The present invention relates to a post, for example a fence post or a gate post.

There are in many connections a demand for posts of a simple and reliable construction for erecting fences, for use as gate posts or for other purposes. Prior art posts are either defective from the functional point of view or too expensive and complicated to manufacture to be used in the large extent which is required for example when erecting game fences along motor ways, high speed train lines and so on. Prior art posts are also restricted in respect of the possibilities of fixing the posts in grounds of different characters.

The object of the invention is to provide a post in which the above drawbacks of prior art posts have been obviated.

In order to comply with this object there is according to the invention provided a post, for example a post to be used as a fence post, which is characterized in that it is constituted by side elements consisting of sheet metal strips which are connected with each other along their side edges.

The post according to the invention can be used as a fence post and as a gate post when erecting fences at industries, schools, manufacturing plants and the like and is also suitable for erecting game fences along motor ways, high speed train lines and the like. The post according to the invention can also be used for erecting reindeer fences, sheep and cattle fences and so on. Especially game fences for motor ways and high speed train lines and reindeer fences, sheep and cattle fences are suitable purposes as the post can be manufactured at the place there the fence shall be erected or can in a small scale be manufactured at several places close to the place or places where the fence shall be erected.

It is preferred that the post according to the invention has triangular cross section but also posts of other sections, for example square section can be manufactured according to the invention.

It is preferred that the side elements of the post according to the invention are at their side edges provided with edge sections and that the side elements are connected with each other by connection of the edge sections with each other. Preferably the edge sections are directed outwardly from the post. If the post is of triangular shape the edge sections form, seen from the outside of the post, an angle of 150° with the plane of the central section of the side element in question. Preferably the edge sections are connected with each other by means of riveting, especially punch riveting.

It also possible to manufacture a post according to the invention by means of section rolling a sheet metal strip which is then folded together whereupon the edges are connected with each other.

In order to facilitate ramming of the post into the ground the post can at its lower end form a point which for example is constituted by substantially triangular side elements having their side edges connected with each other, the sheet metal strips forming the side elements of the post merging into the triangular side elements forming the point.

As an alternative the post can be erected by being connected to a ground anchorage device positioned in the ground, whereby the post can be provided with means at its lower end for fixing the post to the ground anchorage device.

Especially in the case that the post is intended to be fixed to the ground by means of a ground anchorage device positioned therein it is suitable that the post have a section which is inscribable in a regular triangle. Thereby the end portion of the post can be received in a space of the ground anchorage device, having a triangular cross section. In the case that the cross section of the post is inscribable in a regular triangle the post is preferably so designed that each side element has a central section and at each side thereof has an inwardly bent portion which is positioned between the central section and an edge section of the side element.

The post according to the invention can be anchored in grounds of different characters. hen the post shall be used in connection with especially difficult ground conditions requiring that the post is

moulded into concrete or another hardened material it is suitable that the post is at its lower end provided with outwardly foldable flaps for anchoring the post in the concrete or the hardened material.

In order to improve the possibilities of arranging the post in a well fastened position also at difficult ground conditions the post can be designed so as to form at its lower end a chamber which is connected with an injection opening for concrete and is provided with outlet openings for the concrete injected into the chamber. Thereby the outlet openings can be constituted by openings formed in the side elements of the post, which openings are covered by flaps adapted to be opened in outward direction by the concrete injected into the chamber.

The invention is described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a post according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross section of a profiled sheet metal strip of the kind which is used for manufacturing the post shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 shows on an enlarged scale a section of a portion of the post in the area for connecting the sections of the post with each other by means of punch riveting.

Fig. 4 shows on an enlarged scale a section of a portion of the post in the area of introductory connection of the parts of the post with each other.

Fig. 5, 6 and 7 show cross sections of modified embodiments of the post according to the invention.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the lower portion of a post according to the invention provided with a point.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the lower portion of a post according to the invention provided with a concrete injection

chamber .

Fig. 10 is a cross section of the lower portion of a post according to the invention which is adapted to be connected with an anchorage element arranged in the ground.

