic tube of high impact resistant material composition acts as a delineator post and is adapted to receive modified load cells. Upper and lower load cell elements are provided with cable passages to allow side-by-side placement of wire rope cables. The passages are particularly geometrically configured and have two radiused edges and two straight edges which result in rapid bending and recovery of the delineator post system upon high speed impact, in any direction, by an automotive vehicle. A vented signage panel having air vents therein to reduce wind resistance, improve and speed recovery of the impacted system. A safety loop in the cable system is provided to prevent the delineator post and signage from being separated from the load cell abutment base connection should there be a structural failure at this connection. A flexible portable base structure is provided for temporary location of delineation posts and which is provided with an intermediate stiffener and flexible weighted ends to prevent its lifting from the roadway upon vehicle impact with the impact recovery delineator post system supported thereby.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to an impact recovery delineation system 
comprised of a pneumatic delineator post, a vented signage panel and a 
fixed or portable base system which facilitates pivoting from a normally 
aligned, upright position to a substantially horizontal position upon 
being impacted by a moving object such as an automotive vehicle. More 
specifically, this invention relates to a self-uprighting, pneumatic 
delineator post, vented panel and base system constructed with unique load 
cell elements designed to reduce the impact force required to pivot the 
post on impact and to speed the return of the post to its upright 
position. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,046 teaches the current state of the art for such 
devices. However, certain problems still exist with existing posts, and 
specifically those taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,046, which the present 
invention seeks to overcome. The improvements of the present system allow 
for greater post survival rates upon repeated impact at a wide range of 
vehicular speeds with minimal damage to the impacting vehicle. 
Delineator posts for marking travel ways and identifying the existence of 
hazardous objects are typically constructed of lengths of formed metal 
sheet material or bar stock which are concreted or otherwise fixed to the 
ground or to other stationary objects. Recently high impact plastics or 
polymers have been used to provide flexible delineator posts that have the 
capability of recovering to their near original condition after being 
struck and bent by vehicle collision. Polymer posts are typically provided 
with light reflectors to facilitate identification at night and are 
appropriately colored for good visibility during daylight hours. 
It is well known that delineator posts are frequently accidentally struck 
by automotive vehicles that for one reason or another leave the designated 
travel way. Once struck, the delineator posts, especially those composed 
of metal, are typically bent to the extent that they are thereafter 
unusable. Additionally, because the posts are somewhat rigid, there is a 
likelihood that the automotive vehicle will also be damaged by impact with 
a delineator post. The replacement cost of delineator posts is a major 
expense of travel way maintenance. 
The use of a delineator post system as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,046 
has significantly reduced these maintenance costs. Delineator posts 
composed of high impact polymer materials have been found more resistant 
to damage as compared to metal posts but it has also been found that such 
polymer posts will not absorb high impact pressure without heavy 
deformation or dislodging. At typical vehicular speeds and especially at 
high speeds the presently used polymer delineator posts typically suffer 
considerable damage and tend to wrap against the impacting vehicle and 
become dislodged from their supporting surfaces. It is desirable, 
therefore, to provide an impact recovery delineation system that will not 
be destroyed upon impact by an automotive vehicle traveling at typical 
highway speeds and which is more likely to result in less damage to the 
automotive vehicle as the result of accidental collision. It is desirable, 
therefore, to provide an impact recovery delineation system which will 
yield both structurally and mechanically when impacted by an automotive 
vehicle and which, after passage of the automotive vehicle, will return 
quickly to its upright position, properly aligned, and in a substantially 
undamaged condition, while at the same time minimizing the vehicle damage 
that would otherwise occur. 
Most delineator posts are permanently mounted at specific locations, such 
as being concreted in the ground, epoxied to stationary objects, or driven 
into the ground. In situations where temporary road maintenance or traffic 
conditions warrant, stand-alone travelway delineation in the form of cones 
or barrels are utilized. When such stand-alone devices are struck, not 
only is there typically an occurrence of flying debris, but the damaged or 
displaced cone or barrel frequently comes to rest in the way of oncoming 
traffic, thereby creating an even greater hazard. Consequently, it is 
desirable to provide a stand-alone, portable delineation system which will 
yield when impacted, but not significantly move from its intended position 
or orientation on the highway. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides an impact recovery delineation system that 
is capable of being struck many times at a wide range of vehicle speeds 
without significant damage and while at the same time minimizing damage to 
automotive vehicles during such accidental striking. 
