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US 6,488,268 B1Granted
Breakaway support post for highway guardrail end treatments
AssigneeTRN Business Trust
InventorJames R. Albritton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A support post for a guardrail which resists impact by a motor vehicle from one direction (strong direction) and yields to impact by a motor vehicle from another direction (weak direction). The support post is adapted to receive the guardrail such that the rail face of the guardrail runs generally perpendicular to the strong direction such that the support post resists an impact on the rail face of the guardrail and yields to an impact force on the end of the guardrail.
Claims5
A roadway guardrail system, comprising:
- a guardrail;
- at least one support post having an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion having a lower end and the lower portion having an upper end;
- the upper portion being coupled to the guardrail and the lower portion being structured and arranged to be located in the earth;
- the upper portion lower end comprising a first member and the lower portion upper end comprising a second member;
- the first and second members being coupled together with at least two rods, the rods laying along an imaginary line that extends on a strong direction, wherein the post exhibits a high mechanical strength in the strong direction, there being a weak direction that is generally perpendicular to the strong direction, wherein the support post exhibits a low mechanical strength in the weak direction;
- at least one spacer located between the first and second members, there being a gap on at least one side of the imaginary line, wherein the upper portion can rotate relative to the lower portion in the weak direction when subjected to a force;
- and
- the upper and lower portions comprise I-beams, each of the I-beam portions having a web, with the web of the upper portion being generally aligned with the web of the lower portion, and with the imaginary line extending generally in the same direction as the webs.
5 more elements
A roadway guardrail system, comprising:
- a guardrail;
- at least one support post having an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion having a lower end and the lower portion having an upper end;
- the upper portion being coupled to the guardrail and the lower portion being structured and arranged to be located in the earth;
- the upper portion lower end comprising a first member and the lower portion upper end comprising a second member;
- the first and second members being coupled together with at least two rods, the rods laying along an imaginary line that extends on a strong direction, wherein the post exhibits a high mechanical strength in the strong direction, there being a weak direction that is generally perpendicular to the strong direction, wherein the support post exhibits a low mechanical strength in the weak direction;
- at least one spacer located between the first and second members, there being a gap on at least one side of the imaginary line, wherein the upper portion can rotate relative to the lower portion in the weak direction when subjected to a force;
- and
- the spacer comprises a projection that extends from one of the first and second members and that bears on the other of the first and second members.
5 more elements
A roadway guardrail system, comprising:
- a guardrail;
- at least one support post having an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion having a lower end and the lower portion having an upper end;
- the upper portion being coupled to the guardrail and the lower portion being structured and arranged to be located in the earth;
- the upper portion lower end comprising a first member and the lower portion upper end comprising a second member;
- the first and second members being coupled together with at least two rods, the rods laying along an imaginary line that extends on a strong direction, wherein the post exhibits a high mechanical strength in the strong direction, there being a weak direction that is generally perpendicular to the strong direction, wherein the support post exhibits a low mechanical strength in the weak direction;
- at least one spacer located between the first and second members, there being a gap on at least one side of the imaginary line, wherein the upper portion can rotate relative to the lower portion in the weak direction when subjected to a force;
- and
- the spacer comprises two projections, with each projection extending from a respective one of the first and second members, the projections generally bearing on each other.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.