A PANEL

Abstract: For a wasteless elimination of used plastic bottles, the elimination procedure being based on creation of barriers, especially safety barriers, there is designed a panel consisting of resilient hollow columns (13), the columns (13) comprising a pile of tubes (11) furnished with at least one cross baffle (15) and inserted one into the other and assembled, side by side, at least in one row and mutually interconnected into an integral body. The tubes (11) are made of plastic bottles with removed neck pieces (14). The neck piece (14) may be inserted in the bottle body when turned around about 180 DEG with respect to the original position on the bottle body. The assembly of columns (13) is seated in a casing (20) having elastic walls.

Description: A PA NEL Technical Field The invention relates to a panel, especial y to a panel for barriers of various types and aore especi lly for safety barriers for a wide range of sport events. Background of the Invention There exists a wide range of sports and par icular events therein, manifesting high-speed performances by competitors or even recreational participants. Present systems providing for safety during such sport events for sportsmen, officials and spectators as well are not sufficient no matter how the problem is handled in each of the sports. Safety systems applied in motor sports are based on escape zones, generall covered by sand. which are Lo decelerate a movement of a car or a driver in such a matter, that an impact against a solid barrier shall be of no danger. As solid barriers there are used concrete walls or steel guardrails, which along turns and other dangerous parts are usually l ined with a material that is to damp the impact. In most cases there are applied used tyres arranged in piles, oa -polyurethan or air-cushion mattrasses resp. , sometimes ust blocks of pressed straw. Due to very high speeds. achieved in sp te of efforts to build tracks the parameters of which should prevent them, escape zones are not effective enough and a moving body hits a barrier separating the track from spectator area at a speed which is dangerous for the driver s health and even for those who are behind such a barrier Moreover on any tracks there are places where the escape zones are so small that any consecutive impact happens at full s p eed of the moving body. Experiences show that no known l i n i ng of solid walls is fully effective and offers only a very limited protection Due to elasticity of the material of exis ing protection means the impact is damped onl temporarily, as the accumulated impact energy acts back and the vehicle or the human body, as the case may be. is thrown back on a track The return impulse thus increases the load appl led to the human body and therefore a danger of a severe injury Speedway competitions feature even more dangerous conditions. The tracks are separated from stands only by wooden barriers and as there are no escape zones a fal l of a rider represents a direct danger of an impact against a rigid, nonelastic wall . The situation is not better in other sports where competitors perform at rather high speeds, as is the case with cycl ing or skiing. In races performed on regular roads and streets there is no protection in steep, down-going passages. ProLecLing nets used in downhi l skiing may trap a ski and, if the binding does not act immediately, the skier is in a great jeopardy. Moreover, along or even inside ski pistes there are placed cableway towers, skI - tow poles, poles carrying safety nets and there exist other natural and artificial obstacles. In finish a>reΛ there are located time-keeping equipment and other facilities The present protection by means of foam-polyurethan cushions, air- fences or by any other elastic means, present the same danger as discussed above for motorsport, as the human body is thrown back at a relatively hi h speed. It is an object of the invention to create a safety barrier capable of damping the impact energy in such an extent that a collision with a so d obstacle shall be of no or very li tle danger to a human body and a damage to a vehicle shall be l imited as much as possible. It is a further object of the invention to utilize a waste material for the purpose. Disclosure and Object of the Invention The forego ng problems are sol ed by a panel for barriers in accordance with the present invention, the panel niprtsing rpsi 1 IPIII, h l l w '*olιιlπs the .-n1 iιmrι*=_ being assembled. side bv si e -it least inl.n one row .and mutually interconnected into an integral hodv each column comprising pi le of Lubes inserted one into the other and furnished with at leas! one cross b ffle In a preferred embodiment the tube is formed by a pl.ast.ic bottle with removed neck part.. the neck part, hoinq inserted into the bottle when turned round about 1R ° wi h respect to the ori in l position on the bottle body Further in accordance with the present invention the column assembl is seated in a casing having elastic walls The walls. preferabl side w l ls may be pro ided with at least one vent The casing may be lso furnished with at least one inside wall arranged spaced from and pi anparalel 1 wi h the housing side walls In a specific preferred