The present invention also provides a novel pneumatic, sealed delineator 
post tube having the capability of becoming more rigid during collision 
induced structural deformation and bending due to increased internal air 
pressure so that the delineator post has controlled flexibility during 
collision, thus enhancing its structural integrity and promoting its 
longevity. This invention also provides a unique load cell incorporating 
one or more springs under compression which together provide a significant 
amount of stiffness to resist forces applied thereto without becoming 
overstressed. 
This invention further provides a novel delineator post system including a 
load cell which enables the post to be more easily pivoted at the load 
cell upon being impacted and the more quickly returned as nearly as 
practical to its pre-impact position to thus insure against misorientation 
of reflectors and other objects that are supported by the post. 
This invention also provides a novel impact recovery delineation system 
incorporating a load cell providing significant stiffness to the post to 
prevent inadvertent yielding or fluttering due to windy conditions and yet 
provides a post construction that yields readily to impacts without being 
damaged or causing significant damage to the automotive vehicle. 
The delineator impact recovery system of this invention provides for 
selective use of a portable post support base which may be temporarily 
positioned on an adjacent vehicle travelway and which has controlled 
weight and flexibility so that under conditions of collision, even severe 
collision such as a direct vehicle wheel strike, the delineator system 
will yield and recover from collisions without significant damage to the 
delineator post, signage, and base and with minimal damage if any to the 
vehicle. 
Briefly, the present invention provides a unique combination of pneumatic 
post structure, radiused edges along abutting faces of the load cell 
elements, and a permanent base or portable base. Signage affixed to the 
post structure is further provided with air venting perforations to reduce 
wind resistance and to improve and speed of recovery of the impacted 
system. 
This invention is directed to an impact recovery delineation system having 
a tubular pneumatically sealed post which is supported on the ground or by 
a stationary object and includes a lower part or base which may be placed 
on or in the ground, bolted to a stationary object (bridge deck or 
concrete pavement, concrete medium barrier, etc.) or epoxied to a 
stationary object (bridge deck, curb, asphaltic concrete pavement, 
concrete pavement, etc.). A portable base is also provided which enables 
temporary travelway delineation to be quickly established, changed or 
removed as suits the needs of changing construction sites. 
Work zone traffic control devices provided according to this invention will 
perform very well in vehicle collisions. The impacting vehicle will 
exhibit very stable behavior during impact with these traffic control 
devices and will not pose any potential threat to traffic in adjacent 
lanes. The vehicle will sustain very minor damage with low potential for 
serious occupant injury. There will generally be no debris or detachments 
from the traffic control devices to pose any potential hazard to the 
impacting vehicle, adjacent traffic, or workers in construction zones. The 
spring-loaded mechanism will successfully return the traffic control 
devices to their pre-impact positions and damage sustained by the traffic 
control devices will be limited mostly to bend panels and scrapes in the 
reflective sheeting, which should not significantly affect the 
functionality of the traffic control devices. 
The sealed tube polymer post of the invention is designed to receive the 
initial impacting force from the vehicle. Because air within the tube is 
compressed during deformation and bending of the post, it tends to urge 
the tube back into its original shape and to push the tube away from the 
impacting vehicle. In accordance with the present impact recovery 
delineation system, the energy is transferred to a non-deforming 
mechanical device to do what plastics cannot. The polymer posts have a 
greater wall thickness than most of the flexible systems presently in use 
and thus provide a post which is typically more rigid in comparison, 
however, the present impact recovery system is rendered more effective 
than conventional systems because of that transfer from chemical or 
polymeric strength to mechanical strength (with the pneumatic 
reinforcement). 
The impact recovery delineation system incorporates a load cell which forms 
a pivoting joint and an upper part which extends upwardly above the 
ground, curb, roadway surface, concrete medium barrier or bridge deck. The 
upper part is adapted to pivot about the lower part preferably in one 
direction by means of a pivoting joint when subjected to an impact force 
from any direction. 
The pivoting joint includes a restoring means for returning the post to its 
normally aligned upright position following cessation of the impact force. 
The load cell resists rotation relative to the base during pivoting 
movement and thus returns the delineator post to its properly oriented 
position upon uprighting of the post. The delineator post is capable of 
being moved from its upright position to a position in excess of 
90.degree. and yet returned to its original upright alignment. The 
delineator post incorporates a load cell construction employing one or two 
spring members maintained in compression by a flexible cable system that 
permits at least 90.degree. bending of the delineator post upon impact. 
The cable system employs two spring tensioned cables which travel inside a 
unique slot of elongated cross-sectional configuration which extends 
through the upper and lower parts of the load cell along the x-axis which 
prevents rotation of the post about the x-axis. This feature prevents the 
cables from rotating and becoming unwound when impacted and thereby 
prevents the cables from releasing the compression on the spring that 
keeps the delineator post rigid and upright. 
