ROAD SAFETY BARRIER

Abstract: Road safety barrier, including at its upper side at least one retaining ribbon (1) fixed to supporting posts (3) by means of an energy dissipating structure (2) and at least one lower rail (18) connected at a certain height to said supporting posts (3); said lower rail (18) being connected to said supporting posts (3) through an energy dissipating support (19).

Description: TITLE: ROAD SAFETY BARRIER DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to the safety road barriers, also known as "guard- rails", installed at the sides of roads and communication routes in general. The following description will be referred, in particular, to a safety barrier of the type described in the U.S. Patent No. 5,657,966 including a several ribs retaining ribbon and an energy dissipating supporting structure carried by posts or rods constituted by profiled beams and fixed at the ground near a road side. A set of profiled beams are longitudinally connected to said sustaining posts and at a certain height, which, connected together, constitute the so-called lower rail. The energy dissipating supporting structure includes mainly: an energy damper, a spacing element with parallelogram shape and a disengagement device of the structure from the sustaining posts. These road barriers provided with energy dissipating structures at their upper portion have the object, in the case of impact of a vehicle, of offering a high strength, mainly for the heavier vehicles, an outgoing trajectory from the collision as much as possible near according to the road direction and, at the same time, of absorbing, on the upper retaining ribbon, the impacts of the vehicle portions lying, at the impact moment, at the height of said ribbon. Therefore, although then the barrier is provided at its upper side with an energy dissipating structure, it exhibits some disadvantages, because the lower rail is fixed to the retaining posts through rigid supports and therefore, at the impact moment, it is violently stressed and pushed against said posts, negatively reducing the absorbing and energy dissipating effect of the barrier. This direct impact of the lower rail against the sustaining posts is caused by the lower portions of the vehicle that, during the braking, can easily present themselves below the retaining ribbon, at the impact moment, as for example the wheels. The object of the present invention is therefore to realize a safety road barrier that overcomes the problems of the known barriers and prevents the direct impact of the lower rail against the sustaining posts. This object is achieved by the present invention through a safety road barrier including at its upper side at least one containing ribbon secured to sustaining posts by an energy dissipating structure and at its lower side a lower rail connected at a certain height to said sustaining posts; such lower rail is connected to the sustaining posts by means of an energy dissipating support. According to one aspect of the present invention, this energy dissipating support exhibits some preferred regions of deformation upon compression of the support capable of absorbing the energy during a possible impact. Due to such energy dissipating support then, the road barrier according to the present invention is able to remarkably cushion the impacts also at its lower portion where the lower rail is arranged, preventing its direct contact with the sustaining posts. Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood during the following description, made by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the attached drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows a transversal view, partially in section of the road barrier according to the present invention, including a lower rail provided with energy dissipating support; and Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the energy dissipating support of Figure 1 . With reference to the Figure 1 , a safety road barrier is shown including a longitudinal retaining ribbon 1 with three ribs and connected by means of an energy dissipating, transversal structure 2 to a supporting post 3. Said post 3 is constituted by a profiled beam fixed to the ground 4 and including a vertical, transversal wall 301 and two vertical longitudinal wings 302. The energy dissipating structure 2 is constituted by a damper 5, connected externally to the internal portion of the ribbon 1 , through a fixing element 6 properly shaped and internally to a parallelogram spacing element 7 by a pair of pins 9 and 10. Said spacing element 7 includes two sets of holes 8 and 15 obtained according to the pre-established deforming direction of the barrier in the case of impact of a vehicle against the ribbon 1 and a central window 16. Near the sustaining post 3 the structure 2 includes a disengagement device (not visible in figure) fitted on the post 3 between this last and the spacing element 7. The disengagement element and the spacing element are secured to the post by a pin 11 inserted into a first slot 13, obtained on the vertical, transversal wall 301 of the post 3, and in the first one of the holes 15, and by the pin 12 inserted into a second slot 14 obtained on said wall 301 of the post 3. At the left end, the barrier includes a longitudinal, flat profiled beam 17, secured to the internal border of the spacing element 7. Such barrier includes at its lower side a set of profiled beams that, connected each other, constitute the lower rail 18, arranged in longitudinal