Patent Application
20240044093
The present disclosure generally relates to a cable tensioning assembly, and more particularly, to a cable tensioning assembly having a channel and a plurality of fasteners configured to hold a traffic-grade cable.
Roadways include various types and configurations of guardrails for preventing traffic from inadvertently crossing into lanes of oncoming traffic or for preventing traffic from leaving the roadway. One type of guardrail is a cable guardrail that uses a number of vertically spaced cables to create a barricade. When a vehicle collides with the cable guardrail, the cables typically break. When these cables are repaired, the cables need to be tensioned and returned to their original position.
According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a cable tensioning assembly includes a body. The body defines a tensioner receiver configured to couple to a tensioning vehicle, a plurality of mounting apertures, where the plurality of mounting apertures cooperatively define a plurality of fastener receptacles, at least one channel configured to receive a cable, where the at least one channel includes a textured surface, and a plurality of fasteners. Each fastener of the plurality of fasteners are received by the plurality of fastener receptacles. The cable is operatively coupled to the cable tensioning assembly via a friction force applied to the cable by at least the plurality of fasteners and the at least one channel. An engagement of the cable with the cable tensioning assembly is configured to adjust a tensioning force to the cable in response to movement of the tensioning vehicle. The cable tensioning assembly is configured to divide the cable into an adjustment section that temporarily experiences an increased tension and a repair section that temporarily experiences a decreased tension.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a cable tensioning assembly includes a body. A body includes a tensioner receiver that is configured to couple the cable tensioning assembly to a tensioning vehicle, a plurality of mounting apertures, a plurality of fasteners, where the plurality of fasteners interacts with the plurality of mounting apertures, at least one channel is configured to receive a cable to be repaired, where the at least one channel includes a textured surface, and a plurality of plates. Each plate of the plurality of plates includes an opposing textured surface and a plurality of openings to cooperate with the plurality of mounting apertures of the body. The plurality of mounting apertures and the plurality of openings of the plurality of plates are configured to receive the plurality of fasteners to secure the cable within the at least one channel of the body in a friction fit. The cable tensioning assembly is configured to divide the cable into an adjustment section extending between the tensioning vehicle and a fixed end and a repair section extending between the tensioning vehicle and a free end. An engagement of the cable with the cable tensioning assembly is configured to adjust a tensioning force to the cable in response to movement of the tensioning vehicle.
According to yet another aspect, a method for tensioning a cable includes aligning the cable with a channel defined on a cable tensioning assembly, placing a plurality of fasteners around the cable, inserting the plurality of fasteners into respective mounting apertures defined on the cable tensioning assembly, tightening the plurality of fasteners with the cable tensioning assembly to apply a retaining friction force to the cable, coupling the cable tensioning assembly to a tensioning vehicle via a tensioning receiver defined on the cable tensioning assembly, operating the tensioning vehicle to increase a first magnitude of tension along an adjustment section of the cable between a fixed end of the cable and a portion of the cable coupled with the cable tensioning assembly, securing a free end of the cable to a directed location to create a second magnitude of tension along a repair section of the cable between the free end of the cable and the portion of the cable coupled with the cable tensioning assembly, operating the tensioning vehicle toward equalizing the first magnitude of tension with the second magnitude of tension, and decoupling the cable tensioning assembly from the cable.
These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.
In the drawings:
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. In the drawings, the depicted structural elements are not to scale and certain components are enlarged relative to the other components for purposes of emphasis and understanding.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to a detailed design; some schematics may be exaggerated or minimized to show function overview. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the concepts as oriented in
The present illustrated embodiments reside primarily in combinations of method steps and apparatus components related to a cable tensioning assembly for repairing cables of a cable guardrail. Accordingly, the apparatus components and method steps have been represented, where appropriate, by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. Further, like numerals in the description and drawings represent like elements.
As used herein, the term “and/or,” when used in a list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items can be employed by itself, or any combination of two or more of the listed items, can be employed. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain A alone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination; B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination.
In this document, relational terms, such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like, are used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action, without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element preceded by “comprises . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.
As used herein, the term “about” means that amounts, sizes, formulations, parameters, and other quantities and characteristics are not and need not be exact, but may be approximate and/or larger or smaller, as desired, reflecting tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error and the like, and other factors known to those of skill in the art. When the term “about” is used in describing a value or an end-point of a range, the disclosure should be understood to include the specific value or end-point referred to. Whether or not a numerical value or end-point of a range in the specification recites “about,” the numerical value or end-point of a range is intended to include two embodiments: one modified by “about,” and one not modified by “about.” It will be further understood that the end-points of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other end-point, and independently of the other end-point.
The terms “substantial,” “substantially,” and variations thereof as used herein are intended to note that a described feature is equal or approximately equal to a value or description. For example, a “substantially planar” surface is intended to denote a surface that is planar or approximately planar. Moreover, “substantially” is intended to denote that two values are equal or approximately equal. In some embodiments, “substantially” may denote values within about 10% of each other, such as within about 5% of each other, or within about 2% of each other.