The load cell incorporates a pair of cooperating beveled load cell elements 
which interfit both when the load cell is upright and when it is yielded 
90.degree. by an impact force. An important improvement to each load cell 
element is the incorporation of radiused edges on the flat abutting faces 
of the elements. 
The delineator post assembly incorporates a surface mounted base member 
which can be secured to the ground or easily secured to various fixed 
objects and surfaces which are commonly found on and about roadways. The 
base incorporates specifically designed and arranged ports or openings and 
channels for retaining epoxy materials to significantly improve adhesion 
and fixation of the delineator system to the mounting surface. 
An alternative stand-alone, portable embodiment of the system utilizes a 
rubber (rubber means an elastic material and could include PVC or other 
synthetic materials that have elastic properties) base member which has a 
rigid center portion and flexible ends to cooperate with the cable 
tensioning system to maintain the position of the delineator device on the 
highway when impacted by a motor vehicle. 
The present inventive system incorporates a signage member or panel having 
air vents therein to reduce wind resistance, and improve and speed 
recovery of the impacted system. 
A safety loop is provided on the cable system to prevent the delineator 
post and signage from being separated from the load cell element/base 
connection should there be a structural failure at this connection. 
Though this invention is discussed herein particularly with regard to is 
application for roadway traffic delineation, such is not intended to limit 
the spirit and scope of the invention. Upon an understanding of the 
invention many other uses will come to mind, for example aviation markers. 
Taxiways, runways, parking areas and the like may be provided with impact 
recovery delineation to withstand collisions and jet blasts and the like 
while continually maintaining delineation control. 
Other and further features of the invention will become apparent to one 
skilled in the art upon a review of the detailed description, claims and 
drawings which form this patent specification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now to the drawings and first to FIG. 1, an impact recovery 
delineation system constructed in accordance with the teachings of this 
invention is illustrated generally at 10 and incorporates a base 12, a 
load cell illustrated generally at 14 and a delineator post 16. The 
delineator post is provided with a reflective signage panel 18 which may 
be suitably attached with bolts 19 and 21 to the post to provide 
reflection of light, thus permitting the post to be readily visible under 
night driving conditions. The post and the panel may be of a suitable 
color enabling it to be readily visible during daylight conditions. 
Signage panel 18 is provided with a multiplicity of air vents 17 extending 
through the panel. The material composing the post 16 may comprise any one 
of a number of suitable polymer materials that are impact resistant. 
Most delineator posts are constructed of either metal pipe or bar stock. 
Recent improvements have made the posts of lightweight impact resistant 
material which is highly flexible and presents little resistance to impact 
forces. This feature was thought to prevent damage to the post and also 
prevent damage to the impacting automotive vehicle. However, it has been 
found through the use of high speed photography that flexible, high impact 
resistant posts substantially conform to the leading edge of the impacting 
vehicle. Rather than allowing the pivot joint and the load cell elements 
to compensate for the impact, the flexible post is "held" against the 
vehicle by a negative pressure or vacuum condition that is developed on 
the front or vehicle-facing side as the result of sudden vehicle induced 
movement tends to cause the post to be pulled or torn from the base or 
cause the base to be pulled from the ground. 
As shown in FIG. 2, the present invention 10 utilizes a post tube 16 
composed of high impact resistant material composition. The delineator 
post is composed of high impact polymer material having a wall thickness 
that typically exceeds the wall thickness of conventional polymer 
delineation posts in use at the present time. The post thus exhibits 
increased rigidity in comparison to conventional delineator posts. This 
material is impact resistant in that it is not brittle but generally 
retains its shape and has good memory characteristics. Other materials 
with similar memory characteristics may be used. The tube is generally 
sealed at the top 20 (FIG. 3 more clearly illustrates this) by either 
mechanically crimping or heat sealing or sonically welding the tube end 
20. Thus, a delineator post having pneumatic dampening characteristics is 
created. The lower end 23 of the post tube 16 is substantially sealed by 
an upper load cell element 24 which is structurally connected to the post 
by means of one or more bolts or screws as will be seen in FIG. 3 and 
discussed below. 