direction and connected to the posts 3 of the barrier by dissipating energy supports 19. The lower rail 18 is constituted by a vertical, longitudinal wall 1801 and two longitudinal, horizontal wings 1802. In the figure, there is illustrated an end 20 of a profiled beam of the lower rail 18, this end 20 is characterized by a reduced section with respect to that of the profiled beam and includes a central protrusion 21 , inserting itself into a recess 22 provided on the energy dissipating support 19. The section restriction of the end 20 is provided in order to allow the end of a next profiled beam, included in the lower rail 18, to be superimposed. The energy dissipating support 19 is a section of profiled beam constituted by a vertical, transversal wall 1901 and two horizontal, transversal wings 1902. The lower rail 18 is connected to the support 19 by superimposition of the two longitudinal wings 1802 on the transversal wings 1902 of said support 19 and by subsequent fixing through pins 23. The support 19 is furthermore connected to the post 3 by its vertical, transversal wall 1901 through a pair of pins 24 inserted into relative holes or slots 25 obtained onto said wall 1901 and the longitudinal vertical wall 301 of the post 3. In Fig. 2 the energy dissipating support 19 is illustrated in a perspective view. Apart from the elements already described with reference to Fig. 1 , this support 19 includes, on each of the upper and lower wings 1902, a hole or slot 26 obtained at the fixing pins 23 of the lower rail 18. Preferential regions, deforming under compression, of the support are furthermore provided on the support 19, capable of absorbing the impact energy: such regions are constituted by substantially L-shaped slots 27, each including a first horizontal section 2701 and a second vertical section 2702 obtained respectively on the wings 1902 and the wall 1901 of said support 19. Said slots 27 are positioned in pairs along the body of the support so that the sections 2702 of each pair result vertically aligned on the wall 1901. Such slots 27 have the function of absorbing and dissipating the energy that would originate from a possible crash of a vehicle against the lower rail 18, because the impact, generally violent, will produce the squashing of the support 19 and then its compression near the spaces included between said slots. Note furthermore that, with respect to a normal, direct fixing of a lower rail to the sustaining posts, the support 19 is connected to the wall 301 of the rod, transversally arranged with respect to the longitudinal direction of the retaining ribbon 1 of the barrier. Then, in conclusion, the energy dissipating support for road barriers according to the present invention allows to absorb, through its deformation, in combination with the energy dissipating structure of the retaining ribbon, the impacts suffered by the barrier, by further cushioning the crash and preventing the direct contact of the lower rail against the sustaining posts.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Safety road barrier, including at its upper side at least one retaining ribbon (1 ) secured to sustaining posts (3) by an energy dissipating structure (2) and a lower rail (18) connected, at a certain height, to said sustaining posts (3), characterized in that said lower rail (18) is connected to said sustaining posts (3) through an energy dissipating support (19). 2. Road barrier according to claim 1 , characterized in that said energy dissipating support (19) includes preferred regions (27) of deformation capable of absorbing the impact energy. 3. Road barrier according to claim 1 , characterized in that said energy dissipating support (19) is constituted by a section of profiled beam including at least one vertical transversal wall (1901 ) and at least one horizontal transversal wing (1902). 4. Road barrier according to claims 2 and 3, characterized in that said preferred deformation regions (27) are constituted by essentially "L-shape" slots (27) each including a first section (2701 ) obtained on a wing (1902) of the support (19) and a second section (2702) obtained on the wall (1901 ) of the support (19). 5. Road barrier according to claim 4, characterized in that said slots (27) are arranged on the support (19) in such a way that the respective second sections (2702), obtained on the vertical transversal wall (1901 ), are in pairs corresponding to each other. 6. Road barrier according to claim 3, characterized in that the lower rail (18) includes at least one vertical longitudinal wall (1801 ) and at least one horizontal longitudinal wing (1802) and is secured to the support (19) through superimposing and fixing of said wing (1802) to the wing (1902) of said support (19). 7. Road barrier according to claim 6, characterized in that the lower rail (18) is constituted by sections of profiled beams connected each other and provided with at least one end (20) with a reduced section including internally a protrusion (21 ), the transversal wall (1901 ) of the support (19) being provided with a recess (22) for housing said protrusion (21 ). 8. Road barrier according to claim 3, characterized in that said vertical transversal wall (1901 ) of the support is secured to a vertical transversal wall (301 ) of the sustaining posts (3).

Inventors: CICINNATI LUIGI, CICINNATI, LUIGI
Applicants: CICINNATI LUIGI, FRACASSO METALMECCANICA, CICINNATI, LUIGI, METALMECCANICA FRACASSO S.P.A.
Application year: 2001
Main classification: E01F15
IPC codes: E01F15