Crash barriers for parking garages or similar

Abstract

Impact grid (10), comprising a number of horizontal grid bars (14, 18, 19, 20) and a number of vertical grid bars (16) which are welded to form a grid mat (12), and upper and lower connecting lugs (22, 24; 28, 30) welded laterally to the grid mat (12) for connection to vertical supports, which connecting lugs (22, 24; 28, 30) are provided with elongated holes (26, 32) for the passage of fastening means (34), characterized in that the horizontal grid bars (18, 19, 20) are arranged in a height section (H1) below the height center of the grid mat (12) in a higher density than in the areas (H3, H2) lying below and above, and that in this height section (H1) of increased grid bar density between the horizontal grid bars (18, 19, 20) on each side of the impact grid (10) several lower connecting tabs (28, 30) are provided.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an impact barrier according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Such crash barriers are used, for example, as parapets on parking levels in parking garages and are bolted to two spaced-apart vertical supports. They serve as climbing protection, but primarily as impact protection for vehicles. The crash barriers prevent a fall if a vehicle collides with the outer boundaries of the parking level.

[0003] The relevant impact barriers comprise a number of horizontal and vertical bars welded together to form a mesh mat. Upper and lower connecting lugs are welded to the sides of the mesh mat for connection to the vertical supports. These connecting lugs are provided with elongated holes that can accommodate fasteners.

[0004] Stricter safety regulations increasingly require crash barriers that can safely stop heavier vehicles colliding at higher speeds and therefore must withstand greater loads. Reinforcing the barriers with additional bars or using thicker bars inevitably increases the weight of the crash barrier and its cost.

[0005] DE 103 56 220 A1 relates to a safety device with a barrier element that is attached to supports by means of straps. The barrier element has horizontal bars that are arranged more densely in the upper, middle, and lower sections than between these three individual sections.

[0006] GB 2 450 352 A describes a safety device with grid elements in the upper area and with a guardrail at the height of a car bumper.

[0007] DE 296 21 301 U1 discloses an impact protection device with a grid mat element which has welded flanges for reinforcement.

[0008] It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve the known impact grids of the type described above so that they can absorb higher loads and transmit them laterally into the supports without increasing their weight and manufacturing costs.

[0009] This object is achieved according to the invention by impact grilles having the features of claim 1.

[0010] According to the invention, the horizontal bars are arranged at a higher density in a height section below the center of the grid mat than in the areas below and above. In this height section of increased bar density, several lower connecting tabs are provided between the horizontal bars on each side of the impact grid.

[0011] An impact grille is a grille designed to absorb the impact of a vehicle and to dissipate the resulting forces.

[0012] A mesh mat is constructed from a multitude of mesh bars. The bars are welded together to form a mesh mat. The mesh mat preferably has vertical bars in addition to horizontal bars to absorb and dissipate forces.

[0013] Connecting lugs are devices used to connect one component to another. The connecting lugs are preferably welded to the mesh panels.

[0014] In engineering terms, a slot is an elongated hole or groove. Its narrow sides are closed by semicircles whose diameters correspond to the width of the slot. The long sides of the slot run parallel to each other.

[0015] A vertical column is a vertical component that absorbs and transfers loads primarily along its longitudinal axis. The columns are preferably made of metal, particularly aluminum or steel.

[0016] Screw bolts are the preferred fastener. A screw bolt is a short, usually cylindrical connecting element. The screw bolt has a thread. A connection made with a screw bolt is positively locking and can be removed again.

[0017] The invention is therefore based on simply changing the distribution of the horizontally arranged grid bars and increasing their density in an area in which the force is most likely to be introduced into the grid, i.e. approximately at the level of the bumper of an impacting vehicle. The areas above and below with a lower grid bar density are somewhat weakened as a result, but this has virtually no effect on load absorption and load transfer. Numerous tests by the inventor have shown that simply increasing the density in the height range claimed according to the invention satisfies the stricter safety requirements, i.e. in practical tests it can absorb higher loads than previously known grids with a homogeneous grid bar distribution in the horizontal and vertical directions. It is therefore no longer necessary to use additional grid bars.This means there is no additional weight and no additional manufacturing costs.

[0018] The multiple connecting lugs located in the vertical section with increased bar density represent an additional safety feature, compared to the individual lugs that are attached to the lower mat area of ​​conventional gratings and can only accommodate a single screw bolt. With the gratings according to the invention, the load is thus transferred to the supports on each side via several lower connecting lugs and corresponding screw bolts. The addition of additional lugs is hardly associated with a noticeable increase in weight and is also negligible from a manufacturing cost perspective.

[0019] According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the horizontal and vertical grid bars are designed as round steel bars. In the event of a vehicle bumper impact, the welded round steel bars result in particularly good force distribution across the mat.

[0020] According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lower connecting tabs have horizontal elongated holes, while at the upper corner areas of the grid, each upper connecting tab is provided with a vertical elongated hole. The provision of elongated holes allows for sufficient clearance when attaching the mat. Furthermore, the load acting on the impact grid can be transmitted to the supports on both sides via several connecting tabs and screw bolts.