It has been determined through tests that the characteristics of the 
signage panel have a significant influence upon impact responsive 
flexibility of the delineator post assembly. The signage should obviously 
be constructed of a material having a composition that will not readily 
take a permanent set or be readily deformable in response to impact by a 
vehicle. It has been determined that a high impact resistant polymer 
material will function quite well as signage material but that metal 
signage should not be employed unless provided with spring-like 
resiliency. Further, the thickness of the signage panel can have a 
significant influence on the apparent stiffness of the delineator post 
assembly and is influenced by a number of variables including the height 
and width of the signage, the number of delineator posts that are employed 
to support the signage, and the length and inherent flexibility of the 
posts. Where high impact resistant polymer signage is employed for typical 
travelway delineation, using single posts, according to the preferred 
embodiment of this invention, the thickness of the signage material should 
be carefully controlled. If the signage for typical delineator assemblies 
is rather thick, such as having a thickness in the order of 1/4 inch for 
example, the resulting delineator post assembly can have very stiff 
characteristics, that are quite similar to the characteristics of metal 
posts. In the event the polymer signage material is quite thin, i.e., in 
the order of 1/16th inch for example the delineator post assembly will be 
readily flexible, but the signage will tend to be permanently deformed or 
torn away from the post on impacts. It has been determined that signage 
panels of high density polyethylene composition and being in the order of 
1/8th inch, 0.130 inches in thickness, will provide the delineator post 
assembly with adequate flexibility and yet resist significant damage to 
the signage panel when the post assembly is impacted It should be born in 
mind that the general signage dimensions set forth above is for the 
purpose of illustration only and is not intended to be taken as limiting 
the scope of the invention. 
It should be understood that simply placing a water-tight cap on the top 20 
of tube 16 will not achieve the same result. The increased internal air 
pressure would simply displace the cap as shown at 13 in FIG. 2C. The 
sealing system of the closed top 20 and the other end of the tube must 
enable the post 16 to retain entrapped air when the tube 16 is impacted 
Sufficient internal pressure must be developed within tube 16 to 
pneumatically enhance he structural integrity and to thus assist the tube 
in returning to its original shape and to tend to push the tube away from 
an impacting vehicle traveling at high speeds. The sealing of the tube 
need not be such that no air escapes but merely that sufficient air is 
entrapped so as to result in a pneumatic air compression or dampening 
effect. FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate that upon impact by a vehicle 11, post 16 
is forced by the impact to initially conform to the leading edge of the 
vehicle as air entrapped within post 16 is compressed in the immediate 
area 13 of impact. The upper portion 16a and the lower portion 16b of the 
post tube tend to expand in balloon-like fashion as the compressed air is 
forced upwardly and downwardly. The increased air pressure enhances the 
mechanical bending resistance of the post so that it does not bend 
sufficiently to cause the "wrap-around" effect shown in FIG. 2C. At the 
same time, load cell 24 begins to flex or bend in the direction of impact 
as will be discussed below. Thus, impact forces are absorbed by the 
pneumatically enhanced structural integrity of the post 16 and by the 
spring systems of the load cell 24. 
Because entrapped air in tube 16 is compressed and the composition of tube 
16 has a memory, tube 16 is urged way from the loading edge of the impact. 
The tube 16 does not tend to lie against the vehicle 11 as shown in FIG. 
2A. If a mere watertight cap 13 has been attached to tube end 25, it is 
easily popped out by the compressed air within tube 17, thereby releasing 
the air and providing no dampening effect. 
It has been determined through tests that signage panels, upon being 
quickly pivoted from the upright position to the substantially horizontal 
position as the result of an automotive vehicle impact will cause a 
negative pressure or vacuum condition to develop on the front or 
vehicle-facing side of the signage panel. Further, during such pivotal 
movement, the side of the signage panel facing away from the vehicle will 
be opposed by the force of wind resistance. The combined forces of wind 
resistance and negative pressure tend to urge the signage panel toward the 
surfaces of the vehicle thereby creating the "wrap-around" effect 
discussed above. It has also been determined through tests that providing 
the signage panel with perforations will retard the effects of wind 
resistance and negative pressure development to thereby permit the 
structural integrity of the delineator post to maintain the signage panel 
substantially clear of the vehicle during downward pivoting of the 
delineator post and its signage. The perforations in the signage should be 
located and dimensioned to prevent lighting from the rear to interfere 
with clear visibility of the reflective and colored markings of the panel. 
As shown in FIG. 1, the signage panel 18 further has vent holes 17 in it. 
As the post 16 is initially bent by the impact force toward conformance 
with the configuration of the vehicle, panel 18 is pushed towards the 
vehicle surface by the force of wind pressure and drawn downwardly toward 
the vehicle by the negative pressure condition described above. The 
incorporation of vent holes 17 in the panel reduces the wind resistance 
and the negative pressure conditions and tends to keep the panel off of 
the vehicle. This is particularly important since the pneumatic action of 
the post tube is at the same time applying force to pull the signage panel 
away from the vehicle. 
