Abstract:
A stackable roadside barrier ( 10 ) has an open base ( 12 ) and a closed top ( 18 ), and front and rear walls ( 14, 16 ) and end walls ( 20, 22 ). The front and rear walls ( 14, 16 ) and/or end walls ( 20, 22 ) taper from the open end to the closed end to allow one barrier to nest within another similar barrier. The barrier includes at least one open channel or the like defined at or near the base of the barrier, adjacent the front and/or rear walls of the barrier for receiving ballast such as sand or gravel either in bags or loose.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority from Australian provisional patent application No 2014900879 filed on 14 Mar. 2014, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    This invention relates to a barrier, particularly a roadside or road barrier. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Roadside barriers are commonly used to separate vehicles from areas where it is intended that the vehicles should not be. They are sometimes used as a barrier between lines of traffic moving in opposed directions, to block off closed roads and to keep traffic away from specific areas on a site. 
         [0004]    Current road barriers are typically made of reinforced concrete or plastic. Concrete barriers have the advantage that they are very heavy and solid and do not move much, if at all when struck with a vehicle, but being heavy are expensive and difficult to move to position requiring a specialised heavy duty vehicle equipped with a lifting crane. 
         [0005]    Consequently plastic roadside barriers such as those described in AU 2004202914 were developed. These have been typically moulded in polyethylene and are hollow and designed to be filled with water as ballast, as required, to provide additional mass to the barrier to resist movement of the barrier due to vehicle impact, wind or the like. Some barriers include internal steel reinforcing to improve the rigidity of the barrier, which also increases their weight. Roadside barriers are still quite bulky so freight costs are an issue when they are transported to site, although they can be easily handled by two persons without the need for specialist lifting gear. Also in some remote areas, it can be difficult to find water to act as a ballast and where water is available, supply may be limited. 
         [0006]    The present invention aims to address at least some of the issues of the prior art and provide an improved roadside barrier. 
         [0007]    Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present disclosure as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application. 
         [0008]    Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0009]    In a first broad aspect the present invention provides a stackable roadside barrier defining an open channel at its base for receiving ballast typically in the form of sand, soil, gravel or the like. 
         [0010]    More specifically in one aspect the present provides a roadside barrier, having an open end, typically at its base, a closed end typically at its top, and front and rear walls, the front and rear walls and/or end walls tapering from the open end to the closed end to allow one barrier to nest within another similar bather in use, and including at least one open channel or the like defined at or near the base of the barrier, adjacent one face of the bather for receiving ballast such as sand or gravel or the like. 
         [0011]    Advantageously the barriers are easier and cheaper to transport than existing barriers but can still be weighed down by ballast in the channels and, in particular, may be used in remote areas where water supplies are limited. The ballast may be provided in the form of sand bags, or simply may be loose and shovelled into the channels 
         [0012]    Typically the barrier will be moulded in polyethylene although other suitable plastics materials may be used. 
         [0013]    Typically one channel extends along the front wall of the barrier and a second channel extends along the rear wall of the barrier. Typically the channels will include walls having a height measured from the base of the bather typically be in the range of typically be in the range of 50 to 150 mm, more preferably 80 to 120 mm most typically about 100 mm. 
         [0014]    Typically the average width of the channels will be in the range of 50 to 250 mm, more preferably 100 to 200 mm, most preferably 150 to 200 mm. 
         [0015]    The volume of the channels needs to be sufficient to hold enough ballast to prevent the barrier from moving due to wind or the like. Typically each channel may have a volume of from 5 to 20 litres, most typically in the order of 5 to 10 litres. 
         [0016]    It is preferred that both the end walls and the front and rear walls of the barrier are tapered. 
         [0017]    Typically the bather will define two pairs of apertures for receiving the tines of a fork lift, one pair located at the base of the bather and one pair at the top of the barrier. 
         [0018]    In a preferred feature a hook is provided at the base of one end wall of the barrier and a cut out for receiving such a hook is defined at the base of the opposite end wall. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    A specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:— 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a roadside barrier; 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  shows a front view of the bather of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  shows a top plan view of the barrier of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  shows an end view of the bather of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  shows a further perspective view of the bather of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  shows a plurality of barriers such as that shown in  FIG. 1 , stacked one on top of another; 
           [0026]      FIG. 7  shows a top plan view of a second embodiment of a roadside barrier; 
           [0027]      FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of the roadside bather of  FIG. 7 ; and 
           [0028]      FIG. 9  is a schematic cross-section through the barrier of  FIG. 7 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0029]      FIGS. 1 to 5  of the drawings show a roadside barrier  10 . The barrier has a base  12 , front and rear walls  14 ,  16 , a top  18  and end walls  20 ,  22 . The base  12  is open. As is best seen in  FIG. 3 , the front and rear walls  20  and  22  taper towards each other as they extend from the base to the top of the bather. Likewise, as seen in  FIG. 2 , the end walls  20 ,  22  also taper towards each other as they extend from the base to the top. Because of the tapering walls and the open base, the bathers may be stacked with the barriers nesting one inside the other as shown in  FIG. 6 . This nesting of the barriers may be used to increase the number of barriers that may be transported in a given space by reducing the volume of space that the barriers occupy. 