Fig. 11 is a cross section of an embodiment of a post according to the invention intended to be used as a gate post.

Fig. 12 is a cross section showing an embodiment of the post according to the invention intended for supporting a traffic sign.

Figs 13a and 13b show the possibility of providing a post according to the invention with stabilizing wings.

The post 2 shown in perspective in Fig. 1 is triangular and consists of three side elements 4 connected with each other. The side elements 4 are constituted by sheet metal strips having uniform width. The side elements 4 have a central section 6 and are provided with edge sections 8 formed by bending the edge portions of the sheet metal strips by 30° as shown in Fig. 2. Preferably the edge sections 8 provided by bending have a width of about 10 mm.

The side elements 4 are connected with each other to constitute the post according to the invention by connecting the edge sections 8 with each other. This can be provided by means of the method shown in Fig. 3 wherein the edge sections 8 have been connected with each other by means of so called punch riveting. A punch riveting is a cold forming operation conducted by means of a die and a punch. Subsequent to the punch riveting operation the edge sections connected with each other have the appearance shown in section in

Fig. 3 in the area of each rivet. Prior to the connection by punch riveting the edge sections 8 can be connected as shown in Fig. 4, i.e. by the fact that one of the edge sections 8 has a portion which is bent back and into which the other edge section 8 is introduced.

The embodiment of the post according to the invention shown in Fig.

5 has a cross section which is inscribable in a regular triangle.

Thus, the post 10 according to Fig. 5 has three side elements 12, each having a central section 14, portions 16 angularly bent inwards

therefrom and edge sections 18 connected with the portions 16 and extending outwardly at a right angle therefrom. This design provides that the section of the post is inscribable in a triangle with the central sections 14 coinsiding with the sides of the triangle and the points of the edge sections 18 positioned in the corners of the triangle. This design of the post makes it possible to anchor the post in the ground by positioning the lower end portion of the post in an upwardly open space of an anchorage element positioned in the ground, the space having a triangular cross section.

The embodiment of the post according to the invention shown in section in Fig. 6 is at its central section of its side elements provided with a profile in the form of longitudinaly extending ridges and grooves 20 providing the side elements with a better bending resistance.

The profiling of the side elements in order to provide the side elements with the bent edge sections and with the profiled central portion can easily be conducted by a light mobile rolling mill which can at a desired place form sheet metal strips to a desired profile. This makes it possible to manufacture the posts in a simple way by manufacturing and mounting the posts at the place where the posts shall be used or in a small scale at several places which are close to the place or the places where a fence shall be erected or the posts shall be used in any other way. This is advantageous especial¬ ly when erecting game fences, cattle fences and so on where the erection of the fences take place over long distances and often far-_ away from built-up areas. This reduces the costs for transportations to a substantial degree.

The sheet metal strips forming the side elements of the posts can, if desired, be formed with openings, lugs and so on before or after the profiling of the sheet metal strips, i.e. are provided with their bent up edge sections or profile at the central section, if any. Such holes, lugs and so on can be used for the connection of fence net, pivots for gates and so on.

The embodiment of the post according to the invention shown in Fig.

7 is of substantially the same design as the post according to Fig. 6. However, the post according to Fig. 7 is constituted by one

single sheet metal strip. Thus, the side elements of the post are unitary at two edges 22 of the post while the third edge 24 is formed by folding the edge portions of the sheet metal strip together. Thus, the post according to Fig. 7 is manufactured by bending one single sheet metal strip along the edges 22 and folding together the free edge portions of the sheet metal strip for forming the edge 24.

In Fig. 8 there is shown the lower portion of an embodiment of the post according to the invention, the post being provided with a point for facilitating the ramming of the post down into the ground. The post has triangular portions 26 which are folded inwardly for closing the lower end of the post as a point. The triangular portions 26 are connected with each other by means of edge sections 28 in principle the same way as the rest of the side elements of the post.

