Technical Field

This invention relates to the civil engineering field, specifically, installation of sliding precast reinforced concrete barriers with a cam lock on road communications, i.e. continuous barriers stretching along the verges of road communications or between the traffic lanes of road communications, motorways, expressways, on bridges, designed as safety devices to slow down, direct or contain those vehicles, which would leave their lanes excessively. At the same time, the invention prevents damage to the structure of safety devices and vehicles for the benefit of transported persons and other road users in the event of collision with a vehicle the driver of which has failed.

Situation in Technology up to Now

Road barriers have been designed to absorb single shocks of even very heavy vehicles; this is a fact which puts high demands on barriers and their reciprocal connections. The present barriers basically consist of fixed steel constructions, where profiled steel bars are attached to the retaining and in-terrain-fixed posts. For example, under EP 1650 351 B1 , steel bars are fixed through spacers to a post fixed with a certain clearance on the pavement, or reinforced concrete bars are fixed to the reinforced concrete posts or metal posts through a deformable cylindrical component or on U-shaped arms, or for example under solution WO 2006123864 A1 through a pair of opposite reciprocally sliding U shapes connected by screws.

There is also a portable steel road barrier under utility model SK 1386, made from pairs in the direction of portable road barrier of opposite flat steel side forms symmetrically widen down and laid freely on the pavement through a bearing segment and reciprocally connected in front locks with projection and recess connected by an upper segment in a longitudinal U-shape profile open down, where upper segments are inwards the barriers connected by a connecting component and the connecting components are fixed longitudinally to the side forms of the barrier.

Nonetheless, the above steel barriers absorb the shock energy only to a slight degree, and thus are not safe enough for the vehicle crew in the event of a collision against a vehicle. Such construction solutions are complex from the construction point of view, demanding in terms of assembly or disassembly of the barrier and require a frequent costly maintenance and surface treatment from the perspective of life cycle extension.

Then there are barriers composed of various types of fixed or loosely installed reinforced concrete precast segments, which are safer for the vehicle crew in terms of shock energy absorption and their life is longer than that of steel barriers. Nevertheless, the disadvantage of fixed precast reinforced concrete barriers on road communications consists in their high rigidity arising out of the method of their fixed installation in the pavement crown with fixed reciprocal connection. This disadvantage is eliminated only with barriers laid freely on the pavement surface, which enable certain cross displacement. With controlled cross displacement caused by vehicle collision, sliding precast reinforced concrete barriers co-act in the longitudinal direction through various kinds of used reciprocal connections. Connections are commonly formed either by ropes or a fastening rod in free locks. The connections with free locks are principally used for the reason that they may be simply connected and disconnected, thus facilitating to a notable degree the assembly and disassembly of their individual precast segments, or even the entire section of the barrier under the generally known technical solution under CZ UV 2970 and CZ UV 9372, the precast road barrier is spliced by a continuous rod, and composed of reciprocally variably connectible concrete regular and end segments of the "New Jersey" type with the interface of the concrete segments equipped on one side with a vertical connection spring and on the opposite side by the vertical groove, where a continuous connection rod lapping over the concrete segments, terminated by a barrier joint thread, is spliced in the head of concrete segments. The barrier joint is in the upper opening of concrete segments composed of a pair of metal boards with median openings fixed by a matrix on the end of the connecting rod, whereas the adjacent metal boards are reciprocally connected in a way enabling their disconnection, by a pair of joints composed of a screw and a matrix. The disadvantage of this technical solution consists in the demanding and time-consuming assembly of the barrier joint in the small upper opening of the connected concrete segments involving a possible accident.