[0021] Furthermore, the spacing of the horizontal bars in the height section with increased bar density is preferably approximately half that of the areas below and above. This allows for improved force absorption in the event of a vehicle bumper impact in the height section with increased bar density, with corresponding deflection of the mat.

[0022] According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the vertical width of the height section of increased grid bar density corresponds to the vertical width of an underlying region of lower grid bar density, and it corresponds approximately to one-third of the vertical width of an overlying region of lower grid bar density. This results in a particularly good force distribution on the mat.

[0023] The crash barrier is preferably used in covered parking areas (such as parking spaces in multi-storey car parks, underground car parks, etc.) and / or uncovered parking areas (such as outdoor parking spaces).

[0024] In the following, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is explained in more detail with reference to the drawing. Fig. 1 shows a plan view of an embodiment of the impact grid according to the invention; Fig. 2 shows a detailed view of the impact grid from Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 shows a partial section through the impact grid from the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 when connected to a support.

[0025] The impact grid 10 from Fig. 1 comprises a number of horizontal bars and a number of vertical bars welded to form a grid mat 12. Specifically, there are seven horizontal bars 14, 18, 19, 20, and fifty much more densely arranged vertical bars 16. These bars 14, 18, 19, 20, 16 are round bars.

[0026] The fifty vertical bars 16 are evenly distributed across the entire width of the impact barrier and are thus equally spaced from each other. In contrast, the horizontal bars 14, 18, 19, and 20 are installed at different distances along the height of the grid mat 12. In a height section H1 slightly below the midpoint of the grid mat 12, there are three horizontal bars 18, 19, and 20 that are spaced much closer together than the bars in the height section H2 above and the height section H3 below.

[0027] In both the height section H2 and the height section H3, the spacing between the horizontal grid bars 14 is twice as large as in the higher-density height section H1. The vertical width of the height section H1 corresponds to that of the height section H3, as well as one-third of the vertical width of the height section H2 above.

[0028] Due to the higher bar density, the impact barrier 10 in height section H1 can absorb higher loads and transfer them laterally to the supports than is the case with forces acting in the height sections H2 and H3 below and above. The impact barrier 10 is mounted so that height section H1 is approximately at the height of a vehicle bumper, since an impact is more likely to occur here.

[0029] Welded to both upper corners of the impact grating 12 are connecting lugs 22, 24, which are provided with vertical slots 26. Through these slots 26, screw bolts can be inserted into the supports that support the impact grating 12. The upper connecting lugs 22, 24 extend between the two upper horizontal grating bars 14.

[0030] In the height section H1 with increased bar density, connecting lugs are also provided between the bars 18, 19, and 20. Two such lower connecting lugs 28, 30 are provided on each side of the impact grating 12, each provided with a horizontal slotted hole 32. The installation of connecting lugs 28, 30 in the height section H1 with increased bar density, as well as the increase in the number of connecting lugs 28, 30, further improves load transfer to the supports.

[0031] Fig. 2 shows the two lower connecting tabs 28, 30 on the left side of the impact grid 10 in Fig. 1 in detail. The horizontal cross section in Fig. Figure 3 shows how a screw bolt 34 is inserted from the front of the impact grating 12 into the elongated hole 32 of the connecting lug 28 and guided through a flange 36 of a support 38 with a double-T cross-section. On the rear side of this flange 36, a nut 40 is screwed onto the screw bolt 34 and tightened against the flange 36 via a washer. A spherical washer 42 is inserted between the flange 36 and the connecting lug 28.

[0032] The remaining connecting lugs 22, 24, 30 are also attached to the supports 38 in a similar manner.

Claims

[1] Impact grid (10), comprising a number of horizontal grid bars (14, 18, 19, 20) and a number of vertical grid bars (16) which are welded to a grid mat (12), and upper and lower connecting lugs (22, 24; 28, 30) welded laterally to the grid mat (12) for connection to vertical supports, which connecting lugs (22, 24; 28, 30) are provided with elongated holes (26, 32) for the passage of fastening means (34), characterized by that the horizontal grid bars (18, 19, 20) are arranged in a height section (H1) below the height center of the grid mat (12) in a higher density than in the areas below and above (H3, H2), and that in this height section (H1) of increased grid bar density, a plurality of lower connecting tabs (28, 30) are provided between the horizontal grid bars (18, 19, 20) on each side of the impact grid (10). [2] Impact grid (10) according to claim 1, characterized bythat the horizontal bars (14, 18, 19, 20) and the vertical bars (16) are round bars. [3] Impact grid (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the lower connecting tabs (28, 30) have horizontal elongated holes (32), while an upper connecting tab (22, 24) with a vertical elongated hole (26) is provided at the upper corner regions of the impact grid. [4] Impact grid (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the distance between the horizontal bars (18, 19, 20) in the height section (H1) of increased bar density is approximately half as large as in the areas below and above (H3, H2) [5] Impact grid (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the vertical width of the height section (H1) of increased grid bar density corresponds to the vertical width of an underlying area (H3) of lower grid bar density and corresponds to approximately one third of the vertical width of an overlying area (H2) of lower grid bar density. [6] Use of an impact barrier (10) according to one of the preceding claims in covered parking areas or uncovered parking areas.

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