FR2743825A1 - Security barrier for roadway - Google Patents

Abstract

The barrier section has a shell formed by a base panel (1), two side panels (2) and an upper smooth panel (3) which are assembled and placed on the ground. The section is stabilised by a filling ballast, the whole assembly forming a barrier with sustained mechanical characteristics. The mechanical inertia and the stiffness is adjustable by the selected thickness of the upper panel. The base panel can have ducts for the passage of drainage water.

Description

 The invention relates to road safety equipment intended to prevent the risk of vehicles leaving the road, while guaranteeing a satisfactory level of safety for all categories of users.

 On the parts of the road network where the exits of road are likely to have serious consequences for the user or for the residents, the developers equip the road platforms with restraint devices to mitigate this risk.

 The devices most often encountered today are the flexible metal slide fixed on supports stuck in the ground generally every four meters, hence its name GS4, and the concrete slide forming a low wall adhering to the ground, commonly called GBA , adherent concrete slide.

 The GS4 is satisfactory for light vehicles which it retains well without sending them back to the adjacent track thanks to its ability to deform. On the other hand, it is almost ineffective for heavy goods vehicles which it cannot stop, and it presents a great danger for users on two wheels. The biker who falls and slips on the road, will finish his race in the vertical supports, without any chance of passing in the interval which separates them, which is all the weaker as the trajectory is more tangential to the slide . This is a paradox. Equipment intended to provide safety to users in fact exposes a category of them to an extreme risk.

 The GBA, often located in the middle of the highway, manages to stop the heavy goods vehicles thanks to its mass inertia and its stiffness. Without being ideal for bikers, it is still a lesser harm for them by its lack of roughness. On the other hand, it becomes open to criticism for cars because its too dry response causes them to undergo major deformations, sends them back and makes them cross the road. Its ability to hold heavy goods vehicles therefore makes it dangerous for light vehicles.

 The invention, which aims to overcome these drawbacks, consists of a device which retains all the vehicles on the road platform without constituting a danger for one of the different categories of users. This slide consists of a shell formed of plates assembled on the site to be fitted and ballasted with any filling material readily available near the site and with a density close to the average soil density, ie 1.6 to 2.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention
Figure 1 shows, in section, an effect slide on both sides, to be installed between two tracks, in the central reservation of the highway for example.

 Figure 2 shows, in section, a single-acting slide, to be installed at the edge of the carriageway.

Figure 3 shows, in perspective, the mounting of the plates together.

 The hull consists of a floor plate (1) or (1 bis), receiving sides (2) or (2 bis).

After filling to a predetermined level by means of a ballast (6), the volume is closed by an upper rail (3), the thickness of which depends on the desired mechanical inertia. This slide is indeed with adjustable inertia; mass inertia adjustable by the density of the ballast and / or the filling height, mechanical inertia adjustable by the thickness of the top rail. Its reaction is the same regardless of the impact location of a vehicle since its mechanical characteristics are infinitely continuous. The elements (1), (2) and (3) being of a limited length for the convenience of their transport and their handling, they are stitched so as to ensure this continuity. The plates (1) are joined by free plates (4) the plates (2) and (3) by overlapping their ends. The connections between plates are made by bolting, by explosive rivets or self-tapping screws when access to the 'back of the plates is not possible, in the case of repair for example.

 The mechanical characteristics are therefore adjusted according to the role assigned to the slide. If we want to protect ourselves for sure against the risk of heavy vehicles leaving the road, we will choose a dense ballast whose full shell will be filled so as to obtain a high linear mass and we will opt for a thick upper smooth, giving the assembly a mechanical inertia calculated to involve the slide over a long length and thus avoid the risk of local spillage. For extreme efficiency, we will make a concrete footing embedded in the ground on which we will place the shell which will be ballasted with concrete. The floor plate (1) will be made of expanded metal for good adhesion of the shell to the sole. Conversely, when we seek a more flexible response from the device, we will decrease the ballast and we will retain a smooth greater than the lower moment of inertia. Indeed, any increase in stiffness, beneficial for the safety of heavy goods vehicles, will result in a lesser ability to deform and therefore a drier response for light vehicles. The choice of parameters is therefore a compromise, or a well-chosen option for the route concerned.

 The implementation of the device does not require any specific qualification and therefore falls within the competence of road maintenance personnel. Similarly, repair after impact will be limited to repositioning the slide if it has failed, or even replacing the damaged plates, although slight deformations of the latter should not affect the operation of the device.

 The free circulation of runoff water under the slide, if desired, is ensured by profiles (5) integrated in the floor plate.

 Elements (1) and (3) can be preformed according to a range of radius of curvature, to equip tight radius turns. The plates (2) or (2 bis) are suitable for laying in a curve, without any particular shaping.

 This equipment requires no maintenance. Its longevity will depend on the quality of the metal used or its possible protection.

 The industrial application of the invention is in the field of steel for the manufacture of plates, public works companies for the implementation on the sites to be secured. Both present no major technical difficulty.

Claims (4)

REVENDICA TIONS 1) Road safety device intended to prevent accidental exits from vehicles, characterized in that it consists of a hull formed by a floor plate (1), two sides (2) and a upper arm (3) assembled, simply placed on the ground and ballasted with a filling ballast, the whole forming a set with perfectly continuous mechanical characteristics. 2) Device according to claim (1) characterized in that the mechanical inertia and therefore the stiffness is made adjustable by the choice of the thickness of the top rail (3). 3) Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises in the ground plate (1) profile elements forming channels for the passage of runoff water. 4) Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the floor plate (1) is made of perforated metal and in that the shell is ballasted with concrete, thus giving it a high stiffness and good adhesion on the ground for good efficiency in retaining heavy goods vehicles.