Shock-absorbing Coverings

Abstract

A covering for objects that are exposed to impacts, such as road and bridge parapets, guiding curbs, motorcar bumpers, central reserve guard rails for expressways etc. The covering comprises a jacket of resilient material with a hollow space therein in which a damping material, preferably sand, is enclosed. The hollow space has a volume greater than the damping material, whereby the latter can expand when the covering is exposed to an impact.

Description

In recent years, traffic safety research has devoted an ever increasing interest to the function of shock-absorbing devices, particularly bridge parapets and road guard rails for highways and expressways, but also motorcar bumpers. It has been established that suitable constructions of this kind effectively contribute to reducing accidents. The term "suitable constructions" in this context implies that the guard structures should not be too heavy and rigid but neither too resilient. Fundamentally, the problem of manufacturing suitable guard rails can be considered as solved already with regard to preventing motorcars from leaving the roadway but it has proved that this often takes place at the sacrifice of serious injuries and at the cost of both the colliding motorcar and its driver and passengers. If the impact of vehicles against the guard rail could be damped the injuries suffered in the collision could be further reduced.

The present invention has for its object to provide a shock-absorbing structure of this type, which is realized by means of a covering for the parapet, guard, rail etc., said covering comprising a jacket or envelope of suitable resilient material, such as polyethylene, and a damping material, preferably sand, predominantly filling out said jacket or envelope.

The invention will be more fully described in the following, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section of a shock-absorbing covering according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section of the covering in FIG. 1.

The illustrated shock-absorbing covering according to the invention is mounted on a guard rail of the type which is placed between the roadways of an expressway. The guard rail comprises vertical uprights 10, preferably of the profile shown in FIG. 2, which are secured in the ground. A U-shaped beam 11 is secured to the upper ends of the uprights 10 to extend between them. The beam 11 is connected to the uprights preferably by screws. A shock-absorbing covering generally designated 12 is placed on the guard rail which is composed of the parts 10 and 11. The covering 12 is a jacket or envelope 13 of polyethylene or some other suitable plastics material. The envelope 13 is approximately square and has a recess 14 which opens at the underside of the envelope and has a depth exceeding half the height of the envelope, and a width corresponding to that of the parts 10 and 11. At the sides facing the two roadways the envelope 13 has bumper ribs 15. The envelope contains a filling of sand 16. The sand 16 does not fill out the envelope 13 entirely, but leaves an expansion space 17 above the sand. The envelope 13 is preferably manufactured by injection molding in lengths of about 5 meters. The sand is filled into the envelope through holes therein, which are then closed by welding.

The covering 12 is mounted on the rail 10, 11 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1. For additionally supporting the envelope on the rail a beam 18 is provided. It is connected to the uprights 10 in the same manner as the beam 11 and has two channels 19, 20 in which to receive flanges 21 and 22, respectively, projecting from the envelope 13 on either side of the recess 14. The covering can be secured to the rail 10, 11 in any desired manner whatever. It is preferably mounted by clamping action on the rail or is shrunk thereonto, whereby a certain mobility is attained relative to the rail. It is also possible to secure the covering by adhesive bonding or by screwing. It is essential that the covering is simple to mount at the site and that damaged parts are easily exchangeable.

The height of the rail with the covering mounted in position thereon is preferably about 1 meter, and the total width of the covering may be of the size of e.g. 0.5 meter.

When a motorcar collides with the described rail and the covering thereon those parts of the motorcar most suited to absorb impacts will hit the rail. The impact will be damped by reason of the sand filling expanding in the envelope 13 and also by reason of the possible displacement of the covering 12 longitudinally of the rail. A further important feature is that the rail 10 does not have any parts that can penetrate into the motorcar, thereby causing injury to the driver and the passengers.

As will appear from FIG. 1, the covering 12 can have on its upper side a particular casing 23 which can either be formed in one piece with the envelope 13 or be an individual part secured thereto. The casing 23 accommodates lamps 24 and conductors 25 which may also be placed in a tubular conduit at the point designated 26 in the interior of the envelope 13. With this arrangement of the lamps 24 it is possible to provide directional light for the roadways, or warning light that can be lit on either side of a scene of accident. Serving as directional light, the lamps 24 can easily be switched on and off automatically so that a motorcar itself can switch on lamps 1 or 2 kilometers ahead of the motorcar, whereupon these lamps are extinguished after a given period of time. It is also possible to switch on the lamps from a central point and to have the lamps blink in a certain section if an accident has happened in this section.

As already mentioned the illustrated embodiment of the covering is meant to be placed on a rail between the roadways of an expressway, but it is self-explanatory that the covering can readily be adapted for mounting on bridge parapets and like guard structures. In that case, only half the envelope 13 illustrated in FIG. 1 need be used and said envelope can have its top provided with a hook-shaped portion with or without sand filling, which is placed about the upper beam of the bridge parapet, while the envelope at the bottom has a flange corresponding to flange 22 and received in a supporting rail in the same manner as said flange 22. A covering for a bridge parapet can also suitably have a flange 22 both at the top and at the bottom and be secured by means of two spaced U-shaped means which are secured to the bridge parapet with facing openings. The covering may of course also be placed on vehicles, particularly on the bumpers thereof or in such a way as to form a complete vehicle front.

Claims

I claim:

1. In a road guard rail structure composed of longitudinal beams parallel to the roadway and vertical uprights supporting said beams, an envelope, a hollow space in said envelope, a recess in one side of the envelope for receiving the beams, a damping material, and flanges projecting on either side of the recess in the envelope, said damping material being disposed in said hollow space and having a volume smaller than said hollow space, said recess having a depth exceeding half the height of the envelope, and said flanges on either side of the recess being connected with the road guard rail structure.

2. A road guard rail structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein said envelope is composed of successive individual sections which are restrictedly movable relative to said beams.

3. A road guard rail structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein channels are secured between the vertical uprights with upwardly facing mouths for receiving said flanges.

4. In a road guard rail structure composed of longitudinal beams parallel to the roadway and vertical uprights supporting said beams, an envelope, a hollow space in said envelope, a recess in one side of the envelope for receiving the beams, a damping material, and flanges projecting on either side of the recess in the envelope, a casing on the envelope, lighting means on the casing, and means for supplying electric power to the lighting means to cause them to be lit, said damping material being disposed in the hollow space and having a volume smaller than said hollow space, said recess having a depth exceeding half the height of the envelope, and receiving means attached to and extending between the uprights and adapted to receive said flanges.

5. A road guard rail structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein the envelope is of polyethylene and said damping material is sand.

6. A road guard rail structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein said envelope is composed of successive individual sections which are restrictedly movable relative to said beams.