embodiment the columns are placed horizontal ly, in at least two layers. the assembly being at the front face equipped with at least one face row of vertically arranged columns, provided the axis of the horizontally arranged columns are substantially perpendic lar to the face of the assembly In another preferred embodiment, the columns are supported by a frame and may be. at least partially, fil ed with soil and/or water According one aspect of the invention there is provided a panel manifesting signi icantly high rate of damping of impacts occur ing under any angle This effect is due to the ability of the panel to absorb the impact in such a rate that a rebound is minimal and nevertheless without fully exhausting its damping potential Very easy mounting and dismounting of a barrier consisting of the panels a low for appl ications on tracks which usually serve for other purposes e i for a regular traffic The panel is suitable for appl ications in .a large variet y of sports especially sports where high speeds are involved Easy installation along sections of roads or tracks wi th a steep decl ine, or anyhow dangerous, capital ize on a l w weight of the panel Dismantl ing the whole barrier after an event. transport to another* pl.irp and re^rr..nqe_it*nl. i ri a short t 1me . even 1 thin one day 1 s eas11 fea 1 b 1 According another aspect, of I,he invention there i s presented a wasteless el iminati n of used empty pl.as i-* bottles. Plastic bottles used in .a food industry as beverage containers. present a great problem for ecology of the environment, especial ly as they are> appl i ed in an ever growing rate The m ioπty of bottles used for* the purpose are not to be returned as costs for cleaning of used bottles are higher than cost prices for new ones Present recycl ing procedures demand costly equipment and therefore are for al l beverage producers economically not efficient. The invention presents direct util ization of the bottles requiring only very simple amendment. Brief Descr ion of the Drawings By way of embodiment examples the invention wi l l be now described wi h reference to the accompanying drawing. Fig. 1 shows a plastic bottle with a marked l ine to cut off the the neck part. Fig. 2 illustrates pi l ing of the plastic bottle bod es into columns, the columns farming the ba c element of the panel. Fig. 3 shows a panel in a preferred embodiment with a partially uncovered casing. the panel leaning against a guard- wall , as presented i a perspec ive view. Fig. 4 offers a side view on columns in an arrangement designed for car racing courses, while Fig. 5 presents a side view on columns in an arrangement designed for motorcycle events and other sports. Fig. 6 gives a view upon one completed panel with marked inside wall and Fig. 7 shows panel blocks arranged in a barrier. Fig. 8 presents one panel block for art appl lcat ion in a speedway racing, and Fig. 9 illustrates a arrangement of a barrier for the speedway. Fig. 10 presents simple panel for a no se-da ping barrier and Fig. 11 shows an assembled noise-dampi ng barrier in a cross-out view. Desc iption of Preferred Embodiments Referring to Fig. 1 , there is shown a plastic bottle generally used for distribution of nonalcoholic drinks, e. i . a bottle having volume of 2.0 l iters and a diameter of lOO mm. The bottle, known as a PET-bottle, constitutes a basic element of the solution described below. The s id bottle is amended as shown on the Fig 1 From a cyl indrical bottle body \_ there is removed a neck part 4. The modified bott.le bodies 1 are then set.-up five deep into column elements 3. 1ongi tunid l 1 y secured by a self-adhes ve polyethylene tape. The column elements _ were assembled side by side in two rows, and the assembly was again fixed by the self-adhesive polyethyl ne tape The assembly forms a basic panel having width of lOOO mm. depth 200 mm and height tOOO mm. The over-al l dimensions are iven by the type and number of assembled bottles. The shape of the panel depends upon the application. To increase the rigidity of the whole assembly it is useful to nsert the cut-off neck part 4, turned around by 180° with respect to the original position, into the bottle body _1_. The inserted neck part 4 together with the bottle bottom _5_ consti utes column ^3_ cross partitions. The whole material of a plastic bottle can be consumed without any waste The bottle body _1_ lay be also provided with perforations Z_, located in the upper half of its height, or in the bottle bottom 5. depending upon the appropri te application. Dimensions and shapes of employed bottles are not vital, they influence only basic dimensions of the assembled panel, or as the case may be, they define the number of bottles necessary for creation of a panel of required dimensions. Generally speaking the panel 1_0_ in accordance with the invention comprises hollow columns 13. arranged side by side in such a way that their axes are parallel and a acent columns 1_3_ are in a mutual longitudinal contact. Individual columns 13 are substantially formed by the one into the next one inserted tubes 11. equipped with cross ba fl s 1 •*•) I he b<if t i p*; increasing mechanical stiffness ot the columns 13 and providing for functions