The Texas A&m University System

Trn Business Trust

Trinity Industries, Inc.

Hayes E Ross

Roger P Bligh

C Eugene Buth

King K Mak

Dean L Sicking

Dean Clinton Alberson

D Lance Bullard, Jr

Don L Ivey

Akram Y Abu-Odeh

Stephen L Brown

W Lynn Beason

Asif Qureshy

Carl E Buth

Lance D Bullard, Jr

Dean I Sicking

Steve Brown

Eugene Buth

Devices and methods for supporting guardrail terminal installations that incorporate safety end treatments such as the GET and the SRT. Preferred embodiments are described wherein guardrail terminal installations are primarily anchored to the ground using weak support posts that are preferably made of metal. The ends of the guardrail installation are secured to the ground using breakaway posts. In operation, the weak posts permit the central portion of the guardrail installation to contain and redirect the vehicle during a lateral collision to the rail member. The anchorage provided by the breakaway end posts helps prevent the guardrail from being excessively displaced, thus preventing the impacting vehicle from breaking through the guardrail. In operation, guardrail terminal assemblies constructed in accordance with the present invention provide an improved support system for the rail member which is more forgiving than conventional strong post anchorages, thereby providing an improvement in safety. At the present time, the invention has particular application in some non-U.S. countries, where it is required or highly preferred that metal support posts be used either completely or primarily within guardrail installations. However, the invention is also applicable to installation within the United States.

Guardrail terminals

According to one embodiment, a cable anchor system for an end terminal includes a cable anchor bracket configured to couple to a guardrail, in which the cable anchor bracket includes a flat plate having an aperture formed therein and a plurality of protrusions extending from a plane containing the aperture. The protrusions are configured to releasably engage the guardrail.

Cable anchor bracket

Guardrail installation designs are described that incorporate a box beam rail as the structural rail member. The box beam rail member may have an open cross-section or a closed cross-section. An impact head is provided to bend and deflect the rail member during an end-on collision, allowing the rail member to be deflected away from the roadway and out of the path of an end-on impacting vehicle. The impact head includes a striking face and a chute portion that receives the box beam rail member therewithin. In addition to bending and deflecting the rail member, the impact head may also include a flattening section for flattening the rail member.

Box beam terminals

A guardrail extruder terminal includes a rail feeder chute associated with a downstream end of the guardrail extruder terminal. The terminal also includes an impact portion associated with an upstream end thereof. The impact portion is coupled to the upstream end of the rail feeder chute and includes an impact plate positioned to face oncoming traffic, a first side member coupled to the impact plate and positioned on a roadway side of the guardrail extruder terminal, and a second side member coupled to the impact plate and positioned opposite the first side member. The impact portion may include a top plate and a bottom plate, each being coupled between the first and second side members. The top and bottom plates each have a traffic side edge positioned to face a roadway that is approximately flush with a traffic side of the rail feeder chute.

Head assembly for guardrail extruder terminal

Devices and methods for strengthening the upper portions of the support posts for guardrails and guardrail end treatments against the forces that are imparted to the post during an impact. The upper portions of support posts, particularly the areas proximate the bolt connection, are reinforced. Preferably, a compressive force is applied to those areas as well by the reinforcements. In one embodiment, reinforcement for the upper portion of the post is provided by metal banding that is disposed around the periphery of the post. Alternative exemplary embodiments are also described in which reinforcement to the upper portion of the post is provided by plates that are secured into place on a location proximate the connection bolt and by a metal cap that sits atop the post. In another embodiment, the drilled hole and connection bolt are eliminated.

Apparatus and methods for strengthening guardrail installations

Slot guards for a slotted rail terminals are described having a central section and a pair of wing portions that are angularly disposed with respect to the central portion. The wing portions are folded away from the plane of the central section along lines that are angularly oriented with respect to one another so that the wing portions are wider at one end of the slot guard than at the other end. As a result, the slot guard provides a greater height at one of its ends than at the other end. Apertures for connectors are disposed through each of the wing portions, but not through the central portion. The slot guard preferably provides an asymmetrical aperture pattern and/or conspicuous markings so that the slot guard is not inadvertently installed in a reversed configuration on a guardrail. Methods for forming the slot guard are also described wherein a blank for a slot guard is cut or stamped out of a sheet of metal. Apertures for the receipt of connectors are cut into the blank, preferably in an asymmetrical pattern. Longitudinal sides of the blank are then bent along non-parallel lines to provide the wing portions.