         [0030]    As is best seen in  FIG. 1 , open troughs/channels  30 ,  32  extend along the front  16  and rear  14  of the barrier, respectively. The height h of the walls  34 ,  36  of the channels measured from the base may vary but will typically be in the range of 50 to 150 mm, most typically about 100 mm as is the embodiment shown. The volume of the channels needs to be sufficient to hold enough ballast to prevent the barrier from moving due to wind or the like. Each channel may have a volume of from 5 to 20 litres, most typically in the order of 5 to 10 litre. In the embodiment shown, the volume of each side channel is 7.3 litres. The length of the barrier is typically about 1 m. 
         [0031]    In the embodiment shown (with particular reference to  FIG. 9 ), the width of the channels ranges from w b  155 mm at the base of the channel to w t  180 mm at the top of the channel. Typically the average width of the channels will be in the range of 50 to 250 mm, more preferably 100 to 200 mm, most preferably 150 to 200 mm 
         [0032]    The channels formed between the front wall  16  and the walls  34  of the front channel  30 , and the rear wall and the walls  36  of the rear channel can be filled with ballast such as sand, gravel, soil or other suitable material to weigh the base of the barrier down. The ballast may be provided in bags but can also be available soil or rocks which can simply be shovelled into the channels. 
         [0033]    The Figures also show that the barrier has two pairs of through slots or channels for receiving the tines of a fork lift. A first pair of channels  40 ,  42  is defined at the base of the barrier. A second pair of slots  44 ,  46  is defined near the top of the barrier. These upper slots can also be used as hand holds for a person seeking to carry or move the barrier. The channels at the base of the barrier allow a single barrier or a stack of barriers as shown in  FIG. 6 , to be moved by a fork lift or the like. The slots at the top allow a single barrier to be moved but also allow the top barrier in a stack of barriers to be removed from the stack by a fork lift. 
         [0034]    As is best seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , a hook  50  is defined at the base of one end  20  of the barrier. As is best seen in  FIG. 1 , the opposite end wall  22  defines a hole  52  at its base. The hook  50  can be used for linking/connecting a series of barriers in line by locating the hook  50  through the hole  52  and under the side of an adjacent barrier. 
         [0035]    As is best seen in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , circular holes/bores  60  are defined in the top of the barrier. These can be used to receive depending poles of a sign/headboard (such as “road closed” or the like) to be attached to the top of the barrier, if required. 
         [0036]    In use the barriers can be stacked for transport as shown in  FIG. 6 , and transported to site. They can be separated from the stack by hand or by using a fork lift or the like and are arranged in a desired position and interconnected using the hooks  52 , if required. Ballast such as sand, gravel, soil or the like can then be shovelled at the sides  14 ,  16  of the barrier and the ballast will drop into the channels, weighting down the base of the barriers and providing sufficient weight to stop them being blown over by wind and providing increased resistance to movement due to an impact. If headboards are required they are inserted in the holes  60 . It is also possible to weigh the barriers down by throwing ‘sand bags’ into the channels filled with soil, sand or the like. 
         [0037]      FIGS. 7 to 9  of the drawings show a variant  110  of a roadside barrier which has substantially identical features to the barrier of  FIGS. 1 to 6  except that the method of connecting the barriers is different. In particular, instead of the hook one end  120  of the barrier defines a circular formation  150  at its base in which a vertical slot  152  having a part circular shape is defined which forms a socket. At the base of the other end  122  there is a mating generally circular plug which locates in the socket  152  of an adjacent barrier to connect one barrier to another. 
         [0038]    Advantageously the barriers are easier and cheaper to transport than existing barriers but can still be weighed down by ballast and, in particular, may be used in remote areas where water supplies are limited. Due to the protruding channels at the base, which could be damaged if driven on, the barriers would not typically be used between lines of traffic moving in opposed directions, but would be more likely to be used to block off closed roads and to keep traffic away from specific areas on a site. 
         [0039]    It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments, without departing from the broad general scope of the present disclosure. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.