Patent Publication Number: US-2012037865-A1

Title: Vehicle restraint system

Description:
The invention relates to a vehicle restraint system for delimiting roadways according to the features in the preamble of claim  1 . 
     A vehicle restraint system for delimiting roadways is state-of-the-art according to DE 38 27 030 C2. The vehicle restraint system is formed by a strand of guide barriers placed one after the other. Each guide barrier has a housing-like base body which can be set up on the ground. Typically, a guide rail is arranged above the base body. In the conventional structure, the guide rail and the base body are connected by posts having a sigma-shaped horizontal cross-section. 
     DE 199 35 566 A1 also discloses a vehicle restraint system with a base body that can be set up on the ground. Support plates oriented outwardly from the ride-up plates are arranged on the base body. Angle irons which extend in the longitudinal direction of the base body are arranged below the support plates. Several profile bodies which are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction and made of plastic-covered rubber are arranged on the angle irons. 
     EP 1 650 353 A2 discloses a concrete wall element for a vehicle restraint system on roadways. Support elements are provided on opposite longitudinal sides in the support region at least partially along the length of the wall element, with the support elements being friction-locked with the wall element. Elastic bearing elements, preferably made of an elastomer, are inserted in the support elements. On one hand, the bearing elements elastically support the wall element, thereby preventing the wall element from being pressed into the ground or foundation, for example an asphalt pavement, when the asphalt pavement becomes hot and soft during the summer. The bearing elements also increase friction which opposes displacement of the wall element during a side impact of the automobile with an increased resistance. This embodiment is complex with respect to manufacture as well as handling. 
     In DE 40 32 731 A1, the pedestals arranged underneath the base body are provided with a friction-enhancing, for example at least partially serrated bottom side which grips the roadway. However, this has disadvantages in practical applications depending on the subsurface. 
     DE 93 01 089 U1 describes a traffic-guiding barrier made of concrete or reinforced concrete with an upright guide body and support flanks on both sides. The support flanks are constructed as wedge-shaped flanks with ramps leveling of at an acute angle, which are connected with the guide body with a friction lock and a form lock. The impact flanks may be constructed, for example, of rubber. 
     DE 195 39 274 C2 discloses a conventional vehicle restraint system with a housing-type base body which is supported on the ground on runners, wherein friction-enhancing means are provided on the bottom sides of the runners. 
     In DE 299 08 299 U1, the friction-enhancing means are formed as preferably one-piece shoes made of an elastomer, in particular rubber or polyurethane, which can be connected with the runners and formfittingly surround the runners from undeneath. The shoes are connected with the runners via a one-piece locking pins formed on the shoe, which engage in the recesses in the bottom plate of the runners. However, it has been observed that the locking pin tends to shear off during transverse displacement after an impact. Exchanging and replacing a shoe underneath the runner is relatively complicated. 
     Starting from the present state-of-the-art, it is therefore the object of the invention to provide a vehicle restraint system with a high resistance against transverse displacement of the guide rails which is easier to implement. 
     The object is solved according to the invention with a vehicle restraint system having the features of claim  1 . 
     Advantageous embodiments and improvements of the basic concept of the invention are recited in the dependent claims  2  to  14 . 
     The base body of a guide rail of the vehicle restraint system is set up on the ground on pedestals. According to the invention, the pedestal includes a metallic main body and an elastomer body connected with the main body and facing the ground. The pedestal is detachably fastened on the base body with a connecting element, wherein the connecting element cooperates with an abutment on the main body of the pedestal. Level equalization, in particular with uneven terrain, can be realized with the pedestal and the elastomer body facing the ground. In addition, the elastomer body has a high friction resistance, increasing the friction between the pavement and the vehicle restraint system. 