described below The tubes 1_1_ are made of a resil ient material al lowing for deformation of the walls of the tubes 11 and simultaneously capable of assuming the original shape There can be used tubes J_1_ manufactured ust for this purpose but it s efficient to util ize the above described design where the tubes V*. *re made of cyl indrical bottle bodies _1_ and the cross baffles 15 are constituted by the bottle bottoms 5 and by the neck parts 4 inserted in the bottle bodies _1_ The above discussed panels are used as fill ing of damping barriers l ike safety barriers along racing tracks or noise-damping walls. A safety barrier designed according to the invention consists of blocks, each of them being a single unit, which are put together into a final set. e i one beside the other or one behind the other or one above the other, as the case may be, with respect to the current need. The embodiment can be seen from Figs. 3 and 4. One block is formed of a deformable panel 10 seated in a casing 2Q of an elastic material , eg plastic textile The arrangement of panel columns 13 depends upon an application of the barrier For motorcycle competitions and for other sports where a body which may hit the barrier, such as a human body, or a machine, wei hs pprox lOO kg and the speed at which it is moving is approx lOO km/hr or less the columns 13 are placed vertically, as seen from Fig 5 For car races, featuring higher masses and higher impact speeds, the columns 1_3 are arranged horizontally their axes being perpendic lar to the assembly face For this appl ication the panel 1_0_ is furnished with a face row V? of columns 1_3, having their axes vertical , as can be seen from Figs 3 and 4 The same panel 1_0 can be employed for both the above mentioned appl ications, just turning it by 90 0 in a direction perpendicular to the assembly face The shape of the casing 2Q copies the outside shape of the pan l 1O As the columns 13 are mostly arranged in a square or a triangle pattern, the casing 20 has a shape of a right paral lelepiped. but in general it can be of any shape given by the arrangement of the columns 13. The side walls of the casing 20 are equipped with vents 21. The vents \ may be performed in different ways. In the shown embodiment there are presented openings arranged in one l ine To improve mechanical rigidity and the shape stability, especially during manipulation with the blocks and transport to a site, the casing 2Q is furnished with at least one inside wall 22 extending planparal lei 1y with and spaced from the side walls. The number of the inside walls 22 depends upon the width of the block face wall, the face wall being the wall facing the direction from where an impact may occur. The cas ng 2Q can be made in such a way, that one wall serves as a lid, the edges of which overlap the ad-jacent walls, and are mechanically attached to the walls by known means. For applications like a speedway or cycling, velcro fasteners 23 meet the demand. As shown in Fig.6 each block is at the lower part of the face wall provided ith an rein orcement band 24. one end of which overlaps the band of the adjacent block. Both matching parts are furnished with engaging parts of a velcro fastener 23. After positioning the blocks side by side along the protected track section, a free end of the reinforcement band 24 of one block is pressed against the firm end of the reinforcement band 24 of the ad 7 acent block, thus providing for a mutual connection of the adjacent blocks and the whole barrier respectively. To a solid protecting wall _26. such as a concrete wall or a steel fender constitu ing, a support for the safety barrier. each block may be fastened, eg by means of a cuff 27 extending along a rear upper edge of the block or by means of connecting eyes 28 The man fested damping ability of the barrier is due to the time subsequence of activities of the whole system of air-cushions comprised within each block, accompanied by simultaneously cooperating mechanical features of t.he panel IQ assembly. The mechanic l deformation of a block caused by an impact, and a consequently following escaping of the air from the block inside space does not happen at the same time. The compression of the block provokes gradual leaking of the air. at first out of free spaces between adjacent columns 13 and then from inside of the individual columns 13 themselves as they are subsequently deformed. The air is getting out through the vents 2_\ . in a l imited amount also through seams of the casing 2Q . The delay in time in which the air leaks from various inside spaces of each block is due to different permeabil ity of the leakage routes and also due to a l imited yielding of the material of the columns 13. The accompl ished crash tests have proved that the barrier assembled from above described blocks is fully capable not only to damp a direct impact but dissipate the impact energy in such a rate that there is no rebound to throw the impacting body back. Untill mow such a rebound represents a great danger for a human body, with respect to the overload to which it is exposed in a forward and consequently in a backward direction. The column face row 17, as arranged perpendicular to other columns 13 of each panel 1O, improves absorption of the first phase of an impact. The above discussed embodiments comprise a block in a shape of a regular hexahedron, the walls of which are regular quadrangles, such as a rectangle or a square. The block walls may nevertheless also have other shapes. eg cyl indrical ones, or even substantially more compl icated shapes, especially as far as side walls are concerned, which may help to improve mutual interconnection of the ad j acent blocks thus i proving the barrier stabi l ity or to improve a fit of the blocks into the covered object. 