Composite material highway guardrail having high impact energy dissipation characteristics
AssigneeWisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
InventorsLawrence Colin Bank, Thomas Russell Gentry
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A guardrail system including a rail and rail connectors is described wherein the rail is formed of several elongated tubes which are integrally molded at the tube sidewalls. The tubes preferably have polygonal cross-sections with sidewalls situated in horizontal and vertical planes, with the vertical sidewalls of the various tubes staggered at different depths within the rail. Connections between rails may be achieved by internal connectors which fit within the tubes of adjacent rails, and/or by use of external connectors which receive the ends of adjacent rails. Such internal and external connectors may also be used to reinforce damaged rails to restore their performance characteristics.
Claims20
A guardrail comprising:
- a plurality of elongated tubes having generally polygonal cross-sections, each tube thereby including a series of tube sides joined at tube corners,
- wherein the tubes are integrally molded lengthwise to define an elongated rail having rail sides ending in rail ends,
- and further wherein the rail sides include a nonplanar front rail side defined by several of the tube sides.
A guardrail comprising:
- a plurality of elongated tubes having generally rectangular cross-sections, each tube thereby including a pair of opposing longer tube sides and a pair of opposing shorter tube sides joined at tube corners,
- wherein the tubes are integrally molded lengthwise to define an elongated rail having rail sides ending in rail ends,
- and further wherein at least a majority of the longer tube sides are oriented in generally parallel planes.
A guardrail comprising:
- a plurality of elongated tubes, each tube including a series of tube sides joined at tube corners,
- wherein the tubes are integrally molded lengthwise to define an elongated rail having opposing rail ends with rail sides extending therebetween,
- the rail sides including a concave rail side defined by several adjoining tube sides, each such tube side being oriented generally perpendicularly to the tube sides which it adjoins.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.