     With the embodiment according to the invention, water can drain from underneath the vehicle restraint system. A separate structural water passages are not required. 
     Also advantageous is the detachable attachment of the pedestals on the base body. This allows simple installation and more particularly easy exchange of the pedestals in the event of damage. More particularly, the connecting element is also externally accessible, so that the pedestals can be easily installed and removed. 
     The main body and the elastomer body of the pedestals are intimately and fixedly connected with each other, in particular by vulcanization. The metallic surfaces of the main body which are intimately connected with the elastomer during vulcanization ensure reliable force transmission. 
     Preferably, the connecting element is a threaded bolt while the abutment is a threaded bore in the main body. The threaded bolt can be screwed from the outside into the threaded bore of the pedestal arranged underneath the base body. Alternatively, the connecting element may be a threaded nut, wherein the abutment is a threaded bolt (stud bolt) on the main body. 
     Advantageously, the ratio of the thickness of the base body to the thickness of the elastomer body is between 1:1 and 1:10. Preferably, the ratio of the thickness of the base body to the thickness of the elastomer body is between 1:2.5 and 1:5. 
     The pedestals can be manufactured in large quantities. In practice, the base body is made of steel and the elastomer body of rubber. In particular, so-called rubber-metal elements can be used as pedestals. For applications in vehicle restraint systems, rubber-metal elements with an elastomer body having a hardness of at least 50 Shore are particularly suitable. Shore hardness is defined as the resistance against incursion of a body of a predetermined shape under a defined force. The Shore-hardness scale has a range from 0 to 100. 
     For practical applications, pedestals also advantageous which have a circular horizontal cross-section, wherein the abutment is arranged in the center of the main body. This simple but pragmatic embodiment ensures compact pedestals with uniform and identical lifting capabilities and stable force transmission on all sides, which particularly withstands the force applied during transverse displacement of the vehicle restraint system following an impact. Advantageously, the main body and the elastomer body have identical horizontal cross sections. 
     Advantageously, the pedestals are arranged underneath runners extending transversely underneath the base body. In this embodiment, a corresponding pedestal is arranged on each end section of the runner. The vehicle restraint system is thereby elevated, but more stable due to the level equalization provided by the pedestals. In particular, coupling of the base body or the guide barriers with each other is also easier and more stable with uneven terrain. The pedestals and the resulting higher position of the base body also ensure good water drainage underneath the vehicle restraint system. Additional or separated water passageways are not required. 
     The embodiment of a vehicle restraint system according to the invention is particularly advantageous when additional weighting bodies made of, for example, concrete are arranged in the base body. It has been observed that such vehicle restraint system attains a high resistance against transverse displacement, while still having a defined yieldability in the event of an impact. 
     Preferably, the runners of the base body have slots arranged transversely to the guide rails. These slots are configured to receive the mounting bolts of the pedestals and realize a first energy dissipation through transverse displace ent of the base body on the slots in the event of a collision with an automobile. The base body hereby slides across the slots until reaching a stop. The pedestals remain in place on the ground during this process. This variant prevents the vehicle occupants from being exposed to impermissibly high forces due to acceleration caused by the coalition. These acceleration forces are measured, for example, by the ASI value (Acceleration Severity Index). 
    
