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(11) | EP 2 053 166 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Roadway protective strip |
| (57) The protective strip (1) is made of a plastic, thermoplastic or similar material,
preferably polyethylene, and has two end conduits, one upper (6) and the other lower
(7), each housing preferably metal hollow pipes (8) that provide rigidity to the assembly.
On the back of this protective strip (1) are some angular recesses (9) so that, in
the event that an accident occurs, there will be a deformation on the surface of the
impact at the same time that the angular recesses (9) stretch in a vertical direction
in order to absorb the kinetic energy that has not been absorbed on the front surface.
Moreover, the protective strip (1) has an upper extension, taking on an angular, curved
shape that, in the event of an accident, prevents cuts or any kind of injury to the
driver as he/she does not come into contact with the metal of the guard rail. The
protective strip (1) is related to the double T-shaped or U-shaped metal profile (2)
of the guard rail secured to the ground and to the guard rail itself by means of metal
brackets (10, 11, 12). These brackets (10, 11, 12) are secured by using screws. The
protective strips are related to each other thanks to a prolongation of the material
or overlap (4) that they have at one of their ends and an indentation (5) at the other
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[0001] The object to which the invention protected by this Patent refers is a "Protective Strip" which prevents violent impacts against the metal profiles anchored to the asphalt where the corrugated plates which the guard rails are made of are secured, by absorbing most of the kinetic energy of the collision and leaving the driver and/or companion unharmed in most accidents.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In the general network of Spanish highways, the protection systems called guard rails or crash barriers, which prevent vehicles from leaving the roadway, are manufactured in two parts; the upper part is a longitudinal beam of preferably corrugated galvanized steel and the other is a double T-shaped or U-shaped steel profile secured to the ground that keeps the longitudinal beams joined together.
[0003] From a technical point of view, guard rails have been devised as an element required for passive highway safety, helping to prevent a vehicle from leaving the roadway and falling down an embankment or crossing over to the opposite lane of a highway on losing control of the vehicle. However, for a two-wheeled vehicle such as a moped, motorcycle or bicycle, where the main bodywork is the human body itself, a crash against this type of protection can have fatal consequences for the health of the driver and/or companion.
[0004] Many motorcycle accidents that occur on highways result in fatal consequences for the driver and companion; the explanation is that when a motorcycle falls over, the driver and/or companion are thrown off of it by inertia and centrifugal force. In the cases in which the accident victim's body slides along the asphalt, the force of friction will stop it and the consequences will be no greater than grazes and possible bruises on the body. However, in a fall from a motorcycle, if there is a protective barrier such as a crash barrier, guard rail or vertical signs and if the driver's and/or companion's body collides with this protection, and even if the driver or companion are properly fitted out, the violent impact against the guard rail makes the profile act as a guillotine or knife against his/her body, with the most affected zones generally being the body's extremities.
[0005] Standard UNE135 900 is in charge of assessing the injuries suffered in special tests by a dummy (mannequins used in vehicle collision tests that simulate the behaviour of the human body in the presence of forces that appear during the collision) on crashing against a double bicorrugation protective system at different speeds. If a protection system conforms with the above mentioned standard, that system may be certified.
[0006] In view of all the above, there is a need for a protective strip that functions as a medium to absorb the impact of people against the profiles that support the guard rails in the event of an accident, thus preventing irreparable injuries and even deaths, and moreover that this strip conform with the corresponding standard.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The purpose of the invention that comprises the object of this Patent is to eliminate the above described problem in an easy but efficient way, and it has been designed and developed in accordance with this priority objective.
[0008] The protective strip is made of a plastic, thermoplastic or similar material, preferably polyethylene, obtained in a single phase of rotomolding and practically hollow inside. This strip has two end conduits, one upper and the other lower, each housing preferably metal hollow pipes that provide rigidity to the assembly.
[0009] On the back of this protective strip are some indentations or angular recesses so that, in the event that an accident occurs, there will be a deformation on the surface of the impact at the same time that the indentations stretch in a vertical direction in order to absorb the kinetic energy that has not been absorbed on the front surface.
[0010] The protective strip is related to the double T-shaped or U-shaped metal profile secured to the ground by means of a metal bracket. It is also related to the lower part of the bicorrugation and equidistantly along the protective strip by means of another metal bracket. In the center of the protective strip, another metal bracket is secured to the bicorrugation for purposes of providing the latter with greater rigidity and consistency. The brackets are secured by using screws. The brackets that connect the protective strip to the back of the bicorrugation provide it with greater rigidity in its central areas and prevent the possible accident victim from crossing over the vertical of the guard rail.
