Temporary intermediate support used for wire rope-type guard fence, and wire rope-type guard fence provided with the same

Abstract

To provide a temporary intermediate support or the like used for a wire rope-type guard fence capable of being repaired further easily and quickly.SOLUTION: A temporary intermediate support 10 used for a wire rope-type guard fence inserted into a sleeve buried in the ground between terminal supports comprises: a main body part 20 made of a pipe, and having a pair of slits 21 open from the vicinity of a position on the ground surface to a support upper end 20T when installed by being inserted into a sleeve, on the right and left sides substantially parallel to the road; and an auxiliary member 30 attached to the main body part 20, for supporting the lowest wire rope among a plurality of wire ropes passing through the slits 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a temporary intermediate support used for a wire rope type protective fence and a wire rope type protective fence provided with the same.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a traffic safety measure for roads, a protective fence for vehicles called a guard cable (sometimes also called a wire rope type protective fence (cable type road protective fence)) has been used. The wire rope type protective fence is composed of a plurality of wire ropes (sometimes also called cables) and a plurality of supports, and absorbs the impact of a vehicle colliding with it by the tension of the wire rope and the deformation of the support. In addition, the wire rope type protective fence is installed on the roadside side of the road and is mainly for preventing vehicles from deviating off the road, and is installed in the median strip of the road (expressway) for preventing vehicles from entering the oncoming lane.

[0003] And one of the problems of the wire rope type protective fence is the response after an accident. As described above, the wire rope type protective fence absorbs the impact of a vehicle colliding with it and prevents the vehicle from deviating off the road or entering the oncoming lane. However, in recent years, such collision accidents have been increasing.

[0004] For example, BSS San'in Hoso reported in September 2023 in an article titled "Multiple accidents involving 'wire ropes' on expressways, over 100 cases occurred in 9 months in the San'in region... unable to keep up with repairs" about the high frequency of accidents of wire rope type protective fences. In addition, the article also reported the current situation that "the repair work cannot keep up, and there are many places that remain damaged."

[0005] Here, as an invention related to a wire rope type protective fence, there is one described in Patent Document 1. Specifically, Patent Document 1 describes a cable type road protective fence 1 including a terminal support column 2 installed on a concrete foundation, an intermediate support column 3 inserted into a sleeve 6 buried in the ground between the terminal support columns 2 and supported at the lower end, and a plurality of cables 4 with both ends connected to anchor bodies 71, 72 extending beyond the terminal support column 2 (see Fig. 1). Further, Patent Document 1 describes that the terminal support column 2 and the intermediate support column 3 are made of pipes, each having a pair of slits 8 opening at the upper end of the column on the left and right surfaces parallel to the road, and the cable 4 is stretched horizontally through the slits 8 at intervals in the vertical direction (see Fig. 4).

[0006] Also, since the cable type road protective fence has such a configuration in Patent Document 1, in the case of an accident, for the terminal support column, a new one can be installed on the concrete foundation. A large number of intermediate support columns are not fixed to the concrete foundation, nor are they directly buried in the ground. Instead, only the lower half is inserted into a sleeve buried in the ground in advance. Therefore, the damaged support column can be restored to its original state by replacing it with a new one and inserting it into the sleeve, and then the cable can be stretched and dropped into the slit so as to pass through the support column. Thus, it is described that repair can be carried out relatively easily and quickly (paragraph 0008 of the specification).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] However, when replacing the intermediate support columns of the cable-type road guardrail described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to loosen a plurality of cables, replace them with new ones, and then stretch the cables again. As a result, operations such as loosening a plurality of cables and then stretching the cables again will occur. In addition, since the cable is stretched between the terminal support columns installed on the concrete foundation, when the distance between the terminal support columns is long, or when the damaged intermediate support column is located around the middle between the terminal support columns, etc., there will be many workers, including those who loosen or stretch the cable at the location where the terminal support column is installed, those who loosen or stretch the cable at the location where another terminal support column is installed, and those who replace the intermediate support column.

[0009] Therefore, since the cable-type road guardrail described in Patent Document 1 takes a lot of man-hours as described above, it cannot be said that it can achieve easy and rapid repair to break the current situation where the post-accident response (repair) cannot keep up. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a temporary intermediate support column and the like for a wire rope type guardrail that can perform repair more easily and quickly.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] The temporary intermediate support column of the present invention is a temporary intermediate support column for a wire rope type guardrail inserted into a sleeve buried in the ground between terminal support columns, and is a main body portion made of a pipe. The main body portion has a pair of slits that open from the vicinity located on the ground surface when installed by being inserted into the sleeve to the upper end of the support column on the left and right surfaces substantially parallel to the road. And an auxiliary member attached to the main body portion, and the auxiliary member supports the lowest wire rope among the plurality of wire ropes passing through the slits.

[0011] With such a configuration, since the pair of slits provided in the main body portion open from the vicinity located on the ground surface to the upper end of the support column, a sufficient area for passing the wire rope in the height direction can be secured. Moreover, since the auxiliary member is attached to the main body portion, a part of the pair of slits can be blocked, and the lowest wire rope can be supported.