    
     
       The invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the drawings, which show in: 
         FIG. 1  a front view on the base body of a guide barrier of a vehicle restraint system; 
         FIG. 2  the base body in a longitudinal cross-section taken along the line A-A of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  a cross-section through the illustration of  FIG. 2  taken along the line B-B; 
         FIG. 4  in a perspective diagram, the end section of the base body of a guide barrier viewed at an angle from below; 
         FIG. 5  a vertical cross-section through the base body in the region of a bottom-side runner; 
         FIG. 6  in a side view, a runner and a pedestal with mounting means in an exploded diagram; 
         FIG. 7  the diagram of  FIG. 6  after installation of the components; 
         FIG. 8  a perspective view at an angle from below onto a runner with installed pedestals; 
         FIG. 9  in a vertical cross-section a first embodiment of a pedestal; 
         FIG. 10  in a vertical cross-section a second embodiment of a pedestal; and 
         FIG. 11  a runner in a perspective view with slots. 
     
    
    
     A vehicle restraint system for delimiting a roadway according to the invention is described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 5 . The vehicle restraint system is composed of guide rails  1  which are detachably arranged one after the other. Each guide rail has a housing-like base body  3  which can be set up on the ground  2 , with roof-shaped sloped side ride-up plates  4 ,  5 , a cover plate  6  connecting the upper longitudinal edges of the ride-up plates  4 ,  5 , and support plates  7 ,  8  which extend from the base body  3  outwardly and are arranged on the lower longitudinal edges of the ride-up plates  4 ,  5 . The edge sections  9  of the support plates  7 ,  8  are folded slightly downwardly. Each of the ends of the base body  3  is closed with an end plate  10 ,  11 , wherein coupling elements  12 ,  13  for connecting the base bodies  3  with each other in the longitudinal direction are arranged on the end plates  10 ,  11 . The coupling elements are formed, on one hand, by insertion pockets  12  and, on the other hand, by insertion brackets  13  configured to engage with one another. 
     Above the base body  3 , an unillustrated guide barrier may be installed directly vertically on the base body  3  or with a spacing from the base body  3  by using tension rods in form of threaded rods. The tension rods are inserted into the base body  3  through the guide rail and through the cover plate  6 , where they are tensioned in an abutment  14  consisting of an abutment plate  15  and a threaded nut  16  disposed in the base body  3 . 
     To enhance the stability and the resistance against transverse displacement in the event of an impact, the base body  3  can be weighted down. For this purpose, weighting bodies  17  can be positioned in the base body  3 . The weighting bodies  17  of made, in particular, from concrete and are arranged on ground-facing longitudinal rails  18 . 
     As shown particularly in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , runners  19  oriented transversely to the longitudinal extent of the base body  3  are installed underneath the base body  3 . Each runner  19  has a horizontal bottom plate  20  and vertically upwardly oriented sidewalls  21 . The runners  19  extend in the transverse direction underneath the base body across its width. A pedestal  24  is mounted underneath the runners  19  on each end section  22 ,  23  of the runner  19  ( FIG. 8 ). 
     Rubber-metal elements are used as pedestal  24  (see also  FIG. 9 ) which have a metallic circular plate-shaped main body  25  made of steel and a ground-facing elastomer body  26  made of a rubber which is fixedly fastened to the main body  25 . As more particularly shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the pedestals  24  are detachably attached underneath the runners with connecting elements  37 . The connecting element  27  includes a threaded bolt  28  which cooperates with an abutment  29  in form of a threaded bore  30  on the main body  25 . For this purpose, the threaded bolt  28  is screwed from above through the concrete plate  20  into the threaded bore  30  on the main body  25  of the pedestal  24  and incorporates a washer  31 . 
     Another embodiment of a pedestal  32  is illustrated in  FIG. 10 . The abutment  29  on the main body  25  is here formed by a threaded bolt  33  projecting upwardly from the main body  25 . In this case, the connecting element  27  is a (schematically indicated) threaded nut  34 , which is screwed on the threaded bolt  33  from above and tensions the pedestal  32  with the base body  3  or the runner  19 . 
     The elastomer body  26  has a hardness of at least 50 Shore, preferably 55 Shore to 70 Shore. 
     The main body  25  has a thickness D G  and the elastomer body  26  has a thickness D E . The ratio of the thickness D G  of the main body  25  to the thickness D E  of the elastomer body  26  is between 1:1 and 1:10, in particular between 1:2.5 and 1:5. 
     As can be seen, the pedestals  24 ,  32  have a circular horizontal cross-section and the abutment  29  is arranged in the center of the main body  25 , wherein the main body  25  and the elastomer body  26  have matching horizontal cross sections. 
     As can be further seen from  FIGS. 2 ,  4  and  5 , each of the ends of the longitudinal rails  18  arranged underneath the weighting bodies  17  protrudes from the weighting body  17 . The ends  35  of the longitudinal rails  18  grip underneath the bottom plate  20  of the runner  19 , where they are screwed to the runners  19 . 
       FIG. 11  shows a perspective view of a runner  19  with slots  36  which extend both in a central region in the direction of the guide barrier  1  and in lateral regions transversely to the guide barrier  1 . The pedestals  24  are screwed to the threaded bolts  28  in the slots  36  disposed in the lateral regions. 
     LIST OF REFERENCES SYMBOLS 
     
         
           1  Guide barrier 
           2  Ground 
           3  Base body 
           4  Ride-up plate 
           5  Ride-up plate 
           6  Cover plate 
           7  Support plate 
           8  Support plate 
           9  Edge section 
           10  End plate 
           11  End plate 
           12  Coupling element 
           13  Coupling element 
           14  Abutment 
           15  Abutment plate 
           16  Threaded nut 
           17  Weighting body 
           18  Longitudinal rail 
           19  Runner 
           20  Bottom plate 
           21  Sidewall 
           22  End section 
           23  End section 
           24  Pedestal 
           25  Main body 
           26  Elastomer body 
           27  Connecting element 
           28  Threaded bolt 
           29  Abutment 
           30  Threaded bore 
           31  Washer 
           32  Pedestal 
           33  Threaded bolt 
           34  Threaded nut 
           35  End of  18   
           36  Slot 
         D G  Thickness of  25   
         D E  Thickness of  26