Yodock, Guy C. (3000 SW 4th Avenue Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33315, US)
Yodock Jr., Leo J. (850 South Park Road Suite 8-215 Hollywood, FL, 33021, US)
| 1. | Apparatus for use with a vehicle traffic divider located along a roadway which includes substantially continuous side walls each facing a lane of traffic, said apparatus comprising: a first section and a second section each including a top wall and a side wall having opposed ends, a bottom edge and a top edge, said top wall of each section being connected to said top edge of a respective side wall; each of said first and second sections being positionable along one side of the vehicle traffic divider so that said bottom edge of each section rests atop the roadway and said top wall of said first section connects to said top wall of said second section, said first and second sections collectively defining a hollow interior adapted to receive a portion of the length of the vehicle traffic divider; and a filler material introduced into said hollow interior and substantially encasing that portion of the vehicle traffic divider contained therein. |
| 2. | The apparatus of claim 1 in which said top wall of each of said first and second sections is formed with a top flange having a number of throughbores, said top flange of said first section abutting said top flange of said second section so that said throughbores align with one another. |
| 3. | The apparatus of claim 2 further including a mounting device including a bolt and nut for each pair of aligning throughbores in said top flanges of said first and second sections, each of said bolts being inserted within a pair of aligning throughbores and tightened down with a nut to interconnect said top flanges. |
| 4. | The apparatus of claim 1 further including a bottom flange connected to said bottom edge of each of said first and second sections, said bottom flange of each of said first and second sections being formed with a number of throughbores which receive stakes insertable through a throughbore in said bottom flange and into the roadway to secure said first and second sections in place thereon. |
| 5. | The apparatus of claim 1 in which said top wall of each of said first and second sections is formed with at least one cutout, said at least one cutout of said first section aligning with said at least one cutout of said second section to collectively form a fill hole for receipt of said filler material. |
| 6. | The apparatus of claim 1 in which said filler material includes pieces of rubber material embedded within a binder material. |
| 7. | The apparatus of claim 6 in which said pieces of rubber material are rubber granules formed from scrap rubber. |
| 8. | The apparatus of claim 6 in which said binder material is a urethane material. |
| 9. | The apparatus of claim 1 in which said side wall of each of said first and second sections is formed with a profile including a curb reveal extending upwardly from said bottom edge, a vertical portion extending substantially vertically downwardly from said top wall and an intermediate section extending between said curb reveal and said vertical portion. |
| 10. | Apparatus for use with a vehicle traffic divider located along a roadway which includes substantially continuous side walls each facing a lane of traffic, said apparatus comprising: a number of individual units each including: (i) a first section and a second section each including a top wall and a side wall having opposed ends, a bottom edge and a top edge, said top wall of each section being connected to said top edge of a respective side wall; (ii) one end of said side wall of each of said first and second sections being formed with an extension; (iii) each of said first and second sections being positionable along one side wall of the vehicle traffic divider so that said bottom edge of each section rests atop the roadway and said top wall of said first section connects to said top wall of said second section, said first and second sections collectively defining a hollow interior adapted to receive a portion of the length of the vehicle traffic divider; said units being positioned endtoend along the vehicle traffic divider so that said extension on said one end of each said first and second sections of one unit is received within said hollow interior of an abutting unit at the end of each said first and second sections opposite said extension; a filler material introduced into said hollow interiors of adjacent units which substantially encases that portion of the vehicle traffic divider contained therein. |
| 11. | The apparatus of claim 10 in which said bottom flange of said first and second sections of each unit has a raised portion adjacent said opposite end of said side wall which receives said extension. |
| 12. | The apparatus of claim 10 in which said top wall of each of said first and second sections of each said units is formed with a top flange having a number of throughbores, said top flange of said first section abutting said top flange of said second section so that said throughbores align with one another. |
| 13. | The apparatus of claim 12 further including a mounting device including a bolt and nut for each pair of aligning throughbores in said top flanges of said first and second sections, each of said bolts being inserted within a pair of aligning throughbores and tightened down with a nut to interconnect said top flanges. |
