Barrier
AssigneeMawsafe Products Proprietary Limited
InventorDaniel Mawby
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There are provided improved versions of a barrier fence 218 suitable for racetracks. The fence comprises an elongate rail 219 and uprights 220 secured thereto at positions along the rail, wherein an upright is secured at an upper end to the rail and at a lower end to a ground anchor 201. The lower end of the upright is adapted to separate from its associated ground anchor in response to an impact load on the upright. The improvements include improvements to connection of the uprights to the ground anchors, avoiding undesirable motion of uprights after impacts, rail length joining arrangements, erection and handling methods, and the provision of permanent footings.
Claims16
A barrier fence comprising an elongate rail and uprights secured thereto at positions along the rail, wherein an upright is secured at an upper end to the rail and at a lower end to a ground anchor and wherein the lower end of the upright is adapted to separate from its associated ground anchor in response to an impact load on the upright and characterized in at least one of the followings ways:
- (a) prevention of separation of the upright from the ground anchor is achieved substantially by means of contact pressure between a lower end fitting comprised in the upright and formations comprised in the ground anchor as opposed to mechanical confinement of the lower end fitting by the ground anchor when the lower end fitting is secured to the ground anchor;
- (b) a lower end fitting comprised in the upright is non-snap-fittingly secured to the ground anchor;
- (c) a lower end fitting comprised in the upright is in use located on the ground anchor by a frangible means connecting the lower end fitting and the ground anchor the frangible means preferably comprising a shear pin and said frangible means contributing only a minority of resistance to separation of the lower end fitting from the ground anchor;
- (d) an upper end fitting comprised in the upright is held captively secured to the rail for a defined range of relative positions of the upper end fitting only and the upper end fitting is provided with removable means for preventing separation of the upper end fitting and the rail when the upper end fitting is outside the defined range;
- (e) the rail and an upper end fitting comprised in the upright are so configured as to provide a detent against and/or frictional resistance to relative movement of the upper end fitting and the rail in at least one relative position of the upper end fitting and the rail in which the upright is separated from the ground anchor;
- (f) an upper end fitting comprised in the upright is adapted to permit rotation of the upright about multiple axes after separation of a lower end fitting comprised in the upright from the ground anchor;
- (g) the ground anchor has a portion that is adapted to be either driven into a ground surface or received in a shaped opening in a ground surface and held against rotation about an upright axis when in said shaped opening;
- (h) firstly, the upright comprises a tube and a lower end fitting that is received and rotatable in a lower end of the tube and secondly one of the lower end fitting and the tube is provided with a slot extending partway peripherally around that one and thirdly to the other of the lower end fitting and the tube there is secured an elongate means (preferably a screw) receivable in the slot so as to secure the lower end fitting to the tube and so as to permit relative rotation of the tube and the lower end about a mutual longitudinal axis within a range defined by the length of the slot;
- (i) the rail comprises a plurality of rail lengths joined end to end and comprises at a joint between two such rail lengths a sleeve that extends at least partway around an external surface of one of the lengths and that comprises one or more formations that are received in internal spaces of the other of the lengths;
- and
- (j) the rail comprises a plurality of rail lengths joined end to end and comprises at a joint between two such rail lengths two elongate bolt members each one slidingly received in an internal space of one of the rail lengths, the bolt members having formations that cooperate with each other so as to prevent longitudinal relative movement of the bolt members;
A barrier fence comprising an elongate rail and uprights secured thereto at positions along the rail, wherein the rail comprises a plurality of rail lengths joined end to end and comprises at a joint between two such rail lengths a sleeve that extends at least partway around an external surface of one of the lengths and that comprises one or more formations that are received in internal spaces of the other of the lengths.
A method for erecting a barrier fence comprising an elongate rail and uprights secured thereto at positions along the rail, and wherein an upright is secured at an upper end to the rail and at a lower end to a ground anchor the method including the step of driving a ground anchor into a ground surface using hammer means adapted to bear on the ground anchor.
A method for dismantling a barrier fence comprising an elongate rail and uprights secured thereto at positions along the rail, and wherein an upright is secured at an upper end to the rail and at a lower end to a ground anchor the method including the step of withdrawing a ground anchor from a driven-in position in a ground surface using lever means adapted to raise a fitting that in use grips the ground anchor.
A barrier fence comprising an elongate rail and uprights secured thereto at positions along the rail, wherein an upright is secured at an upper end to the rail and at a lower end to a ground anchor and wherein the ground anchor is received in a shaped opening in a ground surface and said ground anchor and said opening being sized and shaped such that said ground anchor is prevented from rotation about an upright axis when in said shaped opening.
A barrier fence comprising an elongate rail and uprights secured thereto at positions along the rail, wherein an upright is secured at an upper end to the rail and at a lower end to a ground anchor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.