1 ike a pole . Another appl ication of the barrier according the invention are noise-dampi ng walls placed along roads and allowing for decrease of noise level in dwelling centers in the vicinity of requented rout.es For this purpose the panels were assembled as follows. A bottorn layer was formed by a set of ten rows of column element 3 . each of them comprising five bottle bodies _1_. thus making a unit with dimensions 10OO ?< 10OO x 1OOO mm. Then goes a middle layer of six column rows of the same column elements 3 On the top there is a set of two column rows. A complete assembly constitutes one section of the said wall having a triangle cross-section as shown in Fig. 11. The staggered front and rear wall may be flattened by adding appropriate number of the bottle bodies 1 as can be seen from Fig. 11. The complete unit covering an 1 x 1 m area and having a height of approxim tely 3 m is fixed with a flexible net of plastics. At the site the sections are seated into supporting frames 3Q anchored in the ground. The upper bottle bodies _ may be fi lled with a soil providing for a better stability of the wall and llo ing to grow suitable plants which would improve an aesthetic appearance of the noise-damping wall. The system of arrangement of the column elements 3_ is unimportant, they may be set in a square or a triangle pattern and connected in a unit by an adhesive or mechanical means. A space between the column elements _3_ may be also loaded with an adhesive filler of foam t pe. Each above described panel or- block may be also produced of another material, such as plastic tubes, manufactured as such for this purpose. Industrial applications The invention is designed for wasteless elimination of used plastic bottles, the el imination procedure being based on creation of barriers for various applications especially barriers for racing courses and for truck mounted attenuators used on roads under construction. The panel is also designed for safety barriers for other sports, such as cycl ing and ski ing.

Claims: C L A I M S 1 A panel , especial ly a panel for barriers of various types and more especi lly for safety barriers for a wide range of sport events. c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n. that it comprises resi l ient hollow columns ( 13) , the columns ( 13 ) comprising a pile of tubes ( 11) furnished with at least one cross baffle (5) and inserted one into the other, are assembled, side by side, at least in one row and mutually interconnected into an integral body 2. A panel for barriers according to claim 1. c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n. that the assembly of columns ( 13) is seated in a casing (20) having elastic w l Is. 3. A panel for barriers according to claim 1 or 2. c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n. that the tube ( 11) is made of a plastic bottle with removed neck part (4) . 4. A panel for barriers accord ng to claim 3. c h a r a c t e r i z e d n. that the plastic bottle body ( 1 ) is furnished with a neck part (4) inserted when turned round about 180° with respect to the original posl t ion on the bott 1e body ( 1 ) . 5. A panel for barriers according to claim 1. c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n. that the columns ( 13 ) are arranged horizontally, in at least two rows one above the other, the assembly being at the face equipped with at least one face row ( 17) of vertically arranged columns ( 13). provided the axes of the horizontally arranged columns ( 13) are substantiall perpendicular to the face of the whole assembly. 6. A panel for barriers according to clai 2. c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n. that the housing (20) is equipped with at least one vent (21) . 7. A panel for barriers according to claim 6. c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n. that the vents (21) are located at the housing ( 20) side w lls. 8. A panel for barriers accord ng to claim 2 or 6 or 7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n, that the housing (20) is furnished with at least one inside wall (22) arranged spaced from and pi npara1el 1y with the housing (20) side wal 1 . 9. A panel for barr ers accord ng to claim 1 or 3 or 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n. that the columns ( 13) are supported by a frame (29) . 10. A panel for barriers according to claim 1 or 9, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n, that the columns (3) are at least partially filled with soil and/or water.

Inventors: HANULIAK ALOJZ, HANULIAK, ALOJZ
Applicants: HANULIAK ALOJZ, HANULIAK, ALOJZ
Application year: 1995
Main classification: E01F15
IPC codes: E01F8, E01F15