| 14. | The apparatus of claim 13 in which said top flange of each of said first and second sections at one end of each said cover units is formed with an offset portion which protrudes from said units, said offset portions of said first and second sections receiving therebetween a portion of said top flanges from an abutting unit, said offset portions and said top flanges being formed with aligning throughbores which receive a bolt secured thereto by a nut. |
| 15. | The apparatus of claim 10 further including a bottom flange connected to said bottom edge of each of said first end second sections, said bottom flange of each of said first and second sections of each said units being formed with a number of throughbores which receive stakes insertable through a throughbore in said bottom flange and into the roadway to secure said first and second sections in place thereon. |
| 16. | The apparatus of claim 10 in which said top wall of each of said first and second sections is formed with at least one cutout, said at least one cutout of said first section aligning with said at least one cutout of said second section to collectively form a fill hole for receipt of said filler material. |
| 17. | The apparatus of claim 10 in which said filler material includes pieces of rubber material embedded within a binder material. |
| 18. | The apparatus of claim 17 in which said pieces of rubber material are rubber granules formed from scrap rubber. |
| 19. | The apparatus of claim 17 in which said binder material is a urethane material. |
| 20. | Apparatus for use with a vehicle traffic divider located along a roadway, comprising: a onepiece unit including a top wall, opposed ends and opposed side walls each having a bottom edge which collectively form a hollow interior adapted to receive a portion of the length of the vehicle traffic divider, each of said sidewalls being formed with a curb reveal extending upwardly from said bottom edge, a vertical portion extending downwardly from said top wall and an intermediate section extending between said curb reveal and said vertical portion; a filler material introduced into said hollow interior of said onepiece unit and substantially encasing that portion of the vehicle traffic divider contained therein. |
| 21. | The apparatus of claim 20 further including a bottom flange connected to said bottom edge of each of said side walls, said bottom flanges being formed with a number of throughbores which receive stakes insertable therethrough and into the roadway to secure said onepiece unit in place on the roadway. |
| 22. | The apparatus of claim 20 in which said filler material includes pieces of rubber material embedded within a binder material. |
| 23. | The apparatus of claim 22 in which said pieces of rubber material are rubber granules formed from scrap rubber. |
| 24. | The apparatus of claim 22 in which said binder material is a urethane material. |
Background of the Invention A variety of different devices have been developed for absorbing the kinetic energy of impact of colliding automobiles, and for the containment of forces exerted by soil or water. Highway barrier devices, for example, are intended to provide a continuous wall or barrier along the center line of a highway when laid end-to- end to absorb grazing blows from moving vehicles. One commonly used highway barrier is formed of pre-cast reinforced concrete, and is known as the"New Jersey"style barrier. Highway barriers of this
type have a relatively wide base including side walls which extend vertically upwardly from the pavement a short distance, then angle inwardly and upwardly to a vertically extending top portion connected to the top wall of the barrier. This design is intended to contact and redirect the wheels of a vehicle in a direction toward the lane of traffic in which the vehicle was originally traveling, instead of the lane of opposing traffic. See U. S. Patent No. 4,059,362.
Another type of vehicle traffic divider commonly in use is a guard rail which comprises a series of spaced, vertical posts formed of wood, steel or concrete each mounting a pair of opposed extensions at the top end thereof A pair of curved rails are secured on opposite sides of the posts, each having a lower end of which mounts directly to the post and a midpoint connected to one of the extensions. These rails extend between adjacent posts to form a substantially continuous surface on either side of the posts thus defining the sides of the vehicle traffic divider.
One deficiency of highway barriers and guard rails of the type described above, and particularly older versions of same, is insufficient height to accommodate newer and larger vehicles. Many older highway barriers have a height in the range of about 32-36 inches, and guard rails are often only 28 inches in height, both measured vertically from the surface of the roadway. It has been
found that trucks including larger pick-up trucks, sport utility vehicles and front wheel drive vehicles can"climb"or move over the sides of vehicle dividers which are only 36 inches in height or less.
The result is a collision with traffic moving in the opposite direction in the lane (s) on the other side of the divider, which is exactly what the barrier or guard rail is intended to prevent.
In fact, it is desirable to construct vehicle traffic dividers with a height of about 56-60 inches, and many local and state codes have been revised to specify same for new construction. The problem is what to do with the thousands of miles of highway in the United States having undersized vehicle traffic dividers of the type described above. One solution proposed for concrete highway barriers has been to drill a series of longitudinally spaced bores into the interior thereof, from the top wall downwardly, and then insert reinforcing bars into the holes. A concrete cap is poured in place atop the top wall of the barrier which encases the reinforcing bars for added strength. The total height of the barrier and cap falls within the range noted above, as desired.
There are a number of problems with concrete caps. It is relatively expensive and labor intensive to drill holes in existing barriers, position the reinforcing bars and then pour the concrete caps in place. More importantly, it has been found that when impacted by
a vehicle, the cap portion of the barrier tends to break apart because it is only secured atop the underlying barrier by the reinforcing bars.
This can send chunks of concrete from the cap like missiles into traffic on the opposite side of the vehicle divider, creating a situation at least as dangerous as that experienced with the original, shorter barriers.
Moreover, simply replacing older and shorter concrete highway barriers or guard rails with new ones which meet height specifications is not a viable option in many situations. Such replacement operations usually result in shutting down of a roadway in essentially the same manner as if the roadway itself was being repaired or replaced. In most instances, government and highway officials do not consider it economically feasible to proceed with divider repair or replacement alone, without working on the highway as well. Consequently, if the roadway is in good condition, there is substantial reluctance to proceed with the replacement of existing dividers. There is therefore a need for a means of bringing existing concrete barriers and guard rails within current height specifications, in a manner which is economically feasible particularly in situations where repair or replacement of the highway itself is not currently needed.
Summary of the Invention It is therefore among the objectives of this invention to provide an apparatus for use with vehicle traffic dividers such as highway barriers and guard rails which allows such dividers to meet height specifications, which is economical to install without repair or replacement of the associated roadway, which lessens friction upon impact with a vehicle bumper and which substantially prevents accidental passage of a vehicle from one lane of traffic to the opposite lane.
These objectives are accomplished in an apparatus for covering existing vehicle traffic dividers which comprises a number of individual cover or slip-over units each including either one-piece molded units, or, alternatively, first and second sections having a side wall, bottom flange and top wall. The one-piece units or first and second sections are positionable over the traffic divider so that the bottom flanges rest atop the roadway, thus defining a hollow interior within which a filler material is introduced to substantially encase the existing barrier contained therein.
This invention is predicated on the concept of providing a solution to the problem of how to economically, efficiently and safely increase the height of existing highway barriers and guard rails in order to meet current standards and specifications. As noted above,
thousands of miles of highways employ vehicle traffic dividers which are 36 inches in height or less. Current highway specifications in most areas require dividers having a height of 56-60 inches. In order to meet specifications, the individual units of this invention are a full 56-60 inches in height, extending from the roadway vertically upwardly, and completely encase the existing vehicle traffic dividers.
In one presently preferred embodiment, each unit comprises first and second sections located on opposite sides of the highway barrier or guard rail. Each section is formed of a semi rigid plastic material, including a side wall having opposed ends, a bottom edge and a top edge, a bottom flange connected to the bottom edge of the side wall and a top wall connected to the top edge of the side wall.
The bottom flange of each section rests atop the roadway, and is preferably formed with a number of throughbores which receive stakes to secure the sections to the roadway. The top walls include mounting structure for interconnecting one to the other, thus defining a hollow interior between the first and second sections which contains a portion of the traffic divider. In the assembled condition, the first and second sections of each unit resemble a highway barrier having a curb reveal extending upwardly from the bottom flange, a vertical portion extending downwardly from the top wall and an inwardly
tapering, intermediate portion between the curb reveal and vertical portion.
One end of the side wall of each section is formed with an extension. In order to cover a vehicle traffic divider of given length, a number of individual units are assembled end-to-end with the extensions of the first and second sections of one unit being slidably received within the facing end of the first and second sections of an adjacent unit. Preferably, the bottom flange of each unit is vertically offset at one end, where the units abut one another, to avoid interference therebetween.
