Road structure – process – or apparatus – Traffic steering device or barrier
Utility Patent
1998-07-14
2001-01-02
Lillis, Eileen D. (Department: 3673)
Road structure, process, or apparatus
Traffic steering device or barrier
C404S009000, C256S013100
Utility Patent
active
06168346
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to roadway safety barriers and in particular to an improved structure for a spacer for supporting a horizontally extending guard rail on a vertically extending post.
Safety barriers are commonly provided along roadways to prevent or reduce the severity of vehicular accidents. When an operator loses control of a vehicle, the vehicle may tend to veer off the road. The safety barrier blocks the path of a veering vehicle and restrains it from leaving the roadway. Many safety barriers are designed to deforms upon impact to absorb energy and slow the moving vehicle.
A typical roadway safety barrier includes a plurality of horizontal guard rails that are supported on a plurality of vertical posts. The posts are spaced apart along the side of the roadway and are fixed in place, typically by extending into the ground. A spacer is often provided to support the guard rails on the posts. In the past, spacers of this type have been manufactured from wood, typically treated (wolmanized, for example) lumber. Despite such treatment, it has been found that such wooden spacers deteriorate as a result of continuous exposure to ambient weather conditions. The wooden spacers are also relatively expensive to fabricate and somewhat unfriendly to the environment. Thus, it would be desirable to provide an improved structure for a guard rail spacer that is long lasting, re-usable, and more cost effective than current wooden spacers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an improved structure for a spacer for supporting a horizontally extending guard rail on a vertically extending post in a roadway safety barrier system. The spacer includes a first portion that is secured to the guard rail and a second portion that is secured to the post. The first and second portions are shaped to correspond with the shapes of the guard rail and the post secured thereto. For example, if the guard rail is formed having an undulating cross sectional shape, the first portion of the space is formed having a corresponding undulating cross sectional shape. One or more bores are formed through the spacer between said first and second faces for receiving a bolt for securing the guard rail and the post to the spacer. The spacer is formed from a thermoplastic material that is recyclable, will not absorb water, stable under the ultraviolet and other radiation generated by the sun, will not splinter, crack, or delaminate in use, and is more cost effective than conventional wooden spacers.
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Addie Raymond W.
Lillis Eileen D.
McMillan, Sobanski & Todd, LLC
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