As used herein the terms “the,” “a,” or “an,” mean “at least one,” and should not be limited to “only one” unless explicitly indicated to the contrary. Thus, for example, reference to “a component” includes embodiments having two or more such components unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
Referring to
Additionally, or alternatively, the plurality of first and second mounting apertures 22, 32 may be located within the channel 16. It is also contemplated that the body 12 can include at least one channel 16 on at least one of the top surface 18 and the bottom surface 28. Additionally, or alternatively, the body 12 may extend along a plurality of portions including at least a first portion, a sloped portion, and a second portion. In certain aspects of the device, the second portion of the body 12 is offset from the first portion of the body 12 by the sloped portion of the body 12. The tensioner receiver 14 is defined within the first portion of the body 12. The plurality of first and second mounting apertures 22, 32 and the at least one channel 16 are defined within the second portion of the body 12. Where the sloped portion is utilized, the sloped portion places the first portion and the second portion of the body 12 along different generally parallel planes. This offset configuration allows the cable 70 to extend across the body 12 without interfering with the tensioner receiver 14 or the connection of the tensioner receiver 14 with the tensioning vehicle 40. In certain aspects of the device, the sloped portion can be absent such that that the body 12 extends along a single flat member, typically made of steel or an alloy thereof.
To assist in holding a cable 70 within the cable tensioning assembly 10, the channel 16 typically includes a first textured surface 24. In addition, the channel 16 can be generally V-shaped, such that the channel 16 includes a second textured surface 26 that opposes the first textured surface 24. The channel 16 may also include a plurality of engravings 46, as shown in
According to the various aspects of the device, the cable guardrail that includes a plurality of cables 70 can be damaged, such as during a vehicle collision that involves the guardrail. In these conditions, one or more of the cables 70 typically breaks in a central section of the cable 70 between a fixed end 76 and a secured end 78. When a cable 70 breaks or is severed, the cable 70 requires repair, and the free end 78 of the cable 70, using the cable tensioning assembly 10, is placed in an un-tensioned state. In this un-tensioned state, workers can conveniently repair a section of the cable 70 that is generally slack or completely slack.
In reference to
To accommodate the rounded shape of the cable 70, it is contemplated that the plurality of fasteners 20 are arcuate, such as U-bolts, wherein an underside 36 of the plurality of fasteners 20 may be textured in a manner similar to the texture of the channel 16, as shown in
In certain applications, the cables 70 that are received within the cable tensioning assembly 10 can be used in traffic control devices. Such devices are typically in the form of high-tension cable guardrails. When these types of guardrails become damaged, and require repair, it is useful to manipulate the tension experienced within certain portions of the cable 70. By way of example and not limitation, it is useful to temporarily decrease, diminish, or even eliminate the tension on the cable 70 in areas where the cable 70 is being worked on. This temporary decrease of tension makes the cable 70 more easily manipulated and repaired by work crews. Necessarily, this requires a corresponding temporary increase in the tension experienced by the cable 70 in other areas. Using the cable tensioning assembly 10 and a tensioning vehicle 40, as is described herein, a broken or otherwise damaged cable 70 can be repaired and reattached to repair the guardrail for a particular roadway. It is also contemplated that the cable tensioning assembly 10 can be used for installing a new guardrail that is made from cables 70, as well as for replacing a used cable 70.
In further reference to
After the friction fit of the cable tensioning assembly 10 and the cable 70 is defined, the cable 70 has two sections: an adjustment section 72 that extends between the cable tensioning assembly 10 and the fixed end 76 of the cable 70; and a repair section 74 that extends between the cable tensioning assembly 10 and a free end 78 of the cable 70. The tensioner receiver 14 of the cable tensioning assembly 10 is then operably coupled with the tensioning vehicle 40 directly in order to adjust tension of the cable 70. The tensioner receiver 14 of the cable tensioning assembly 10 operably couples with the tensioning vehicle 40 via a coupling device 30 (e.g., an outrigger, a carabineer, a hook, or another coupling device known by one skilled in the art).
Once the cable tensioning assembly 10 is secured to the tensioning vehicle 40, the tensioning vehicle 40 moves in a direction away from the fixed end 76. This movement operates to increase a first magnitude of tension in the adjustment section 72 of the cable 70, typically by driving forward and toward the free end 78 of the cable 70. In response to the movement of the of the tensioning vehicle 40 away from the fixed end 76, there is a resulting increase in the tension experienced by the adjustment section 72. This movement of the tensioning vehicle also provides slack to the repair section 74 to allow workers more convenient conditions under which the cable 70 can be re-tensioned. Using the additional slack, the free end 78 of the cable 70 is then secured to oppose the fixed end 76 of the cable 70. Because of the increased tension in the adjustment section 72, the repair section 74 is under little tension or no tension as the free end 78 of the cable 70 is secured to the secured end 78. This attachment typically defines a second magnitude of tension in the repair section 74 that is significantly less than the first magnitude of tension that is exerted on the adjustment section 72 between the fixed end 76 and the tensioning vehicle 40.
The tensioning vehicle 40 then operates toward the fixed end 76. This movement of the tensioning vehicle 40 toward the fixed end 76 defines an equalized tension between both the adjustment section 72 of the cable 70 and the repair section 74 of the cable 70, which is now attached between the fixed end 76 and the secured end 78. Typically, this is done by reversing the tensioning vehicle 40 to operate toward the fixed end 76. It is contemplated that if the adjustment section 72 of the cable 70 is not extending in a similar direction as the repair section 74 of the cable 70, then the tensioning vehicle 40 operates toward equalizing the tension experienced by the adjustment section 72 of the cable 70 and the repair section 74 of the cable 70. The cable tensioning assembly 10 is then decoupled from the cable 70, and the cable tensioning assembly 10 is also decoupled from the tensioning vehicle 40.
As exemplified in
Referring now to
It is to be understood that variations and modifications can be made on the aforementioned structure without departing from the concepts of the present invention, and further it is to be understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.
This application claims priority to and the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/394,377, filed on Aug. 2, 2022, entitled DEVICE AND METHOD FOR USE IN REPAIRING CABLE HIGHWAY GUARD RAILS, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63394377 | Aug 2022 | US |