The top wall of the first and second sections of each unit is formed with at least one cut-out, which, when the sections are assembled, collectively form a fill hole. The fill hole (s) of each unit receives a material which is introduced into the hollow interior of each unit and substantially completely encases that portion of the vehicle traffic divider therein. In one presently preferred embodiment, the filler material comprises rubber chunks or granules which are encased in a binder material such as urethane. The rubber granules and binder material form a slurry which is poured into the interior of the units in position over the vehicle traffic divider. The slurry solidifies to form a resilient core within the unit interior which
surrounds the divider. Alternatively, the fill material can be sand or stone.
In an alternative embodiment, each unit has a one-piece molded construction formed in the shape of a conventional barrier and sized to fit over an existing highway barrier or guard rail.
Adjacent, one-piece units are assembled end-to-end in the same fashion noted above, and include fill holes for the introduction of filler material therein as described in the previous embodiment.
The units of this invention provide a number of advantages over the prior art concrete cap approach discussed above, and solves the height problem of existing, shorter vehicle dividers.
The assembled units, with the core of resilient filler material, form essentially a one-piece unit unlike the concrete caps employed in the prior art atop existing concrete highway barriers. Each unit is securely staked to the highway along its bottom flanges, and the halves or sections of the two-piece units described above are securely connected to one another. As such, the units remain in tact when struck by a vehicle and do not break apart, unlike the concrete cap construction described above. The plastic material forming the sections of each unit has a low coefficient of friction, compared to conventional highway barriers, which tends to cause vehicles to slip or slide therealong upon impact. The curb reveal of each unit directs
the wheels of a vehicle toward its own lane of traffic instead of across the unit to the opposite side of the roadway. Additionally, the resilient core of the units substantially absorbs the force of a vehicle impact, causing the vehicle to tend to"bounce off'or deflect into its own traffic lane. Moreover, the existing vehicle traffic divider remains in place within the interior of the assembled units, i. e., the concrete highway barriers or guard rails, which provides substantial additional strength to the overall assembly in resisting the force of a vehicle impact.
Description of the Drawings The structure, operation and advantages of the presently preferred embodiment of this invention will become further apparent upon consideration of the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a side view of a prior art vehicle traffic divider employing highway barriers within which reinforcing bars are positioned; Fig. 2 is an end view, in partial cross section, of the barrier of Fig. 1 with a concrete cap in place; Fig. 3 is an end view of a guard rail; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the guard rail of Fig. 3 encased within one embodiment of the apparatus of this invention;
Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of the fully assembled unit of Fig. 4, taken generally along line 5-5 of Fig. 4, depicting the core of filler material encasing a guard rail; Fig. 6 is a side view of the unit of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view taken generally along line 7-7 of Fig. 6, including the core of filler material encasing a highway barrier; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of two units according to Fig.
4, assembled end-to-end over a highway barrier; Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view taken generally along line 9-9 of Fig. 10, depicting the core of filler material encasing a highway barrier; and Fig. 10 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the units of this invention.
Detailed Description of the Invention Referring initially to Figs. 1-3, prior art vehicle traffic dividers are schematically depicted. Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate a traffic divider comprising a number of highway barriers 10 of the type such as disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 4,059,362. As discussed above, in order to meet recently promulgated height specifications for vehicle traffic dividers, such highway barriers 10 have been modified to
include a concrete cap 12 held in place atop the highway barriers 10 by a series of reinforcing bars 14. A typical guard rail 16, having a height on the order of about 28 inches, is schematically depicted in Fig. 3.
Referring now to Figs. 4-8, the units 18 of one embodiment of this invention are illustrated in detail. Each unit 18 comprises a first section 20 and a second section 22 both formed of a semi rigid plastic material chosen from the group consisting of low density polyethylene, acrylonitrite or butadiene styrene, high impact styrene, polycarbonates and the like. The construction of first and second sections 20,22 is identical, and therefore only section 20 is discussed herein with the same reference numbers being applied to the same structure in second section 22 with the addition of a"'".
