Patent Application
20250179745
A plurality of roadway barriers are linked together in a chain fashion to form a roadway barrier system which separates lanes of traffic and safely reduces the velocity of a vehicle that impacts the roadway barrier system-typically head on. Each roadway barrier collapses in succession during a vehicle collision.
Embodiments of the current invention provide a roadway barrier comprising at least one end plate that includes features which allow the end plate to flatten and more easily collapse in a straight column when a vehicle impacts the roadway barrier system of which the roadway barrier is a part. The end plate comprises a body wall and a brace. The body wall includes a front surface and a rear surface, and is configured to couple with a first side wall and a second side wall of the roadway barrier. The brace is attached along a width of the rear surface of the body wall and extends rearward therefrom. The brace includes a first notch and a second notch, with each notch providing an opening in the brace that allows the brace to bend at the notch locations.
Another embodiment of the current invention provides an end plate configured to integrate with a first end wall or a second end wall of a roadway barrier. The end plate comprises a body wall, a first side flange, a second side flange, first and second bottom flanges, and a brace. The body wall includes a front surface and a rear surface. The first side flange extends rearward from a left side edge of the body wall and is configured to couple with a first side wall of the roadway barrier. The second side flange extends rearward from a right side edge of the body wall and is configured to couple with a second side wall of the roadway barrier. The first and second bottom flanges each extend rearward from a bottom edge of the body wall. The brace is attached along a width of the rear surface of the body wall and extends rearward therefrom. The brace includes a first notch and a second notch, with each notch providing an opening in the brace that allows the brace to bend at the notch locations, and each notch configured to widen during a vehicular impact with the roadway barrier.
Yet another embodiment of the current invention provides a roadway barrier comprising a first side wall, a second side wall, a first end wall, and a second end wall. The first side wall and a second side wall are spaced apart from one another. The first end wall and the second end wall are spaced apart from one another and are coupled with the side walls. The first end wall and the second end wall each include an end plate comprising a body wall, a first side flange, a second side flange, first and second bottom flanges, and a brace. The body wall includes a front surface and a rear surface. The first side flange extends roughly orthogonal from the rear surface on a first side edge of the body wall and is configured to couple with the first side wall. The second side flange extends roughly orthogonal from the rear surface on a second side edge of the body wall and is configured to couple with the second side wall. The first and second bottom flanges each extend roughly orthogonal from the rear surface on a bottom edge of the body wall. The brace is attached along a width of the rear surface of the body wall and extends orthogonal therefrom. The brace includes a first notch and a second notch, with each notch providing an opening in the brace that allows the brace to bend at the notch locations, and each notch being configured to widen during a vehicular impact with the roadway barrier.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspects and advantages of the current invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures.
Embodiments of the current invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:
The drawing figures do not limit the current invention to the specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention.
The following detailed description of the technology references the accompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which the technology can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the technology in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the technology. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the current invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the current invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
An end plate 10, constructed in accordance with various embodiments of the current invention, for use with a roadway barrier 100 is shown in
Each roadway barrier 100, as shown in
The end plate 10 includes a body wall 12, a first side flange 14, a second side flange 16, a first bottom flange 18, a second bottom flange 20, a first brace 22, and a second brace 24. The end plate 10 is implemented in one of two configurations. In a first configuration shown in
The body wall 12 includes a front surface and a rear surface. The body wall 12 is further divided into a left section, a center section, and a right section, with the lines between the center section and the other sections being vertically oriented. In addition, the left section and the right section are each connected to the center section at a non-zero angle such that the rear surface is slightly concave and the front surface is slightly convex. In various embodiments, the edges of the body wall 12 may include additional features. For example, an upper edge of each of the left section and the right section may be angled upward towards the center section whose upper edge may be generally flat. A left edge and a right edge may each include extensions that couple with the first or second end walls 102, 104 of the roadway barrier 100. A lower edge may include a cutout along the left, center, and right sections which accommodates a wedge or other features of the roadway barrier 100.
The first side flange 14 is connected to the body wall 12 along a left edge of the left section and extends rearward, or roughly orthogonal, from the rear surface of the body wall 12. The second side flange 16 is connected to the body wall 12 along a right edge of the right section and extends rearward, or roughly orthogonal, from the rear surface of the body wall 12. The first side flange 14 and the second side flange 16 are each configured to couple with a successive one of the side walls of the roadway barrier 100. Each side flange 14, 16 may include one or more cutouts to accommodate fasteners, such as screws or bolts, on the side walls.
The first bottom flange 18 is connected to the body wall 12 along a bottom edge of the left section and extends rearward, or roughly orthogonal, from the rear surface of the body wall 12. The second bottom flange 20 is connected to the body wall 12 along the bottom edge of the right section and extends rearward, or roughly orthogonal, from the rear surface of the body wall 12. The first bottom flange 18 and the second bottom flange 20 are each configured to couple with the bottom wall of the roadway barrier 100.
Referring to
Each brace 22, 24 also includes a first notch 26 and a second notch 28 which provide an opening in the brace 22, 24 that allows the brace 22, 24 to bend at the notch 26, 28 locations. Each notch 26, 28 extends from a rear surface of the brace 22, 24 toward a forward surface of the brace 22, 24, where the brace 22, 24 is attached to the rear surface of the body wall 12—although each notch does not extend the entire width of the brace 22, 24. Each notch 26, 28 has a generally rectangular shape including opposing side surfaces and an end surface positioned therebetween with the side surfaces being roughly parallel to one another. The length of each side surface, and thus the depth of the notch 26, 28, is approximately 0.79 inches. The space between the side surfaces is approximately 0.2 inches. In other embodiments, the notch 26, 28 may have a V shape, wherein the side surfaces intersect one another and there is no end surface.
Referring to
Throughout this specification, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to are included in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separate references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are also not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For example, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included. Thus, the current invention can include a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.
Although the present application sets forth a detailed description of numerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the legal scope of the description is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent and equivalents. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical. Numerous alternative embodiments may be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims.
Throughout this specification, plural instances may implement components, operations, or structures described as a single instance. Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustrated and described as separate operations, one or more of the individual operations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that the operations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures and functionality presented as separate components in example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the subject matter herein.
As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
The patent claims at the end of this patent application are not intended to be construed under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless traditional means-plus-function language is expressly recited, such as “means for” or “step for” language being explicitly recited in the claim(s).
Although the technology has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is noted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein without departing from the scope of the technology as recited in the claims.
Having thus described various embodiments of the technology, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following:
