EP0407277A2 - Interconnectable elements for assembling a lane-separation barrier - Google Patents

Abstract

Lane-separation element equipped at each end with assembly members (21A, 21B) in order to be assembled to other elements (20) of this type and to form a lane-separation barrier, the said element consisting of a hollow body which can be filled with a ballasting liquid and of a base for bearing on the ground (9), the said element being characterised in that: … …  - the base is equipped laterally on each side with a bearing strip (5, 6, 22, 23), …  - the strips (5, 6, 22, 23) have deformations (24, 25) which generate a noise when a tyre travels over them, …  - a nozzle (32) for discharge of the liquid contained in the hollow body (29), provided at the base of this hollow body and connected to a flexible raisable tube (33) interacting with a fastening means (34) provided on the body of the element (20) in order to retain the tube (33) in a removable manner in a raised position, …  - male/female assembly members (21A, 21B) extending over virtually the entire height of the element (20) at each of its ends and being assembled by vertically fitting together (XX), …  - a passage (40) for water in which the discharge orifice (32) and the tube (33) are located. … …<IMAGE>…

Description

The present invention relates to a track separator element provided at each end with assembly members to be assembled with other elements of this type and to form a track separator, an element consisting of a hollow body which can be filled with ballast liquid and a support base on the ground.

Such separating elements are known according to different embodiments. These separating elements are intended to be assembled to form channel separators provisionally installed for a more or less long period with possibly one or more daily movements of the elements over the entire length of the separator, for example to modify the number of lanes of traffic in one direction or the other depending on the traffic at different times of the day.

Initially, these separators were constituted by concrete blocks of trapezoidal section, and ended by an extension. These separators imitating the "New Jersey" type separators have been replaced in many cases by plastic separator elements, which can be filled and which facilitate problems of movement on the site of a use or transport to the site or their place of storage.

However, these different separating elements all have in common a relatively large width of obstruction to traffic, necessary for these elements to have sufficient stability to withstand certain slanting shocks and to efficiently and safely separate the traffic lanes.

The disadvantage of this relatively large width is the encroachment on the traffic corridor. However, specifically, in most cases of use of such separators, the tracks do not have the normal width and any reduction in width, by the encroachment of the separators, decreases the available width correspondingly, which increases the risk of impact with vehicles, requires circulation at very low speed, etc.

In addition, and despite the relatively large weight of certain elements, and the very sophisticated means of hooking and connecting the elements together, they move under the effect of a shock and often encroach on a significant and especially dangerous way on the adjacent track.

Finally, although the hollow, refillable elements are easy to handle when they are empty, it is not the same when they are full. To empty them, you have to unscrew a plug, but after some screwing / unscrewing made without special precautions, the threads are damaged, the plugs can no longer be screwed or can no longer be sealed. For this reason the elements are filled and emptied by their upper opening; but for that you have to topple them.

The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks and proposes to create an element track separator, refillable, easy to set up and empty to be moved, whose resistance to movement in the event of impact is improved without requiring the attachment of the elements to the ground and if possible by reducing the width of obstruction to traffic compared to that of the elements, without complicating their manufacture or their installation.

The invention also aims to create a separator element which, while allowing the vehicle to bite at its base, informs the motorist that it is getting too close to the wall of the separator and risks abutting it, and which avoids when the tire approaches the base the element cannot slip or, if it slips, that the forces thus induced in the element can be effectively taken up by the upstream element and the downstream element, and finally so that if a wheel approaches the wall of the element and rubs it, this element does not have any roughness capable of suddenly increasing this friction and causing a catching.

To this end, the invention relates to a channel separator element of the above type having the characteristics of the first claim.

Thus, as the base of the element is provided laterally, on each side, with a support strip, when the wheel of a vehicle rolls on this strip, the element is locked in place by the weight of the wheel and the vehicle and cannot move. This is also true when the wheel is only just starting to mount on the belt although the weight of the wheel would not be sufficient at this time to prevent the block from slipping. However, as the attacked element is connected by a non-extensible articulation to the upstream element and to the downstream element, this element cannot move back or move away thanks to this connection with the other elements.

The removal of an element is extremely simple because to empty it simply remove the tube from its grip and drop it on the ground. The element's water drains off by itself. This makes it possible to considerably simplify the operations for removing such elements since it is not necessary to tilt such elements filled with liquid; moreover, this tilting is difficult to do by hand because, on the one hand, the element taken in isolation is heavy and can contain around 300 liters of water and, on the other hand, the element must be previously separated from neighboring elements. This requires connecting means between the elements capable of being opened when the elements are still in place. However, such an opening is often difficult because if the elements have been slightly displaced, this displacement results in significant tensile forces exerted between the elements and these tensile forces generally block the assembly means: one is then in front the double difficulty of knowing: elements that cannot be detached to empty them and consequently topple them since they are too heavy at the time. It is therefore necessary according to the prior art to start detaching the last element from the line, to empty it then to move on to the next element and so on.

On the other hand, according to the invention, the order of evacuation of the elements is arbitrary and it is even possible to remove intermediate elements by leaving the other elements in place since the element (s) once emptied, it suffices to extract them vertically which is possible and easy since the elements are not heavy but only bulky. This operation is further facilitated by the handles provided at the ends of the elements.

As, moreover, the elements are provided with lateral protection and continuity members, at the level of the joint, the roughness capable of catching a vehicle too close to the element is a practically non-existent risk.

Finally, the evacuation of the elements is done in a very simple way by releasing the tubes; it is not necessary as already indicated to unscrew a plug, long operation in itself and moreover this unscrewing frequently makes the elements unusable because after a few screwings, when the screws have been inserted incorrectly in the thread, the screwing and / or sealing are no longer possible.

Other features of the invention are the subject of claims 2 to 9.

• - la figure 1 est un schéma de principe d'un élément séparateur selon l'invention, montrant en pointillés la forme et l'emprise au sol d'un élément séparateur connu.
• - la figure 2 est une vue en coupe transver­sale d'un exemple de réalisation d'un élément sépara­teur de voies vu de l'arrière selon l'orientation de la figure 3.
• - la figure 3 est une vue en perspective de l'élément séparateur de la figure 2.
• - la figure 4 est une vue de dessus de la partie gauche de l'élément séparateur selon les figu­res 2 et 3, montrant également la liaison avec l'élément à gauche, non représenté.
• - la figure 5 est une vue de côté partielle avec demi-coupe médiane de l'élément séparateur selon l'invention.
• - la figure 6 est une vue schématique de dessous d'une partie de l'élément de la figure 4, montrant le tube d'évacuation et la cavité.

The present invention will be described in more detail with the aid of the appended drawings in which:

• - Figure 1 is a block diagram of a separator element according to the invention, showing in dotted lines the shape and the footprint of a known separator element.
• FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a channel separating element seen from the rear along the orientation of FIG.
• - Figure 3 is a perspective view of the separator element of Figure 2.
• - Figure 4 is a top view of the left part of the separator element according to Figures 2 and 3, also showing the connection with the element on the left, not shown.
• - Figure 5 is a partial side view with middle half-section of the separator element according to the invention.
• - Figure 6 is a schematic view from below of a part of the element of Figure 4, showing the discharge tube and the cavity.

According to Figure 1, the track separator element which has a length allowing its manipulation and depends on the material in which it is made (for example of the order of 1.20 m to 1.50 m) has a substantially triangular section with a base 1, sides 2, 3, inclined, a top 4 and means of connection and / or articulation at the ends of each element. These latter means can be produced in the most diverse forms.

This separating element is provided with lateral bands 5, 6 which extend over the entire length of the separator in a continuous or discontinuous manner possibly overhanging so that the lateral bands of one separator overlap those of the other in the direction of circulation cars.

The lower surface 7, 8 of the side bands comprises means increasing the adhesion of these surfaces to the ground 9. The upper surfaces 10, 11 of the side bands are provided with deformations such as ridges, bosses, grooves, which generate a noise when a vehicle tire passes over these strips.

The width of the lateral strips 5, 6 is sufficient for a vehicle wheel to bite well on the strip and to press it sufficiently on the ground to block the separating element.

The adhesion to the ground of the separating elements according to the invention is increased by the means 7, 8, such as asperities, flexible surfaces, etc. produced under the side bands 5, 6.

When a wheel arrives on one of the bands 5, 6, even if the vehicle or the wheel touches the element separator, they cannot repel it since the wheel rests on the strip. In addition, like the rolling of the wheel on the surface 10, 11, of the strip 5, 6, creates a noise dependent on the speed of rolling and the distribution of the deformations. This noise is perceived by the driver who knows that he is biting on the side strip and that he has to correct his direction.

The shape of the contour of a known separating element is shown in broken lines with the references M, N, showing the footprint and the size.

Figures 2 to 6 explain the means of the invention by a particularly advantageous embodiment.

The separating element 20, in the form of a hollow prismatic volume, which can be filled with a ballasting liquid (water), comprises at each end an assembly member 21A, 21B (FIG. 4). At its base, the element is provided with lateral bands 22, 23 comprising ridges 24, 25 leaving a smooth, slightly hollow band, 26, 27 to receive a reflective display adhesive.

According to Figures 2, 3, 4, the element 20 has at its upper part an orifice with a plug 28 for filling. Its internal volume 29 extends as far as the lateral strips 22, 23 which are double-walled, so as to make the different zones communicate at the base of the internal volume 29, in particular those created due to the cavity 30, at the base of element 20, and serving to increase its rigidity. This cavity also allows the passage of runoff water and access to the draining means as will be explained later. The internal reinforcement of the element is completed by links 31 so that the element does not deform under the effect of hydrostatic pressure.

According to FIG. 2, at its base, the element comprises a nozzle 32 to which a drain tube 33 is fixed. When this tube 33 rests on the ground as shown, it makes it possible to empty the volume 29 in all its parts, in particular due to the communication carried out by the lateral bands 22, 23.