[0012] Here, it is desirable that the main body portion has notches in a part of the pair of slits, and the auxiliary member is configured to move along the pair of slit portions and has protrusions that engage with the respective notches.

[0013] Also, it is desirable that the auxiliary member is made of a pipe having a larger diameter than the main body portion and is attached to the main body portion and slidable with respect to the main body portion.

[0014] Note that the wire rope type protective fence of the present invention includes these temporary intermediate support columns.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] With such a configuration, the temporary intermediate support column of the present invention can sufficiently secure an area for passing the wire rope in the height direction. Therefore, there is no need to loosen the wire rope or stretch the wire rope again, and repair (replacement of the intermediate support column) can be performed more easily and quickly. In addition, by the auxiliary member blocking a part of the pair of slits, it is possible to prevent the slits from opening or the sleeves buried in the ground from being blown away, and to support the lowest wire rope and prevent the wire rope from dropping more than necessary. The same applies to the wire rope type protective fence of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention can provide a temporary intermediate support column or the like for a wire rope type protective fence that can perform repair more easily and quickly.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. However, the description of the constituent elements described below is an example (representative example) of the embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following contents unless the gist thereof is changed. In this description, parts having the same configuration and function are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and detailed description thereof is omitted. First, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, the wire rope type protective fence 100 and the temporary intermediate support column 10 of the present invention will be described.

[0018] [Wire Rope Type Protective Fence] The wire rope type protective fence 100 of the present invention includes terminal columns 50, temporary intermediate columns 10 inserted into sleeves 70 buried in the ground between the terminal columns 50 and supported at their lower ends, and a plurality of wire ropes 60 (see FIG. 1). In the present embodiment, the terminal columns 50 are described as being installed on a concrete foundation 90, but there is no limitation on the installation method or form of the terminal columns 50, such as when steel pipe piles are used.

[0019] The terminal columns 50 are, for example, equivalent to those described in Patent Document 1, and although not shown in FIG. 1, the wire rope type protective fence 100 includes another terminal column 50 on the rear side (right side). Further, a plurality of sleeves 70 are buried in the ground between the terminal columns 50 at regular intervals, and the temporary intermediate columns 10 are respectively inserted into the respective sleeves 70.

[0020] On the other hand, both ends of the wire rope 60 are fixed to a plurality of terminal pile foundations 80 buried in front of the terminal columns 50 via terminal fittings 81 and the like. Although not shown in FIG. 1, terminal pile foundations 80 are also buried in front of the other terminal columns 50, and one end of the wire rope 60 is fixed via terminal fittings 81 and the like. Further, the wire rope 60 is stretched through a slit provided in the terminal column 50 and a slit 21 provided in the temporary intermediate column 10.

[0021] In the present embodiment, five wire ropes 60 are stretched, and the same number of terminal pile foundations 80 as the number of wire ropes 60 are also buried, but these can be increased or decreased as appropriate (for example, about 3 to 7 for the wire ropes 60). Here, for the sake of convenience, if the lowest-positioned one among the plurality of wire ropes 60 is referred to as the wire rope 60U, the height from the ground surface 91 to the core (center) of the wire rope 60U stretched is "530 mm". Therefore, considering the thickness of the wire rope 60U, the height from the ground surface 91 to the lower end of the wire rope 60U stretched is about "520 mm". In addition, the wire rope 60 is stretched by being fixed to the terminal pile foundation 80, and it is designed to bend slightly in the vertical and horizontal directions to absorb the impact of the colliding vehicle.

[0022] Also, in this embodiment, the sleeve 70 has a support portion 71 in the middle. And the lower end portion of the temporary intermediate support column 10 (the lower end portion 20D of the main body portion 20 described later) abuts against and is supported by this support portion 71. A bottom cover 72 made of steel or plastic is attached to the lower end of the sleeve 70. A drain hole (not shown) is provided near the bottom cover 72 of the sleeve 70.

[0023] Of course, the configuration of the sleeve 70 is not limited to this, and a configuration without the support portion 71 may also be used. In that case, the length of the sleeve 70 is shorter than that of the configuration with the support portion 71, and the lower end portion of the temporary intermediate support column 10 (the lower end portion 20D of the main body portion 20) abuts against the bottom cover 72. Note that the sleeve 70 is provided with a sleeve case (sleeve cover), but it is omitted in this description.

[0024] [Temporary Intermediate Support Column] The temporary intermediate support column 10 has a main body portion 20 and an auxiliary member 30 attached to the main body portion 20 (see Fig. 2). In this embodiment, the main body portion 20 and the auxiliary member 30 are round pipes (see Fig. 3(B) and Fig. 5(B)), but they may also be square pipes or other shapes.

