GB2293846A

GB2293846A - Safety and impact prevention barriers

Info

Publication number: GB2293846A
Application number: GB9520256A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Coates
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-10-04
Filing date: 1995-10-04
Publication date: 1996-04-10
Anticipated expiration: 2015-10-04
Also published as: GB2293846B; GB9520256D0; GB9419936D0

Abstract

A barrier element for use in relation to vehicles can be used independently or in conjunction with other similar elements. The barrier element is formed having at least three elongate faces 10, 12, 14 one of which, 10, is a base which is in contact with and secured to the surface on which the barrier is mounted; two further faces are provided which depend upwardly from the base to a point of intersection. At least one of said faces acts as an impact face of the barrier. The impact face can be provided with formations to encourage the vehicle to leave the barrier upon impact and/or can be shaped to further encourage the vehicle to leave. In a further embodiment the impact face includes warning signs and/or lights. The barrier element is particularly of use and provided to be of a height for use in relation to goods carrying vehicles such as forklift trucks in goods storage areas. The height of the barrier is higher than the centre point of the wheels of the vehicle for which the barrier is designed for use. One of the faces of the barrier may form a right-angle with the face and one of impact face may have projections or a covering thereof. <IMAGE>

Description

Safety and Impact Prevention Barriers The present invention relates to the provision of improvements to barriers which are provided to protect articles and/or a vehicle from damage when impact occurs between the same. One particular, but not exclusive, use of the barrier of the invention is in goods storage areas wherein the barriers are placed at floor level around the goods to prevent vehicles such as fork lift trucks from contacting the same.

Conventional barriers which are currently used in, for example, goods storage areas such as warehouses, comprise a base portion or plate which has welded or otherwise connected thereto an upstanding stanchion and at the top end of the same are connected barrier plates. Normally a series of base portions are provided at spaced intervals along the length to be protected and a common barrier plate is connected across the upstanding stanchions.

Typically the barriers are manufactured from steel which is of sufficient strength to withstand the impact of a vehicle such as a forklift truck thereby preventing damage to the goods stored and the storage racks and apparatus behind the barriers.

Barriers of this form are used extensively but there is one fundamental problem which is found to occur regularly when a vehicle impacts upon the same. The problem is that while the barrier is strong, unless the same is anchored securely to the floor, a relatively small impact at the top of the barrier can cause the barrier to be uprooted from the floor to which it is secured. This then renders the barrier ineffec tive. In an effort to counteract this, large bolts and strengthened and widened base portions are used in an attempt to improve the anchoring strength. However the provision of relatively large and protruding base portions is inconvenient and can prevent hazards to the person walking who may trip on the bases and may also cause damage to vehicles.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a barrier which can be used to effect in goods storage areas or in any environment where the provision of barrier protection is of benefit and to provide the barriers in a form which are unobtrusive, can withstand impact, and are securely anchored to the floor.

According to the present invention there is provided a barrier element for mounting on a surface wherein each element is a unitary elongate member with at least three elongate faces, a first face which forms the base of the barrier and second and third faces extending upwardly from the base, said faces angled inwardly from the base to a point of intersection and at least one of the faces acting as an impact face.

In one embodiment the second and third faces are arranged to form, in section, a triangular shape with the base.

In one form the angle of the second face relative to the base is substantially equal to the angle of the third face with the base. Alternatively, the angle of the second or third face which forms the impact face relative to the base is greater than the angle of the other of the second and third faces relative to the base.

In one form one of the second and third faces is arranged to lie at right angles with the base.

In an alternative embodiment at least one of the second and third faces in section is, or includes, a substantially concave shaped portion.

Typically the concave shaped portion extends along the length of the element.

In a further embodiment of the invention if the second face is provided as the impact face, the third face is provided with a portion which extends beyond the point of intersection between the second and third faces. Preferably the portion is arranged to overhang at least part of the impact face.

The provision of the impact face formed with a concave shape and/or the provision of the extending portion are for the purpose of encouraging a vehicle wheel to return to the surface upon impact with the barrier. This is especially effective if the vehicle is travelling in a direction substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the barrier and contacts the impact face as opposed to the vehicle approaching the impact face perpendicularly to the impact face.

Preferably the impact faces or faces of the element are coated in a material to minimise damage to a vehicle upon impact. In one embodiment the material used is a rubber or rubber based compound.

In a further feature of the invention, the barrier element impact face or faces are provided with at least one ridge formed on or attached to the same.

Typically the ridge is provided to lie substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the element. Preferably a plurality of ridge elements are attached to the impact face at spaced intervals. The spacing is dependent upon the vehicles for which the barriers are designed for use and this also determines the number of ridges provided.

In another embodiment of the invention the barrier includes a series of apertures passing from either or both of the second and third faces and apertures in the base face through which securing means are placed to secure the barrier to the surface on which the same is placed.