There is also the technical solution under CZ UV 7632 for sliding precast road barrier composed of reciprocally connectible continuous and end segments with connecting components, where the heads of the segments have identical oval cavities over the total length for the outside lap of the oval eye of the connecting component enabling reciprocal connection of individual segments by oval connecting pins. The disadvantage of this technical solution consists in the indispensible precise reciprocal orientation of the connected segments of various heights of the oval eyes from their base, the demanding and time-consuming assembly of the oval pins in the relevant oval eyes of the connected segments in the small opening of the connected concrete segments involving a possible accident. Another big disadvantage of this connection consists in the complex disassembly in the event of collision against the barriers, when the connecting component is deformed. In addition, the solution enables only minimum swinging movements and is very demanding in terms of material and manufacturing.

Then there is the solution to concrete barrier with a free lock under the utility model CZ 12223, where the heads of the segments have all over their lengths mirror identical cavities and are terminated on two concrete wires of every concrete segment by a hollow casket horizontally fixed on opposite ends of the connecting segments of the barriers, whereas a connecting profile insert in a form of a longitudinally connected pair of rods is vertically fixed in the adjacent openings of hollow caskets. The disadvantage of this technical solution consists in the indispensable precise assembly of the connected heavy concrete segments within the distance of the installed connecting profile insert in the horizontal and vertical positions, thus making their assembly demanding and time-consuming involving a possible accident. Another big disadvantage of this connection consists in the complex disassembly in the event of collision against the barriers, when the connecting component is deformed. In addition, the solution enables only minimum swinging movements and is very demanding in terms of material and manufacturing.

Then there is the solution to concrete barrier with a free lock created by an armature made from longitudinal concrete bars in several series one on top of the other under the utility model CZ 17154, where the free lock consists of a set of support caskets fixed on the arbours of the ends of the armature one on top of the other, then connecting inserts to be inserted in grooves between the support casket and two safety pins inserted in the hollows of the support caskets and the openings of the connecting inserts. The disadvantage of these connections consists, in particular, in the complex nature of their construction with the assembly of components, especially, if a number of support caskets is required. This disadvantage is notably apparent with complex disassembly in the event of vehicle collision against the barriers, when the connecting component and some support caskets are deformed. The high number of used components is very demanding in terms of material and manufacturing of such a concrete barrier. Given the above, the listed deficiencies of this solution limit the number of used support caskets in locks, thus this solution (with regard to the increasing requirements on the bearing capacity of the connection of reinforced concrete barriers with regard to weight and speed of vehicles) is in addition not satisfactory in - A -

terms of applying the requirements of the highest containment degree for concrete barriers. Disclosure of Invention

The sliding precast reinforced concrete barrier with a cam lock equipped with disks connected with longitudinal tow bars one on top of the other and a steel armature eliminates the aforementioned deficiencies to a notable degree. The invention is distinguished by the fact that the fronts of adjacent reinforced concrete segments of the precast barrier have an upper cavity holding a set of fixed disks with a coaxial oval opening, whereas both the sets of disks of adjacent reinforced concrete segments are connected in the oval openings by connecting rods through coaxial oval openings of the locking component.

The fact that the locking component is composed of connecting inserts by disks of a bigger or the same width than the width of the disks, reciprocally coaxially connected at least on one outside side, is an asset.

In this invention, the set of disks between adjacent reinforced concrete segments of the precast barrier is symmetrical on the both fronts of the connected reinforced concrete segments, what enables a slight turn-around of the reinforced concrete segment of the bidirectional barrier, for example, if it would be damaged on one side. The oval opening in the locking component and in disks enables thermal dilatation of the barrier, as well as rectification with assembly. In addition, it enables movement for needs of own geometrical position of the fixed barrier arising out of direction and height parameters of communication, i.e. enables a slight turn-around by the lock of the connected barriers reciprocally around the horizontal axis of the lock in the horizontal axis plane as well as a slight turn-around around the horizontal longitudinal axis of the barrier, thus enabling flapping of the adjacent barriers. The reinforced concrete barriers under this invention enable to achieve the highest level of vehicle containment while maintaining safe simple assembly or disassembly, with replacement or repair of the reinforced concrete segment of the barrier.