First section 20 includes a side wall 24 having opposed ends 26,28, a top edge 30 and a bottom edge 32. For purposes of the present discussion, the terms"top"or"upper"refer to a direction extending vertically upwardly with the unit 18 in the orientation depicted in Figs. 5,7 and 8, whereas the terms"bottom"or"lower" refer to the opposition direction. The top edge 30 of side wall 24 is connected to a top wall 34 whose opposite end forms an upwardly extending flange 36. A bottom flange 38 extends perpendicularly from the bottom edge 32 of side wall 24, and is preferably formed with
a number of throughbores 40 for purposes to become apparent below.
In the presently preferred embodiment, the top wall 34 is formed with a number of cut-outs 42 which extend from the flange 36 inwardly toward the top edge 30 of side wall 24.
The first and second sections 20,22 are interconnected to one another so as to substantially completely contain or encase a guard rail 16 or a highway barrier 10 as shown in Figs. 5 and 7, respectively. For example, with reference to Fig. 5, the first section 20 is located on one side of the guard rail 16 such that its bottom flange 38 rests atop the roadway 44 and its top wall 34 overlies the guard rail 16 beneath. The second section 22 is positioned on the opposite side of guard rail 16 so that the flange 36 of first section 20 abuts the flange 36'of second section 22. Each of the flanges 36,36' are formed with a number of throughbores 46 which align with one another to receive a bolt 48 and nut 50 to secure the top end of each divider unit 18 together. A stake 52 is driven into the roadway 44 through each of the throughbores 40 in bottom flange 38 and 38'of sections 20,22, respectively, in order to hold the overall unit 18 in place with respect to the guard rail 16.
With the first and second sections 20,22 in the assembled position depicted in Figs. 5,7 and 8, a hollow interior 54 is defined which substantially encloses the guard rail 16 or highway
barrier 10. In the presently preferred embodiment, the first and second sections 20,22 forming each divider unit 18 have the general profile of a highway barrier wherein the opposed side walls 24,24' each have a curb reveal 56,56'extending upwardly from the surface of the roadway 44, a vertical portion 58,58'extending substantially vertically downwardly from the top of the unit 18, and, an intermediate section 60,60'extending therebetween. The low friction plastic material from which the first and second sections 20,22 are constructed, and the height of the curb reveals 56,56', effectively redirect the wheels of a vehicle upon impact so that the vehicle remains in its lane of travel rather than moving over the divider unit 18 and into the lane of opposing traffic.
In order to cover a given length of highway barriers 10 or guard rail 16, the side walls 24,24'and top walls 34,34'of each first and second section 20,22 is provided with structure to interconnect adjacent divider units 18 end-to-end. As best seen in Figs. 6 and 8, one end of the flange 36,36'of each top wall 34,34'is formed with an offset portion 62,62', respectively, which protrude outwardly from the end 28,28'of wall sections 24,24'. Additionally, the ends 26,26'of side walls 24,24'are each formed with a tapered extension 64,64', respectively. When the units 18 are oriented end- to-end, the extensions 64,64'of side walls 24,24'of one unit 18A are
slidably received on the inside of the ends 28,28'of the sidewall 24, 24'of an adjacent unit 18B, and the protruding offset portions 62,62' of unit 18B receive the flanges 34,34'of unit 18A. In this position, the throughbores 46,46'in each of the offset portions 62,62'of unit 18B align with each other, and align with the throughbores 46,46'in each of the flanges 36,36'of unit 18A. The four, aligning throughbores 46 receive a bolt 48, secured by a nut 50, to interconnect the units 18A and 18B at their abutting ends.
Additionally, as best seen in Figs. 3 and 8, a portion of the bottom flange 38 protruding from the end 26 of side wall 24 of unit 18B and is vertically offset, i. e., as at 66, so as not to interfere with the bottom flange 38 of the adjacent unit 18A when they are assembled end-to- end. The opposite side wall 24'of unit 18B is formed with the identical offset 66'. Preferably, the offset 66 portion of bottom flange 38 has a bore 67 which aligns with the bore 40 in the bottom flange 38 of unit 18A so that a stake 52 can be inserted therethrough and driven into the roadway 44.