With reference now to FIG. 3, the self-uprighting delineator post 
construction of this invention incorporates a mounting base assembly, 
generally shown at reference 68, enabling the delineator post to be 
secured such as by means of epoxy bonding material to the ground, to a 
roadway or to other fixed objects. The mounting base assembly 68 is 
discussed in greater detail in connection with FIGS. 5-7. 
As further shown in FIG. 3 and FIGS. 4A-4D, the self-uprighting delineator 
post system 10 is provided with at least one load cell illustrated 
generally at 22 having upper and lower load cell elements 24 and 26 that 
are normally positioned with respective generally planar abutment surfaces 
28 and 30 in abutting engagement. The load cell elements 24 and 26 each 
define frusto-conical end surfaces 32 and 34 which are capable of coming 
into contact in the manner shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B as the load cell is 
yielded in response to an impact force applied to the post element 16. The 
upper load cell element defines a reduced diameter surface portion 36 that 
intersects larger diameter portions of the load cell elements in a manner 
forming abutment shoulder 40. The tubular delineator post 16 is received 
in close fitting relation about the cylindrical reduced diameter surface 
portion 36 and engages the abutment shoulder 40 in the manner shown in 
FIG. 3. The tubular element may be secured to the load cell element in any 
suitable fashion such as by screws, threading, etc. If desired, the fit 
between the tubular element 16 and the load cell element 24 may be in 
order of a friction fit. In the alternative, any other sort of connection 
means may be employed to establish a positively secured relationship 
between the tubular element and the load cell element so as to retain 
entrapped increased air pressure to induce internal pneumatic pressure 
within the post tube to increase the structural integrity of the post as 
discussed above. 
As shown in FIG. 3 the load cell elements 24 and 26 define respective end 
recesses 44 and 47. The recess 44 functions as a spring recess to insure 
centralization of compression spring member 48. The recess 47 defines an 
internal shoulder 46 which functions as cable stop for cable stop sleeve 
62. 
Each of the upper and lower load cell elements 24 and 26 is formed to 
define a vertical central passage such as shown at 50 and 52. As is 
evident from FIGS. 4A-4D and FIG. 5, these vertical passages are of 
elongated cross-sectional configuration to thus provide for proper 
retention of side-by-side cable members 54 and 56. Tensile stress is 
applied to the cable 54 and 56 by the compression spring 48. A platform 
washer 58 is received about the cable and is retained by means of a cable 
stop sleeve member 60. A lower cable stop sleeve member 62 is secured to 
the opposite end of the cables 54 and 56 and is maintained in engagement 
with the stop surface 46 by the force applied by the compression spring 
48. The platform washer 58 functions as a stop member for the upper end of 
the compression spring. 
A safety loop 55 is formed with cables 54 and 56 and a retaining bolt 21 
passes through the outer wall of tube 16, through the loop 55, and out the 
other end of tube 16 to secure the spring and load cell mechanisms within 
tube 16. This safety loop ensures that should the delineator post be 
unexpectedly torn or ripped from the base, the spring and load cell 
mechanisms will not be separated from the tube making its recovery more 
probable. 
During assembly the compression spring 48 is initially compressed and the 
upper and lower cable stop sleeves 60 and 62 are swaged onto the cable 
ends and provide stops to maintain the cables under tension. This tension 
maintains the abutment surfaces 28 and 30 in contact thus maintaining the 
upper and lower load cell elements in properly aligned position. The 
abutment surfaces 28 and 30 are disposed in normal relation to the x-axis 
defined by the aligned passages 50 and 52. Thus when the abutment surfaces 
are in contact the passages 50 and 52 and thus the post 16 are vertically 
disposed. This feature causes the delineator post to be properly aligned 
with respect to the base assembly 68. The two cables, thusly tensioned 
extend through the elongated passages 50 and 52 of the upper and lower 
load cell elements along the x-axis and thus ensures that the post 16 
always returns to its original position and the delineation surface of the 
post or its signage remains properly oriented. If the cables were extended 
through a circular passage, the cables could rotate and unwind when 
impacted, thereby releasing the compression on the spring that maintains 
the post rigid and upright. Through employment of dual side-by-side cables 
the load cell is permitted to bend efficiently in any direction at the 
load cell joint defined by the abutment surfaces 28 and 30 and the cables 
54 and 56 are not permitted to unwind. Thus, the spring tension applied to 
the cables always remains constant as long as the positions of the cable 
stop sleeves 60 and 62 remain firmly established. Obviously the cable stop 
sleeves 60 and 62 may be applied to the cables by means other than 
swaging, but, a swaging operation is quite inexpensive and has been found 
to be quite effective. The dual cable arrangement also provides the impact 
recovery delineation system construction with capability of always 
righting itself to substantially the same position that the delineator 
post was in before being impacted. Thus the delineation surface which is 
mounted on a post and oriented to face towards on-coming traffic will not 
be disoriented after the post is impacted. 