By cons to keep the ballast liquid in the element 20, simply raise the tube 33 and maintain it in this position. For this, the wall of the element laterally comprises a fixing means (Figure 3) in the form of housing 34 which receives the corresponding part of the flexible tube 33 by clipping; the tube 33 thus remains retained in this housing 34.

Figures 2 and 3 also show the overall shape, substantially symmetrical of the element 20, of triangular section, terminated in the upper part by a rectangular box 37 whose side faces have locations 38 for self-reflecting labels. The sides of the element are provided with stiffening deformations 39 (Figures 2, 3) and 39, 39 ′ (Figure 4). As already mentioned, the cavity 30 is open on both sides of the element 20 to form a water passage 40. This passage 40 is not symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal median plane and on the side of the nozzle 32, this cavity is widened to facilitate access to the tube 33. Finally, at each end, the element 20 comprises a cavity forming a handle 41 and the assembly members 21A, 21B.

In FIG. 2, the member 21A appears hollow from the inside in FIG. 2 and in relief in FIG. 3, the assembly of two male / female organs 21A, 21B appearing in FIG. 4.

The male member 21A is a circular cylinder with a vertical axis XX which engages in the female member 21A in the form of a concave cylinder, of the same axis but of complementary section. These sections are chosen to facilitate the engagement and allow to absorb misalignments or more frequently, to follow curved paths.

The member 21A is bordered on one side by a prism-shaped extension 51 of the body of the element 20 and on the other side by a stop strip 52.

The other end of the element 20 comprises a female member 21B bordered on each side by an extension and an abutment strip for cooperating respectively with the strip and the extension of the end of an element with which the present element is joined.

There is thus support between the extension and the strip of two elements 20 (Figure 4) at each end of the assembled element.

So that the members 51, 52 cooperate and mutually reinforce each other, the extension 53 has a recessed surface 53 in which the strip 52 can be housed. This is the case on each side of the member 21A.

This cooperation closes the gap between the body of two elements and makes the separator smooth at the assemblies.

The bottom view of FIG. 5 shows the shape of the lateral bands 22, 23, the communication between the passage 40 and the cavity 30 as well as the nozzle 32, the tube 33 and its housing 34. According to this FIG. 6, the cavity 30 ends at each end with a transverse junction 54 to which the base 55 of the member 21A is connected.

Finally, on the top of the element (Figure 4) there are housings 60, 61, 62 to receive the supports or fixing means for signaling or display means.

The track separating elements, as described above are preferably made of plastic material, in particular by the rotational molding process since they are pieces of large dimensions.

It should also be noted that the shape of the element can undergo numerous modifications and variants, however ensuring that the internal partitioning, especially at the level of the cavity 30, is such, on the one hand, that there are volumes refillable located very low to lower the center of gravity and increase the stability of the element in particular downwind and, on the other hand, to communicate these different volumes for their filling and evacuation.

Claims (9)

1 ^o ) Track separator element provided at each end with assembly members (21 A, 21B) to be assembled with other elements (20) of this type and form a track separator, element consisting of a body hollow refillable with ballast liquid and a support base on the ground (9),
element characterized in that:
- the base is provided laterally on each side with a support strip (5, 6, 22, 23),
the strips (5, 6, 22, 23) have deformations (24, 25) which generate noise under the effect of the rolling of a tire,
- a discharge nozzle (32) of the liquid contained in the hollow body (29), provided at the base of this hollow body and connected to a flexible lifting tube (33) cooperating with a fixing means (34) provided on the body of the element (20) for removably retaining the tube (33) in the raised position,
- male / female assembly members (21A, 21B) extending practically over the entire height of the element (20) at each of its ends and assembling by vertical fitting (XX),
- A water passage (40) in which the discharge orifice (32) and the tube (33) are located. 2 ^o ) track separator element according to claim 1, characterized in that the lateral support strips (22, 23) are hollow (26, 27) and the interior communicates with the interior volume (29) of the block. 3 ^o ) track separator element according to claim 1, characterized in that the assembly members are in the form of projecting circular cylinders (21A) and recessed (21B) extending over a significant part of the height of l 'element (20), bordered on each side by an extension (51) of the body of the element and a strip (52) cooperating with corresponding members of the other end of the element (20) adjacent. 4 ^o ) track separator element according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing means (34) is a housing rising in one of the sides of the element and whose section allows to receive the flexible tube (33) , by clipping. 5 ^o ) track separator element according to claim 3, characterized in that the extension (51) of the body of the element (20) extends the shape of the body and has a hollow portion (53) for receiving the lamella (52 ) of the preceding element (20) to which another element (20) is connected. 6 ^o ) track separator element according to claim 1, characterized in that the base of the element is hollow, in the form of a stiffening cavity (30) and the sides include stiffening deformations (39). 7 ^o ) track separator element according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper part of the element (20) is constituted by a form of housing (37) provided with cavities (38) for luminescent or reflective adhesives as well as 'at each of its ends of a cavity (41) forming a handle. 8 ^o ) track separator element according to claims 1 and 7, characterized in that the upper part in the form of a housing (37) comprises housings (40, 41, 42) for fixing signaling and display means. 9 ^o ) track separator element according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it is made of plastic by rotational molding.

Images