Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to temporary barriers utilized for channeling of vehicles and protection of workers along roads. More particularly, this invention pertains to movable energy-absorbing barriers having a plurality of configurations providing multiple levels of collision protection.
2. Description of the Related Art
Safety barriers are utilized along roadways and near building construction sites to channel vehicles past construction areas in order to minimize vehicle intrusion into worker occupied areas for protection of workers from vehicle impacts. Prior safety barriers typically include portable containers composed of semi-rigid plastic material formed into various shapes that are generally light-weight for transport between work sites, but can be filled with sand or water during use as a stationary barrier. Prior elongated safety barriers include end portions that are generally planar to allow end-to-end positioning of rectangular shaped barriers. A vehicle can penetrate through a line of prior safety barriers at any uncoupled end junction upon impact at or near the end junction, with a significant risk of intrusion into a worker occupied area.
A prior art safety barrier is illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, with the barrier including differently configured, opposed end surfaces that must mate with a second barrier end having a reversed configuration. The differently configured first end and second end surfaces of the prior art barriers typically require an end post or a locking pin to be manipulated through a second end slot or hole of a second barrier end. If the supporting surface is uneven, such as broken pavement, the first barrier end post or locking pin may not fit into an inadequately mated second end slot or hole. A vehicle impacting the prior art barriers positioned end-to-end can break through at the inadequately mated barrier ends without a significant amount of energy absorption by either end of the prior art barriers. Therefore, a vehicle can penetrate through the prior art barriers and into a worker occupied zone while retaining significant momentum.
A protection barrier system is needed that provides rapid assembly and disassembly of like-configured barrier ends, regardless of barrier length and without assembly disruption due to uneven supporting surfaces. There is a need for a protection barrier system that includes a barrier having side wall surfaces which distribute the force of a side impact along the side wall surfaces to minimize breaching of the barrier. A further need is a barrier system which supports a supplemental energy-absorbing system utilized with a plurality of like-configured nested barriers to provide energy-absorption and impact force distribution over numerous side wall surfaces of the plurality of like-configured nested barriers.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a protection barrier system is disclosed having a plurality of uses including channeling of vehicular traffic, providing energy-absorption and containment of vehicular impacts, controlling crowds, delineating parking areas, and providing a secure perimeter around buildings. The protection barrier system includes an elongated barrier defining a chamber therein. The barrier includes first and second side walls having a plurality of non-vertical wall segments disposed thereon. A plurality of buttresses are positioned vertically at spaced apart locations along each side wall. At least one guide channel is carried by each side wall, with the guide channel being positioned in horizontal alignment with similar guide channels on like-configured barriers. A like-configured coupling is disposed on each opposed end of the barrier, with the coupling for connecting of either barrier end juxtaposed in end-to-end arrangement with like-configured barriers. One embodiment of the side wall includes the plurality of non-vertical wall segments being connected to define a continuous side wall surface having an upper guide channel and a lower guide channel, with each guide channel disposed horizontally along each side wall surface. Each buttress includes an upper opening and a lower opening aligned with respective upper and lower guide channels of the side walls. The upper and lower guide channels provide improved energy-absorbing and impact force distribution for lateral channeling of a vehicle upon impact with the barrier. The like-configured coupling on each barrier end is removably coupled with a like-configured coupling on the first end or the second end of a similar configured barrier to provide end-to-end nesting of a selected length of similar configured barriers oriented in a straight or a curved orientation. A supplemental energy-absorbing system is detachably connectable between opposed ends of a plurality of end-to-end nested barriers. Aligned upper and lower tubes are removably insertable through each upper and lower guide channel of respective barrier side walls, and upper and lower cables are inserted through the tubes. The upper and lower cables are fixed at the opposed, non-nested ends of the barriers by connecting to end connector members that provide support and tension for each cable extended through the upper and lower tubes of end-to-end nested barriers. The energy of a vehicle impacting the barrier is absorbed by the side walls and the supplemental energy-absorbing system, thereby channeling a vehicle along respective side walls of nested barriers to deter a vehicle from passing over or breaching the coupled ends of the end-to-end nested barriers. A method of manufacture for the protection barrier is also disclosed herein.