Because of the tapered surfaces 32 and 34 the load cell of the delineator 
post system is enabled to readily pivot to the position shown in FIG. 2B 
when the post is impacted. The post can be subjected to an impact force 
from any direction and yet recover substantially to is pre-impacted 
condition. Due to the pivoting displacement of the upper and lower parts 
of the load cell as the result of an impact force, the compression spring 
will become additionally loaded under compression, thereby storing energy 
for subsequent realignment of the upper and lower parts of the load cell. 
Obviously, during such realignment the delineator post is uprighted from 
the position shown in FIG. 2B to the position show in FIG. 1. The 
delineator post can be pivoted in excess of 90.degree. and still return to 
its original upright position. As the load cell is yielded more than 
90.degree. the cables 54 and 56 simply travel further, thereby causing 
further compression of the spring member 48. As long as the spring member 
is not overstressed and the cable stops remain properly positioned the 
delineator post will always return to its upright properly oriented 
position after the impact force has diminished. 
A load cell is illustrated generally at 22 which incorporates an upper load 
cell element 24 and a lower load cell element 26 which is supported by a 
base assembly shown generally at 68. The base assembly 68 incorporates a 
base plate 70 shown in FIGS. 5-7 forming a lower surface 72 that is 
prepared to be bonded to any suitable surface S, such as a roadway 
surface. The base plate 70 forms openings 74 which receive screw or bolt 
members 76 that extend through the lower load cell element 26 and secure 
the load cell element 26 to the base plate. The base plate 70 forms a 
receptacle 78 for the lower portion of the lower load cell 26 which has a 
retention flange 80 that secures and centralizes the lower load cell 
element and permits relative rotational positioning of load cell element 
26 relative to the base assembly 68 to permit rotational adjustment of the 
post 16. The lower load cell element 26 forms a passage 52 of elongated 
cross-sectional configuration to receive the two cable members 54 and 56 
in side-by-side relation. The lower load cell element is thus firmly 
secured by the base assembly 68. 
Both load cell elements 24 and 26 have been significantly improved in the 
present invention by modifying passages 50 and 52 as they exit the load 
cell elements at the flat planar abutment surfaces or faces 28 and 30, 
respectively. In FIGS. 4A-4B and FIG. 5 the passage modifications may be 
seen. Passages 50 and 52 in load cell elements 24 and 26 have a 
cross-section dimensioned in a first direction A slightly greater than a 
single cable diameter and in a second perpendicular direction B slightly 
greater than two cable diameters. When the delineator post system of the 
present invention is positioned along a highway the system is 
preferentially arranged so that traffic runs in direction A as shown in 
FIG. 4C. 
As may be clearly seen in FIGS. 4A-4C, the passage 52 in lower load cell 
element 26 is provided with radiused edges 62 and 64 extending in the 
second perpendicular direction along the flat abutment face 30 of element 
26. The edges 63 and 65 extending in the first direction along the flat 
abutment face 30 are straight or sharp. In the same way passage 50, in 
upper load cell element 24, is provided with radiused edges extending in 
the second perpendicular direction along the flat abutment surface 28 and 
the edges of passage 50 extending in the first direction along the flat 
abutment face 28 are straight or sharp. This unique arrangement of the 
edges of the vertically aligned passages 50 and 52 minimizes the bending 
radius of the cables and thus improves the ability of the post to pivot 
upon impact and to return to its upright position with the post and 
signage in its original orientation with respect to the traffic flow. The 
force required to cause the load cell to pivot horizontally upon impact is 
considerably less than is now required with load cells having straight 
edges in both the first and second directions along the flat abutment 
faces. In a like manner, the compression spring forces more easily upright 
the posts in the present invention. 