In a first form the apertures in the second and third faces are provided to allow tools to be placed therethrough to tighten or release securing means in the apertures of the base. In a second form the apertures in the second or third faces are arranged relative to the apertures in the base such that the securing means, if they are provided to pass through both a third or second face aperture and a base aperture, lie at an angle to the perpendicular axis of the barrier when in position.

In one arrangement the apertures are provided in the impact face and the base and the securing means are arranged relative to these faces.

To allow barrier elements to be joined together each barrier can be provided with engagement means at each end thereof to allow the same to be linked to adjacent barrier elements to form a barrier of greater length.

Typically the height of the barrier is greater than the centre point of the wheels of the vehicle for which the barrier is designed for use.

In one form the barrier element is manufactured from sheet steel plate with the base comprising a plate joined along its longitudinal edges to edges of the second and third faces and said edges are bent to lie in the same plane as the base.

Alternatively the barrier element is formed from plastics or rubber material.

Preferably the barrier element is at least 50mm in height to ensure that the same is effective in preventing vehicles from passing over the top of the same.

Specific embodiments of the invention are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein; Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of a conventional barrier; Figure 2 illustrates a perspective view of the barrier element in one embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 illustrates a sectional view of the barrier element along line A-A.

Figure 4 illustrates a further embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 illustrates an other embodiment of the invention incorporating a coated impact face; Figure 6 illustrates a perspective view of a barrier element having a ridged impact face; Figure 7 illustrates a barrier element having a concave face; Figure 8 illustrates in section a barrier element having a concave impact face; and Figure 9 illustrates a barrier element having a portion extending over part of the impact face.

Referring firstly to Figure 1 there is shown a conventional barrier which comprises a number of base portions 2 each of which has an upstanding stanchion 4 attached thereto. Connected to the upper ends of the stanchions 4 is an impact plate 6 which is designed to take the impact of vehicles colliding into the same. The base portions 2 are provided with a series of bolts 7 which serve to secure the barrier to the floor 8.

Upon impact of a vehicle into barriers of this type it is commonly the case that the bolts on the base portion become detached from the floor and therefore the barrier is no longer securely anchored and is useless.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a barrier element of the invention wherein the barrier element is an elongate unit comprising first, second and third faces 10,12 and 14. The face 10 is the base face and this serves as the base portion of the barrier. The second and third faces 12 and 14 are arranged to angle inwardly from the base to arrive at a point of intersection 16 and hence, as shown in Figure 3, a cross section of the element shows that the three faces 10, 12 and 14 are arranged in a triangular fashion. The provision of the faces 12 and 14 in an inwardly sloping fashion towards the point of intersection 16 allows at least one or both of the faces to act as an impact face to absorb the impact of a vehicle thereon by acting to deflect the impact force along and upwardly of the barrier thereby serving to spread the impact force and to prevent critical damage to any one point.

The provision of the face 10 as the base portion ensures that there is a substantial area of contact between the barrier and the surface 8 to which it is anchored. This area is a substantial increase over conventional barriers and as such the barrier of the current invention is extremely difficult to topple upon impact due to the extremely low centre of gravity of the barrier in relation to the surface.

To anchor the barrier to the surface a series of bolt apertures 20 are provided which pass from either of the faces 12, 14 through to the base face 10 as shown in Figure 3. Bolts can then be passed into the apertures and, acting upon ledges 22 in the plate 10A in the apertures, can be tightened to pass into location means in the surface and anchor the barrier to the surface.

Figure 4 illustrates a further embodiment of a barrier 50 which in this case has a base face 52, a second face 54 arranged to lie at right angles to the base which acts as an impact face and a third face 56. Also shown is the manner in which the apertures 58 in the face 56 are arranged relative to the apertures 60 in the base 52 such that the securing means 62 lie at an angle to the perpendicular axis of the barrier. The angling of the securing means can be selectively done to suit the specific uses and purpose of the barriers and serve to increase the resistance to impact and prevent the barrier from being moved from the surface.

Figure 5 illustrates a further embodiment of the barrier 70 and in this case the impact face 72 is coated in a layer of material 74 such as rubber plating in order to protect the face 72 and also to minimise the damage caused to a vehicle upon a impact wit the face 72. In addition to the layer 74 the impact face can also include warning signs or can include warning lights or reflectors embedded therein to indicate the location and provision of the barrier. If lights are provided the power for the same can be provided from the mains supply if located in a building or, alternatively the power supply can be contained within the barrier element itself.

Figure 6 illustrates a barrier element 80 which has an impact face 82 provided with a series of ridges 84 provided along the length thereof. The ridges act to indicate that the vehicle wheel has contacted the impact face and also discourage the vehicle wheel form passing further up the impact face 82. In this case the ridges are strips of steel of square section which are welded to the impact face but can be made of rubber or other suitable material and may also be bolted in position. When the ridges are to be bolted a plurality of bolt holes can be provided on the impact face to allow the selective fixing of the ridges in position. The spacing of the ridges and the size of the same is dependent upon the vehicle for which the barrier is designed.

Figure 7 illustrates a barrier 90 with an impact face 92 along which ridges 94 are located. In this case the other of the second and third faces, face 96 is concave shaped. This allows material usage to be reduced.

Figure 8 illustrates that the impact face 102 of this barrier 100 can be concave shaped and if so shaped this encourages the wheels of the vehicle, if travelling substantially along the direction of the barrier, to return to the surface due to the shape of the impact face.

Figure 9 illustrates the manner in which the barrier 110 is provided with an impact face 112 and the other of the second and third faces, face 114 is provided with a protruding portion 116 which protrudes beyond the point of intersection 115 of the faces 112, 144. The portion 116 is provided to overhang a portion of the impact face and again is provided to encourage a vehicle or vehicle wheels to return to the surface on which the barrier is mounted rather than go over the top of the same.

It should be appreciated that the barrier elements of the invention can be manufactured from plastics or rubber material of solid form rather than from plates of material as indicated in the Figures and that the Figures 3 to 9 indicate the barrier element in schematic form to illustrate the features disclosed therein.

Thus the present invention provides a barrier element which is effective in transferring and spreading impact force along the barrier and furthermore provides a barrier which is securely anchored to the surface and remains so even upon impact.

It is envisaged that the barrier elements of the invention can be used not only in goods storage area, but in areas for protecting pedestrians from vehicles on roads, in a areas where vehicles are reversing and frequently impact on barriers and in general in any area or environment where it is desired to protect goods, articles or people from vehicles.

Claims

1. A barrier element for mounting on a surface wherein each element is a unitary elongate member with at least three elongate faces, a first face which forms the base of the barrier and second and third faces extending upwardly from the base, said faces angled inwardly from the base to a point of intersection and at least one of the faces acting as a impact face.

2. A barrier element according to claim 1 wherein the second and third faces are arranged to form, in section, a triangular shape with the base.

3. A barrier element according to claim 2 wherein the angle of the second face relative to the base is substantially equal to the angle of the third face with the base.

4. A barrier element according to claim 2 wherein the angle of the face which forms the impact face relative to the base is greater than the angle of the other of the second and third faces relative to the base.

5. A barrier element according to claim 2 wherein one of the second and third faces is arranged to lie at right angles with the base.

6. A barrier element according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the second and third faces in section is or includes a substantially concave shaped portion.

7. A barrier element according to claim 6 wherein the concave shaped portion extends along the length of the element.

8. A barrier element according to any of the preceding claims wherein the second face is provided as the impact face and the third face is provided with a portion which extends beyond the point of intersection between the second and third faces.

9. A barrier element according to claim 8 wherein the portion is arranged to overhang at least part of the impact face.

10. A barrier element according to any of the preceding claims wherein the impact faces or faces of the element are coated in a material to minimise damage to a vehicle upon impact.

11. A barrier element according to claim 10 wherein the material used is a rubber or rubber based compound.

12. A barrier element according to any of the preceding claims wherein the impact face or faces are provided with at least one ridge formed on or attached to the same.

13. A barrier element according to claim 12 wherein the ridge lies substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the element.

14. A barrier element according to claims 12 and 13 wherein a plurality of ridge elements are attached to the impact face at spaced intervals.

15. A barrier element according to any of the preceding claims wherein the barrier includes a series of apertures passing from either or both of the second and third faces and apertures in the base face through which securing means are placed to secure the barrier to the surface on which the same is placed.

16. A barrier element according to claim 15 wherein the apertures in the second or third faces are arranged relative to the apertures in the base such that the securing means lie at an angle to the perpendicular axis of the barrier when in position.

17. A barrier element according to claim 16 wherein the apertures are provided in the impact face and the base and the securing means are arranged relative to these faces.

18 A barrier element according to any of the preceding claims wherein said barrier is provided with engagement means at each end thereof to allow the same to be linked to adjacent barrier elements to form a barrier of greater length.

19. A barrier element according to any of the preceding claims wherein the height of the barrier is greater than the centre point of the wheels of the vehicle for which the barrier is designed for use.

20. A barrier element according to any of the preceding claims wherein the element is manufactured from sheet steel plate.

21. A barrier element according to claim 20 wherein the base comprises a plate joined along its longitudinal edges to edges of the second and third faces and said edges are bent to lie in the same plane as the base.

22. A barrier element according to any of claims 1-19 wherein the barrier element is formed from plastics or rubber material.

23. A barrier element according to any of the preceding claims wherein the impact face includes warning signs formed or applied thereto.

24. A barrier element according to any of the preceding claims wherein the element includes at least one light emitting means provided thereon to indicate the location of the barrier.

25. A barrier element according to claim 24 wherein the light emitting means is provided on the impact face and lies flush therewith.

26. A barrier element as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings Figures 2-9.