[0011] The protective strip is 4 meters long, which is the length corresponding to the distance between each of the T-shaped or U-shaped profiles that are anchored to the ground and to which the corrugated plates or bicorrugations that make up the guard rail are fastened. The protective strips are related to each other thanks to a prolongation of the material or overlap that they have at one of their ends and an indentation at the other.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] To complement the description of the invention and to facilitate interpretation of the structural and functional features of its object, drawings are attached hereto that schematically show a preferential execution of the protective strip that comprises the object of this Patent. In these drawings:
- Figure 1 shows a detail of the protective strip already anchored both to the profiles and to the corrugated plate or bicorrugation.
- Figure 2 shows a front perspective of the already installed strip.
- Figure 3 shows a section of the protective strip.
- Figure 4 shows a rear view of the strip, where it can be seen how it is completely secured to the guard rail.
- Figure 5 shows a front view of the strip in which the overlap and the indentation for connecting the strips are clearly distinguished.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERENTIAL EXECUTION
[0013] To clearly show the nature and scope of the advantageous application of the protective strip that comprises the object of the claimed invention, following is a description of its structure with reference to the drawings which, because they represent a preferential execution of this object on an informative basis, should be considered in the broadest sense of the word and not as limitative of the application and the content of the claimed invention.
[0014] The protective strip (1) is 4 meters long, which is the length corresponding to the distance between each of the T-shaped or U-shaped profiles (2) which are anchored to the ground and to which the corrugated plates (3) or bicorrugations that make up the guard rail are fastened. Therefore, one of these protective strips (1), which are related to each other thanks to a prolongation of the material or overlap (4) that they have at one of their ends and an indentation (5) at the other, must be placed every 4 meters.
[0015] The protective strip (1) is made of a plastic, thermoplastic or similar material, preferably polyethylene, obtained in a single phase of rotomolding and practically hollow inside. This strip (1) has two end conduits, one upper (6) and the other lower (7), each housing preferably metal hollow pipes (8) that provide rigidity to the assembly.
[0016] On the back of this protective strip (1) are some angular recesses (9) so that, in the event that an accident occurs, there will be a deformation on the surface of the impact at the same time that the angular recesses (9) stretch in a vertical direction in order to absorb the kinetic energy that has not been absorbed on the front surface. Moreover, the protective strip (1) has an upper extension, taking on an angular, curved shape that, in the event of an accident, prevents cuts or any kind of injury to the driver as he/she does not come into contact with the metal of the guard rail.
[0017] The protective strip (1) is related to the double T-shaped or U-shaped metal profile (2) of the guard rail secured to the ground by means of metal brackets (10). It is also related to the lower part of the bicorrugation (3) and equidistantly along the protective strip (1) by means of other metal brackets (11). In the center of the protective strip (1), another metal bracket (12) is secured to the bicorrugation (3) for purposes of providing the latter with greater rigidity and consistency. The brackets (10, 11, 12) are secured by using screws. The brackets (11, 12) that connect the protective strip (1) to the back of the bicorrugation (3) provide it with greater rigidity in its central areas and prevent the possible accident victim from crossing over the vertical of the guard rail.
[0018] Of note is the fact that the material used to make the protective strip (1) is recyclable, which helps to reduce costs and also to achieve significant eco-efficiency. Moreover, once the protective strip (1) is installed, the only maintenance required is limited to replacing the pieces damaged in the accident with new pieces, a job that anyone can do in just a few minutes.
[0019] The protective strip (1) can also be used as a beaconing system, since it can be manufactured in any color and can include reflecting marks to turn dangerous zones into duly signaled, non-risk zones. In addition, thanks to the separation between the protective strip (1) and the ground, in the event of rain the water can pass underneath the strip, thus preventing water from collecting on the highway and, indirectly, animals from accessing the highway in the case of mountainous locations.
1. "Roadway protective strip", characterized by the fact that it is made of a plastic, thermoplastic or similar material, preferably polyethylene,
obtained in a single phase of rotomolding and practically hollow inside; that it has
two end conduits, one upper (6) and the other lower (7), each housing preferably metal
hollow pipes (8) that provide rigidity to the assembly; that the back of this protective
strip (1) has some angular recesses (9) that, in the event of impact, stretch and
absorb the kinetic energy that has not been absorbed on the front surface; that it
has an upper extension, taking on an angular, curved shape that prevents the driver
from coming into contact with the metal of the guard rail; and that are related to
each other thanks to a prolongation of the material or overlap (4) that they have
at one of their ends and an indentation (5) at the other.
2. "Roadway protective strip", according to Claim 1, characterized by the fact that the protective strip (1) is related to the double T-shaped or U-shaped metal
profile of the guard rail secured to the ground by means of metal brackets (10); that
it is also related to the lower part of the bicorrugation (3) and equidistantly along
the protective strip (1) by means of metal brackets (11); and that in the center of
the protective strip (1), another metal bracket (12) is secured to the bicorrugation
(3) for purposes of providing the latter with greater rigidity and consistency.