Slot guard for slotted rail terminal

Apparatus and methods for preventing penetration of vehicles by causing the guardrail extruder terminal to contact and engage the frame or chassis of vehicles in a collision. In preferred embodiments, a guardrail extruder terminal end treatment is adapted for improved operation during impacts by attachment of a frame catcher penetration guard. The frame catcher adaptation extends below the usual lower edge of the impact head of the guardrail extruder terminal design in order to contact portions of the chassis of a vehicle during an impact at the guardrail end. In several embodiments, the impact head of a guardrail extruder terminal includes a substantially rigid downwardly extending portion which presents an expanded contact area, the location of which approximates the location of a portion of the vehicle's chassis. The frame catcher devices may be retrofitted onto existing guardrail extruder terminal impact heads.

Frame catcher adaptation for guardrail extruder terminal

An end treatment for a thrie-beam type guardrail and safety device specifically oriented toward trucks, vans and other utility vehicles having high profiles and centers of gravity. A slotted thrie-beam terminal is featured for use with highway guardrail systems. At least one reinforced slotted section is provided within the thrie-beam terminal to reduce the ability of the thrie beam to resist buckling in response to an axial type loading from end-on impacts. The terminal also provides for gating of laterally impacting vehicles. The terminal incorporates a break-away support post cable release mechanism which lessens risk to impacting vehicles which impact the lead post.

Thrie-beam terminal with breakaway post cable release

An end treatment for a thrie-beam type guardrail and a safety device specifically oriented toward trucks, vans and other utility vehicles having high profiles and centers of gravity. A slotted thrie-beam terminal is featured for use with highway guardrail systems. At least one reinforced slotted section is provided within the thrie-beam terminal to reduce the ability of the thrie beam to resist buckling in response to an axial type loading from end-on impacts. The terminal also provides for gating of laterally impacting vehicles. The terminal incorporates a break-away support post cable release mechanism which lessens risk to impacting vehicles which impact the lead post.

A slotted rail terminal for highway guardrails. The rail of the terminal contains at least one slotted section extending along the rail and having at least one longitudinal slot of a size sufficient to reduce the ability of the rail to resist bending in response to a loading from one end or the side of the rail. A slot guard is provided which is adapted to be attached to the rail on the side facing away from the highway and downstream of each slotted section relative to expected longitudinal loadings on the rail. The slot guard is configured to abut the rail and span its respective slotted section so as to resist enlargement of each slot. The slot guard enables the slotted section to resist and oppose lateral impacting forces such that the slotted section of the guardrail will act to substantially redirect laterally impacting vehicles.

Slotted rail terminal

A safety end barrier for use in coordination with roadside barriers. The safety end barrier lies substantially parallel to the direction of traffic flow and increases in height from about natural ground level at its lower end. The end barrier has sidewalls which angle upwardly outward from the barrier base. The taller end of the end barrier is preferably connected to a concrete roadside barrier through apertures extending from a recessed trough to the end of the safety end barrier. Preferably, bolts with two threaded ends, insertable through the apertures and secured by corresponding nuts, are used as connecting devices to connect the end barrier to a concrete roadside barrier.

Safety end barrier for concrete road barriers

A low profile road barrier that minimizes obstruction to vision and the ramping and rolling of automobiles which may be comprised of one or more interconnected concrete barrier segments stationed along the road or cast in place. The road barrier usually lies substantially parallel to the direction of traffic, may be up to about 24 inches in height and has a sidewall facing toward the road which angles outwardly from the barrier base. Abutting ends of contiguous segments are interconnected by economic, easily installed and removed devices, which preferably comprise bolts with two threaded ends insertable through apertures in the segment ends secured by corresponding nuts.

Low profile concrete road barrier

A guardrail extruder terminal for flattening a folded or W-beam guardrail and bending the guardrail to dissipate the energy of a vehicle impacting the end of the guardrail includes a feeder chute. The feeder chute is provided with an inlet in which the guardrail is positioned. The feeder chute extends into a terminal housing, and is in communication with an extruder or flattening throat. The flattening throat is of a smaller width than the feeder chute to flatten the guardrail. A bending member is also provided in the terminal to bend the guardrail in an curvilinear arc away from the impacting vehicle. Also included is a cable anchor releasably mounted on the guardrail. A cable extends from the cable anchor to a first post located at the end of the guardrail. The cable anchor includes lugs that release from the guardrail upon engagement of the extruder terminal with the cable anchor. To prevent twisting, bending or rotation of posts holding the guardrail as the extruder terminal and impacting vehicle move down the guardrail during a collision, a groundline cable extends through bores in each post. In an alternative embodiment, the extruder throat includes side walls defined by curvilinear extruder plates. The curvilinear extruder plates minimize the engagement of the guardrail with the side walls of the extruder throat during impact by a vehicle to reduce the frictional forces experienced during initiation of the flattening process.

Growing community of inventors

College Station, TX, United States of America

Hayes E Ross