Brief Description of Figures in the Drawings

For more detailed description of the invention, see the enclosed drawings, where fig. 1 illustrates the overall axonometric view of the adjacent reinforced concrete segments of the precast barrier with a free cam lock before connection, fig. 2 illustrates the ground plan of the schematic connection of two reinforced concrete segments barriers in the horizontal section, fig. 3 illustrates the section of the connection of two reinforced concrete barriers in the longitudinal vertical section, and fig. 4 illustrates the axonometric view of the construction of a steel armature of two connected barriers.

Examples for Carrying Out the Invention

The sliding precast reinforced concrete barrier with a cam lock under the invention is equipped with disks 3 connected with longitudinal tow bars series of on top of the other 6 and a known not illustrated steel armature. The fronts of adjacent reinforced concrete segments 1 of the precast barrier have upper cavity 2, with a set of fixed disks 3 with a coaxial oval opening, where both the sets of disks 3 of the adjacent reinforced concrete segments 1 are connected in the oval openings by connecting rods 4 through coaxial oval openings of the locking component 5. The locking component 5 is composed of connecting inserts of disks 3 wider than the disks 3, which are at least from one side reciprocally coaxially connected.

The skeleton of every reinforced concrete segment 1 is composed of its known, not illustrated steel armature and longitudinal tow bars 6, strip steel disks 3 are fixed on both ends in several series one on top of the other with a coaxial oval opening. The disks 3 are embedded in the upper cavity 2 of the reinforced concrete segment 1 to create the required construction crevice between the connected reinforced concrete segments 1 of the barriers. The disks 3 of both the fronts of the connected reinforced concrete segments 1 are reciprocally connected as a knuckle joint by the locking element 5 on the inserted connecting rods 4, where the locking component 5 are composed of reciprocally coaxially connected, one on top of the other, inserts of the disks 3 with two oval openings.

The reinforced concrete segments 1 of the barriers are reciprocally connected in a way that once the position of one reinforced concrete segment 1 of the barrier is fixed, the locking component 5 is wholly inserted in one of the upper cavity 2 between the disks 3. Then the second reinforced concrete segment 1 of the barrier is shifted to the front of the first segment to transfer the locking component 5 fixed in the reinforced concrete segment 1 of the barrier onto its disks 3. Then the locking component 5 is in the right position inserted in the coaxial openings of the disks 3 and the locking lock 5 by inserting a pair of connecting rods 4. To achieve small lateral deformation of the barrier, activate the state of stress in the free cam lock by pulling the barrier in the longitudinal direction. By rule, the reinforced concrete barriers under the invention create a continuous line of a containment system from the individual reciprocally connected precast reinforced concrete segments 1_. The tension initiated after the vehicle collision against the reinforced concrete barrier is then transmitted by the steel tow bars 6 through the connecting rods 4 inserted in the locking component 5 and disks 3 onto the next barrier. The locking component 5 and disks 3 are fixed in vertical pockets on the opposite reinforced concrete segments of the barrier. The disks 3 in the reinforced concrete barrier may be fixed either in constant or various distances in the number respecting the height and the required containment capacity of the barrier.

The described and illustrated solution is not the only solution under the invention because the strip steel disks 3 may be fixed on the end reinforced concrete segments of the precast barrier, on the longitudinal tow bar 6 only from one side in several series one on top of the other with the coaxial oval opening, then series of disks 3 may be created in two and more sections, the locking component 5 may be composed of the connecting inserts of disks 3 of lower width than the width of disks 3 and the connecting inserts of disks 3 may be reciprocally coaxially connected only from one outside side.

Industrial Applicability

The sliding precast reinforced concrete barrier with a cam lock under the invention may be used in particular as a safety device for road communication on the verges and the central reserves of roads, motorways, expressways, on bridges, with separation of lanes, etc., with construction of various barriers and fences exposed to possible collisions of very heavy vehicles, airplanes, explosives, etc.