Bending or pivoting the post assembly will take place only along the x-axis 
of the delineator post and may occur omnidirectionally by impact from any 
direction. Regardless of the direction from which the delineator post is 
struck it will yield in the manner shown in FIG. 2B. The overall 
improvements of the present invention over existing devices further 
derives from the design of the lower load element 26. Existing devices 
have utilized an outer circumferential flange which runs around the entire 
base of the load cell element. Turning to FIGS. 4A-4D, it may be seen that 
in the present invention that the lower load cell element 26 has the 
general configuration of the frustum of a cone with recesses formed 
thereabout so as to define four retention flanges 80 positioned 
equidistance around the outer circumference of the base 82. Tapering wall 
segments 84 extend from the flat planar abutment face 30 to the base 82 
and are spaced between the retention flanges. The tapering wall segments 
84 are set at 45.degree. from the horizontal and functions to deflect 
forces upwardly to reduce the shearing of the element on impact. The 
greater wall area provided by the present design adds more surface area 
for the distribution of impact energy. The design of element 26 with the 
extended wall segments provide additional structural strength and 
integrity to the element. Element 26 is able to withstand higher energy 
impacts without being damaged than are elements with a continuous 
circumferential retention flange. 
Each of the four retention flanges 80 are provided with openings 61 for 
receiving suitable fasteners to secure element 26 to base plate 70 of 
assembly 68. 
FIG. 4D illustrates a bottom view of element 26 showing passage 52, 
openings 61, and orientation recesses 86. Recesses 86 are positioned along 
the same axis as direction B and are depressions in the bottom of element 
26 adapted to receive orientation lugs 89 or projections on base plate 70. 
Essentially the recesses and lugs facilitate aligning passage 52 in a 
proper orientation with base plate 70 when the delineator system is 
installed on a highway. 
FIG. 5 shows a partial sectional view of the present invention taken along 
line 5--5 of FIG. 3. Base plate 70 is marked with traffic flow indicators 
(arrows) along two of its sloping edges 71 and 72 to indicate to the 
installer the proper orientation of the base assembly 68 on the highway. 
Such an orientation places vertical passages 50 and 52 with the radiused 
edges in the preferred position. 
The present state of the art uses a base which is chemically bonded to the 
surface. Where the base is composed of a polymer material this chemical 
bonding is typically not sufficient to withstand the forces of high speed 
vehicular impacts. 
To provide for mechanical and chemical bonding of polymer delineator bases 
to road surface materials, elongated openings 79 are formed in base plate 
70 and extend from the top 75 of the plate 70 to the bottom 77 of plate 
70. Elongated openings 79 are on the leading and trailing sides of plate 
70. Countersunk rivet openings 81 and upper channel openings 83 are 
intended to allow epoxy or other adhesives placed on the road surface to 
flow from beneath plate 70 up through plate 70 via openings 79, 81, and 83 
to the top surface 75 of the plate 70 and into upper channel 88. When the 
epoxy hardens a multiplicity of rivet-like fasteners are formed to 
mechanically secure the base plate to the surface. Thus the base assembly 
68 is both chemically and mechanically bonded to the surface. FIGS. 6A and 
6B illustrate an elevation view of unitary, one piece plate 70 with 
receptacle 78 for element 26, openings 79, 83, and 81. FIG. 6B is shown in 
section to illustrate the configuration of the recess within which he 
lower load cell element 26 is received. 
An improved epoxy channeling system on the bottom of plate 70 is shown in 
FIG. 7. A series of concentric grooves or rings 85 with interconnecting 
channels 87 is formed in the bottom of plate 70. Epoxy placed on the road 
or highway surface is quickly and evenly distributed to the entire 
underside of plate 70 by the grooves 85 and interconnecting channels 87 
when plate 70 is pressed firmly toward the road surface. Excess epoxy is 
forced upwardly through openings 79, 81, and 83 as previously discussed to 
form epoxy interlocking rivet-like fasteners as described above to form an 
improved bonding and adhesion to the road surface. 
A stand-alone, portable base assembly 90 is illustrated in FIG. 8. A 
flexible base pad 91 which is formed of rubber or any one of a number of 
suitable rubber-like or flexible materials serves as the member in contact 
with the road surface. A stiffener plate 94 is secured to the rubber pad 
91 on the top bottom or within the pad. Pad 91 has a length dimension of 
greater than the width dimension. The base assembly is to be placed 
lengthwise in the direction of traffic flow as shown by the arrow in FIG. 
8. The leading 92 and trailing 93 ends of pad 91 extend significantly 
beyond the respective ends of the stiffener plate to provide the portable 
base with greater flexibility at the ends thereof. The flexible ends of 
the portable base pad are flexible to keep these ends from lifting from 
the road surface when the delineator post system is impacted. The 
flexibility of these ends is sufficient to allow the compression spring 
and load cell mechanism to pivot the post horizontally without lifting the 
leading or trailing edges of the portable base pad from the road surface. 
