Guardrail Assembly

Abstract

A highway guardrail assembly containing an adjustable bracket to secure the guardrail to a supporting post and to permit the face of the rail to be positioned at any angle between the vertical and the horizontal.

Parent Case Text

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 781,334, filed Dec. 5, 1968, now abandoned.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to highway guardrails and more particularly to a bracket assembly used to attach guardrails to supporting posts. Highway guardrails are usually discontinuous as a result of their being placed along the sides of highways only in fill areas or other hazardous locations. The ends of guardrails now in use on highways present a serious danger to the vehicles using the highway because of their blunt rigid nature and have been the cause of many serious accidents. Highway engineers have heretofore realized the dangers of such guardrail ends and have attempted to design a transitional end section for guardrails to overcome the abrupt blunt end construction. Such transitional sections have not gained wide acceptance because of the difficulty and expense in making the custom rail sections and hardware required for such construction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to provide a guardrail assembly in which the face of the rail can be adjusted to a variety of positions.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a guardrail assembly which will permit the construction of safer and more effective highway guard transition sections.

Other objects are to provide a guardrail assembly which is of simple design, easily constructed and maintained and capable of being used with guardrail sections of the types currently being manufactured and used.

It has been discovered that the foregoing objects may be attained by a guardrail assembly in which the rails are secured to the posts by an adjustable bracket assembly the parts of which are provided with interlocking clutch teeth which enable the rail to be positioned with its face at any angle between the vertical and the horizontal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of the terminal portion of a section of highway guardrail fence which utilizes the adjustable brackets of this invention.

FIGS. 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d are sectional views taken at lines 2a-2a, 2b-2b, 2c-2c and 2d-2d of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the bracket assembly of this invention.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the bracket assembly of this invention.

FIG. 5 is an end view of the arm member used in the bracket assembly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the FIGURES and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 3, the highway guardrail assembly of this invention comprises a plurality of substantially vertical posts 1 sunk into the ground or mounted in concrete and a series of overlapping rail sections 2 attached to the posts 1 by an adjustable bracket assembly 3. The rail sections are sheet metal channels formed preferably in the shape of a W as best shown in FIG. 3.

The bracket assembly 3 of this invention used to attach the rail sections 2 to the posts 1 is best shown in FIG. 3 and comprises three main elements; a plate member 4, an arm member 5 and a fastener 6.

The plate member 4 is shown separately in FIG. 4 and consists of a substantially flat metal plate 7 and a raised portion 8 which is provided with a plurality of radial clutch teeth 9 cast or otherwise formed in one face thereof and a boss 10 having an orifice 11 therein to receive fastener 6. As shown in FIG. 4, the radial clutch teeth 9 extend for approximately 180.degree. about the orifice 11.

The arm member 5 consists of a cast or otherwise fabricated metal plate one end of which is adapted to support and be fastened to a rail section 2 by bolts 12. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, this end of arm member 5 is preferably contoured to conform to the cross-sectional shape of the rail section 2 and thereby provide support across the entire width of the rail section 2.

The other end of arm member 5 is an elongated plate and is provided on one or both faces thereof with a plurality of clutch teeth 13 which radiate about an orifice 14 for fastener 6.

As shown in FIGS. 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d and 3, the shank of the fastener bolt serves as a pivot pin permitting arm member 5 to be pivoted through an arc of approximately 90.degree.. Fastener 6 also serves to hold the clutch teeth 13 of arm member 5 in interlocking engagement with the clutch teeth 9 of plate member 4. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the fastener bolt 6 also secures the entire bracket assembly 3 to the post 1.

The adjustable feature of the bracket assembly 3 permits the face of the rail sections 2 to be positioned in a vertical plane, as shown in FIG. 2a, a horizontal plane, as shown in FIG. 2d or planes intermediate of the horizontal or vertical, as shown in FIGS. 2b and 2c.

The adjustable feature of racket assembly 3 is especially useful in providing a gradual transition in the positioning of guardrail with respect to vehicles on the highway to provide a safer and better appearing terminal portion. As shown in FIG. 1, the rail begins with the face of the rail sections in a substantially horizontal plane such as shown in FIG. 2d and is then gradually brought to a vertical plane as shown in FIG. 2a. Such a transition section tends to deflect any vehicles coming into contact with the rail back onto the highway pavement and does not present a rigid blunt end.

The adjustable bracket assembly 3 also permits the rail sections 2 to be raised or lowered in elevation as shown in FIG. 1, to either accommodate unusual ground contours or a transitional terminal portion for the guard rail.

This invention provides or allows a gradual entrance to the area protected by the guardrail that is safer and aesthetically superior to prior guardrail components and permits simple erection, maintenance and repair. While I have shown the rail sections being of a W-shaped configuration, it is obvious that this invention could be adapted for use with rails of any other configuration.

Claims

I claim:

1. A highway guardrail assembly having a transitional end section comprising:

A. a plurality of posts,

B. a rail extending between said posts said rail comprising:

1. a substantially horizontally disposed terminal end portion,

2. a substantially vertically disposed portion spaced from said end portion, and

3. an intermediate portion connecting said horizontally disposed terminal end portion and said vertically disposed portion,

C. a plurality of bracket assemblies securing said rail to each of said posts, each bracket assembly comprising:

a. a pivot pin adapted to be secured to said post,

b. a plate member having a plurality of radial radial clutch teeth formed about an orifice adapted to receive said pivot pin,

c. an arm member having one end secured to said rail and a second end having a plurality of radial clutch teeth formed about an orifice adapted to receive said pivot pin, and

d. a fastener means adapted to secure said plate member and said arm member to said pivot pin with said radial teeth of said members in interlocking engagement.