In Fig. 9 there is shown the lower portion of an embodiment of a post according to the invention, the post being provided with a pressure chamber for concrete injection. The pressure chamber is constituted by the side elements 30 of the post at the lower part of the post and by a bottom wall 32 and a partition 34. The chamber has an injection opening 36 for supplying concrete to the chamber and is provided with openings 38 having external flaps 40 which are connected with the side elements 30 by means of pivots 42 arranged at the lower edger of the flaps. When injecting concrete into the pressure chamber the concrete will be forced out through the openings 38 after the chamber has been filled which in turn provides that the flaps 40 are folded out by pivoting around its pivots 42 as shown in Fig. 9. After the injection of the conrete and the folding of the flaps 40 outwards the post will independently of the existing ground conditions be extremely rigidly fixed in the ground.

The pressure chamber present in the embodiment of the post according to Fig. 9 can of course also be provided in the embodiment of the post according to Fig. 8 which is provided with a point, the outlet openings and the flaps being thereby preferably provided at the triangular side elements 26.

Fig. 10 shows the lower portion of an embodiment of the post

according to the invention which is intended to be anchored in the ground by means of a separate anchorage element anchored in the ground. For this purpose the post is at its side elements 44 provided with locking balls 46 spring-loaded by means of leaf springs 48 and partly extending out through openings in the side elements 44. The end portion of the post is introduced into an upwardly open space in the anchorage element anchored in the ground, the balls thereby engaging openings in the anchorage element for releasably retaining the post therein. In this embodiment the post is suitably provided at its lower end with a through opening (not shown) in which a pin can be arranged. Thereby the post can be drawn up from the anchorage element by means of a fork which by engagement with the pin acts as a breaking tool. Thus, it it possible to use permanently installed ground anchorage devices for fences which are temporarily erected and are thereupon removed.

In a post according to the invention it is of course also possible to use other types of locking means than balls for permanently or releasably fixing the post in a ground anchorage element.

Fig. 11 shows a section illustrating the use of a post according to the invention as a gate post. The post consists of two somewhat profiled side elements 50 and a non-profiled side element 52. The side elements 50 are connected with the side element 52 in a usual way by for example punch riveting of the edge sections 54 while the side elements 50 are connected with each other with intermediate positioning of the edge portion of a fence net 56. The side element _^ 52 supports suitable pivots, one pivot 58 being shown in Fig. 11, and other necessary pivots and lock details. The pivots and the lock details can be connected with the side element 52 by punch riveting or in any other suitable way.

A gate post of the kind shown in Fig. 11 is delivered to the place where the gate post shall be erected with the side elements 50 connected with the side element 52 and with pivot details and lock details fastened to the side element 52 but without connection of the side elements 50 with each other. The connection of the side elements 50 with each other takes place at the same time as the fence net is positioned between the edge sections 54 of the post which shall be connected with each other and at the same time as the

fence net 56 is tightened and clamped between the edge sections which are thereupon punch riveted to each other or connected with each other in any other suitable way.

In Fig. 12 there is shown a section of two posts of a modified embodiment of the invention. The posts 58 are of substantially square section and are constituted by substantially U-shaped sheet metal strips 60. The U-shaped sheet metal strips 60 have outwardly directed edge sections 62 at their shanks, the edge sections 62 being connected with each other by means of for example punch riveting. The posts 58 of the kind shown in Fig. 12 can for example be used for supporting a traffic sign 64. The traffic sign 64 is suitably connected with the posts by attaching the edge portions of the sign between the edge sections 62 of the posts at one side thereof. Connection of the sign is thereby provided in connection with the normal punch riveting required for connecting the edge sections 62 with each other.

Figs. 13a and 13b show posts which are here provided with stabiliz- ing wings 66. As appears from Figs. 13a and 13b the stabilizing wings 66 can in a simple way be fastened to the outwardly extending edge sections of the posts for providing a more stable positioning of the posts in the ground. The stabilizing wings can be attached between the edge sections in connection with the manufacturing of the post but can of course also afterwards be attached to the edge sections connected with each other after the manufacturing of the post.

The post according to the invention can be of more or less rigid construction dependent on the desired purpose and other characteris¬ tics.

The invention can be modified within the scope of the following claims.