The primary function of the stiffener plate 94 is to transfer any 
overturning moment from the load cell to some distance away from the load 
cell in order to eliminate the lifting of the vehicle-facing end of base 
and the overturning of the system. The leading 92 and trailing 93 ends of 
pad 91 may be provided with weighting material 100 to provide additional 
counter weight to ensure that the ends of the pad do not lift from the 
roadway surface when the delineation system is impacted. 
The portable base pad is provided with a centrally located recess within 
which the stiffener plate or other load cell connector is located. This 
recess positions the lower portion of the lower load cell below t he upper 
surface of the flexible pad and thus assists the structure in establishing 
a low center of gravity for the load cell and delineator. 
In a suitable embodiment of this invention the lower load cell element 26 
is attached to an elongated, generally rectangular metal stiffener plate 
94 by means of a support plate 95 and fasteners 96 as shown in FIG. 8. 
Base plate 94 is further attached by fastener 97 to pad 91. 
The bottom 98 of pad 91 is provided with a treat pattern to reduce slippage 
or movement of the portable base assembly when it is placed on the road 
surface. 
Referring now to FIG. 9, an alternative embodiment of the present invention 
is illustrated generally at 102 and incorporates a generally rectangular 
elongate flexible portable base 104 which is composed of rubber or any one 
of a number of suitable rubber-like materials. Centrally of the base pad 
104 is defined an opening 106 which intersects a recess 108 provided in 
the lower portion of the base pad 104. A metal stiffener plate 110 is 
positioned within the recess 108 and is secured in position by means of a 
plurality of retainer bolts 112 which are received within threaded 
openings in the stiffener plate. When thus positioned, the stiffener plate 
110 is exposed at the central opening 106. The lower load cell element 26 
is positioned within the opening 106 and is retained in intimate assembly 
with the metal stiffener plate by means of a plurality of bolts 114 that 
extend through the opening 61 of the flanges 80 of the lower load cell. 
The lower load cell 26 is thus recessed within the central opening 106 and 
is located as near the roadway surface as is practical, thus maintaining 
the center of gravity of the portable base assembly very low to thus 
enhance the capability of the portable base to maintain is contact with 
the roadway surface during impact by automotive vehicles. 
It has been determined through testing activities that the elongate 
flexible portable base of this invention should provide a counterbalancing 
force in order to minimize lifting of the vehicle-facing end of the base 
from its support surface thus preventing the vehicle-facing end from being 
contacted by the undercarriage of the vehicle. When so contacted, 
obviously the base structure can be damaged and the undercarriage of the 
vehicle can also suffer damage. As the delineator post is struck by the 
front end of the vehicle it is pivoted downwardly. The force being 
imparted through the delineator post through the portable base tends to 
pivot the base about the end opposite the contact area between the vehicle 
and post. Thus the forces being imparted to the base are both lateral and 
vertical, tending to shift the base in the direction of the vehicle and 
downward as the delineator post is pivoted over during vehicle passage. 
These lateral and downward forces develop a pivot-like activity which 
tends to lift the vehicle-facing end of the base and to force the opposite 
end downwardly. A counterbalancing force to oppose lifting of the 
vehicle-facing end of the base can be achieved in several ways such as by 
providing the ends of the base with additional weight which can be 
attached to the base or combined within the material of the base. 
Additionally, counterbalancing forces can be developed through the 
rubber-like material of the base by appropriately adjusting the thickness 
and length of the base to counterbalance the base lifting forces. 
Additionally, the placement of the central stiffening portion of the base 
together with the location of the load cell is pertinent so as to maintain 
the base assembly with a low center of gravity. Accordingly, the 
"counterbalancing means" as set forth in this application is intended to 
encompass any one or a combination of these features within the spirit and 
scope of the present invention. 
The opposed ends of the flexible base pad 104 extend well beyond the 
respective ends of the metal stiffener plate 108 and may be weighted in 
any suitable manner to maintain the ends of the flexible pad in contact 
with the roadway surface while sufficient force is being imparted to the 
delineator post to actuate the load cell and position the post 
substantially horizontally to permit unhindered vehicle passage. For 
example, the ends of the pads 102 may be loaded with lead shot 116 that is 
impregnated within the elastomeric material of the pad. 
It is therefore clearly evident that the present invention is one well 
adapted to obtain all of the objects and advantages hereinabove set forth 
together with other objects and advantages that are inherent from a 
description of the apparatus itself. 
It will be understood that certain combinations and subcombinations are of 
utility and may be employed without reference to other features and 
subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the 
present invention. 
As many possible embodiments may be made of this invention without 
departing from the spirit and scope thereof it is to be understood that 
all matters hereinabove set forth are shown in the accompanying drawings 
are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense.