Road structure – process – or apparatus – Traffic director – Yielding
Patent
1995-09-18
1997-10-21
Lisehora, James
Road structure, process, or apparatus
Traffic director
Yielding
40606, 40612, E01F 1500
Patent
active
056789505
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
On trunk roads, which have heavy vehicular traffic and where a central strip with protective panels is usually disposed between the roadways, rigid guide walls are erected in an area of long-term roadworks as a means for guiding the contraflows of traffic on one side of the roadway at the boundary between the roadways. Such walls generally comprise wall sections of a relatively short length, which are interconnected by means of coupling devices at their end faces to form a continuous guide wall. These guide walls have a height of approx. 820 mm and a width at the base of approx. 600 mm. the base is provided on both sides with upwardly inclined deflection faces. Thereabove, the guide walls have an approximately cuboid configuration. When viewed in vertical section, there is a neck-shaped constriction in the upper region, and said constriction is upwardly defined by a hammer-head-shaped portion. The guide walls are sometimes produced as hollow plastics material bodies, which are weighted with a filling of water or sand, or they are produced from metal, likewise as hollow bodies, and they are additionally weighted with a filler substance depending on the actual weight attained. Other guide walls are configured as solid moulded concrete parts.
Because of their great weight and the resultant stability, the guide walls have a good deflection effect against colliding vehicles which are thereby safeguarded from moving into the opposite roadway and causing serious accidents there. However, the deflection effect cannot prevent a colliding motor vehicle from skidding in its own roadway and causing an accident, more especially when this roadway has two lanes, in that the deflected and possibly skidding vehicle strikes vehicles travelling parallel thereto or collides with them or is struck by subsequent vehicles. In consequence, the guide walls should also provide a minimum amount of visual guidance in addition to their purely mechanical deflection effect, so that a collision is also avoided. Because of their nature, however, guide walls made of metal and, even more, guide walls made of concrete provide only a minimal, inherent visual guidance, more especially at dusk and in the dark. This visual guidance is quite considerably worsened when the guide walls have become wet during rain or as a result of water sprayed on their external surfaces. The concrete walls in particular then have an even duller and darker appearance than in their dry state. They are thereby scarcely distinguished from a dark wet roadway. When the vehicle drivers are travelling along said roadway, this causes considerably uncertainty, leading to anxiety and stiffness, as a result of which the risk or colliding with the guide wall or even with vehicles travelling parallel thereto is even increased by the guide wall.
A guide arrangement for guide walls is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,564,984. In the known guide arrangement, a retaining foot is provided, which laterally abuts against a guide panel or the like with an abutment face. A guide member, which is provided with a guide face, is connected to the retaining foot by a type of bayonet closure. There is no provision for changing the dimensions of the guide arrangement. Likewise, there is little assurance that the retaining arm, which protrudes laterally from the retaining foot, can easily yield with the guide member if struck by a vehicle.
An alternative guide arrangement is described in FR-A-2 615 540. In the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3 of this publication, which relates to the mounting of the guide arrangement on a guide wall, a clamp is provided, which is slipped from above over the guide wall, and the arms of which clamp have holders mounted thereon with the interposition of a plate. Guide members, which are provided with a reflective guide face and can assume a slight inclined position, are disposed on the holders. There is no retaining arm here, which protrudes from a retaining foot, and there is also no mention of the guide members being elastically resilient.
The basic object of the inventi
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