As noted above, the first and second sections 20,22 of each unit 18 define a hollow interior. In the assembled condition, the cut-outs 42,42'formed in the top walls 34,34'of first and second sections 20,22, respectively, define longitudinally spaced fill holes 68 leading into the interior of each unit 18. These fill holes 68 provide
access for a filler material which is introduced into the hollow interior of each unit 18. In one presently preferred embodiment, the filler material is a mixture of granules 72 of rubber material embedded in a binder material 74 such as urethane. The rubber granules 72 are formed from new industrial scrap rubber and are free of metal, stone, fiber and other contaminants. The rubber granules 72 are a polymer blend of various rubber types including EPDM (65% 5%), natural rubber, neoprene, nitrite and SBR. Such blend of rubber types has a specific gravity of 1.48 ( 0.02) measured by ASTM D-297, a hardness (Shore/A) of 60 ( 3) and a minimum rubber hydrocarbon content of 35%. The rubber granules 72 range in size from about 0.5 mm to about 6.0 mm, and are greatly exaggerated in size in Figs. 5,7 and 10 for ease of illustration. Rubber granules 72, and the urethane binder 74, are commercially available from American Recycling Center of Linwood, Michigan.
The rubber granules 72 are interspersed within the binder material 74 in a ratio of about 15% binder material 74 to 85% rubber granules 72, by weight. This mixture forms essentially a slurry which is introduced into the hollow interior of each unit 18 through the fill holes 68. The filler material substantially encases the entire outer surface of the highway barriers 10 or guard rail 16
contained within each unit 18 and subsequently hardens to form a resilient core within each unit 18.
With reference to Figs. 9 and 10, an alternative embodiment of this invention is illustrated in which units 100 are formed in a one-piece construction instead of interconnected, first and second sections 20,22 as in the embodiment of Figs. 4-8. Each unit 100 is formed of the same material as units 18, and has a hollow interior 101 for receiving filler material 74 as described above in connection with Figs. 4-8.
As shown in Figs 9 and 10, opposite sides of each unit 100 are identical to one another and therefore only one side wall 102 of each unit 100 is discussed. The same reference numbers are applied to the same structure on the opposite side wall with the addition of a"'". The side wall 102 has a top edge 104, a bottom edge 106 and opposed ends which, collectively with the ends of side wall 102', form the ends 108 and 110 of unit 100. The unit 100 is formed with a top wall 112 extending between the two sidewalls 102,102', which is formed with longitudinally-spaced fill holes 114 for receiving filler material, as described above in connection with the embodiment of Figs. 4-8. A bottom flange 116 extends perpendicularly from the bottom edge 106 of sidewall 102, which is formed with a number of throughbores 118. Stakes 52 are driven into the roadway 44 through
each of the throughbores 118 to secure the units 100 in place as described above.
With a unit 100 in position, as shown in Fig. 10, a hollow interior is defined which substantially encloses the highway barrier 10 or a guard rail 16 (not shown). In the presently preferred embodiment, the unit 100 has the general profile of a highway barrier wherein the opposed side walls 102,102'each have a curb reveal 122, 122'extending upwardly from the surface of the roadway 44, a vertical portion 124,124'extending substantially vertically downwardly from the top of the unit 100, and, an intermediate section 126,126'extending therebetween. The low friction plastic material from which the unit 100 is constructed, and the height of the curb reveals 122,122', effectively redirect the wheels of a vehicle upon impact so that the vehicle remains in its lane of travel rather than moving over the unit 100 and into the lane of opposing traffic.
In order to cover a given length of highway barriers 10 or guard rail 16, the side walls 102,102'and top wall 112 of each unit 100 is provided with structure to interconnect adjacent units 100 end- to-end. As shown in Fig. 10, the end 108 of each unit 100 is formed with inwardly tapered extensions 128 and 130 which are received within an abutting end 110 of an adjacent unit 100. The tapered extensions 128,130 of one unit 100 are sized to fit within an adjacent
unit 100 to interconnect the two. Once connected, the units 100 receive filler material within their hollow interior through fill holes 114 in the same manner as described above.
While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. For example, the filler material described above comprises rubber granules 72 embedded in a binder material 74. It is contemplated that other filler materials such as sand, stone and/or gravel could be employed to fill the interior of units 18 or 100.
Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
What is claimed is:
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