[0025] Here, the main body portion 20 has a pair of slits 21 (see Fig. 2 and Fig. 3). The slits 21 are provided along the height direction (the vertical direction in Fig. 1(A)), and the upper ends of the slits 21 open up to the upper end portion 20T of the main body portion (see Fig. 3(A)). On the other hand, the lower ends of the slits 21 open up to the vicinity of the ground surface 91 when the temporary intermediate support column 10 (the main body portion 20) is inserted into the sleeve 70 (see Fig. 4). And further below that, a through hole 23 is provided (see Fig. 3(A) and Fig. 4).

[0026] Also, a notch 22 is provided in a part (midway) of the slit 21 (see FIGS. 3(A) and 4). In the present embodiment, the notch 22 is provided in such a manner as to intersect perpendicularly with the slit 21 provided along the height direction of the main body 20 (so as to be parallel to the road where the temporary intermediate support column 10 is installed). Note that a further notch (recess) is provided in the tip portion 22T of the notch 22 (see FIG. 3(A)). Note that notches 22 having the same shape are provided at positions facing each other in the horizontal direction in each of the pair of slits 21 (two slits 21).

[0027] On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the auxiliary member 30 is made of a round pipe having a larger diameter than the main body 20 (see FIG. 5). Therefore, the auxiliary member 30 can be attached by being aligned (covering) with the main body 20, and is slidable (slidable) in the vertical direction shown in FIG. 2 with respect to the main body 20.

[0028] Note that the auxiliary member 30 has a protrusion 31 inside thereof (see FIG. 5). In the present embodiment, the protrusion 31 is provided at the upper end portion 30T of the auxiliary member 30 and is in the shape of a rod that crosses inside the auxiliary member 30. Further, the auxiliary member 30 is provided with a through hole 32 at the lower end portion 30D.

[0029] As described above, the auxiliary member 30 can be attached by being aligned with the main body 20. At this time, the protrusion 31 of the auxiliary member 30 passes through the portion where the pair of slits 21 of the main body 20 are provided. Therefore, the auxiliary member 30 can be slid with respect to the main body 20 until the upper end portion 30T of the auxiliary member 30 reaches the lower end of the slit 21. Note that in the present embodiment, since the protrusion 31 is in the shape of a rod, the lower end of the slit 21 is also rounded so as to engage with the protrusion 31 (see FIG. 3).

[0030] In addition, since a notch 22 is provided in a part (midway) of the slit 21, when the auxiliary member 30 is rotated horizontally at the position where the protruding portion 31 of the auxiliary member 30 is located in the portion where the notch 22 is provided, the protruding portion 31 enters the notch 22. Then, by engaging the protruding portion 31 with the tip portion 22T of the notch 22, the auxiliary member 30 is attached to the main body portion 20. That is, to some extent, the auxiliary member 30 stops descending or rotating with respect to the main body portion 20.

[0031] Here, the specific size of the temporary intermediate support column 10 of the present embodiment is such that the length L1 (see FIG. 3(A)) in the height direction of the main body portion 20 is "1430 mm", and the length L2 (see FIG. 5(A)) in the height direction of the auxiliary member 30 is "460 mm". Also, the length L11 (see FIG. 3(A)) in the height direction of the slit 21 of the main body portion 20 is "910 mm", the length L12 (see the same figure) from the lower end of the slit 21 to the through hole 23 is "30 mm", and the length L13 (see the same figure) from the through hole 23 to the lower end portion 20D (lowest end) of the main body portion 20 is "490 mm".

[0032] Note that the lower end portion 20D of the main body portion 20 is inserted into and supported by the sleeve 70. At this time, the length L14 (see FIGS. 3(A) and 4) of the portion inserted into the sleeve 70 is "400 mm". That is, 400 mm of the temporary intermediate support column 10 (main body portion 20) is hidden underground, and 1030 mm is above the ground.

[0033] Therefore, the length L15 (see FIG. 4) from the ground surface 91 to the lower end of the slit 21 is "120 mm (length L12 + length L13 - length L14)". And the fact that the lower end of the slit 21 described above is open up to the vicinity located on the ground surface 91 means this level of length. The length L15 is allowed to be about ±50 mm, preferably about ±30 mm, and more preferably about ±10 mm.

[0034] Also, the length L16 (see Fig. 3(A)) from the position where the notch 22 is provided to the position where the through-hole 23 is provided in the main body portion 20 is "about 400 mm". And the length L21 (see Fig. 5(A)) from the position where the protrusion 31 is provided to the position where the through-hole 32 is provided in the auxiliary member 30 is also "about 400 mm". Therefore, at the position where the protrusion 31 of the auxiliary member 30 engages with the notch 22 of the main body portion 20, the through-hole 32 of the auxiliary member 30 and the through-hole 23 of the main body portion 20 coincide (are at the same height). Thus, at this position, the auxiliary member 30 is fixed to the main body portion 20 by the fixture 43 (see Fig. 2). For example, the auxiliary member 30 is fixed to the main body portion 20 with nuts after passing bolts through the through-holes 23 and 32.

[0035] In addition, the length L22 (see Fig. 5(A)) from the position where the protrusion 31 is provided to the upper end portion 30T (the uppermost end) of the auxiliary member 30 is "about 30 mm". On the other hand, the length L23 (see the same figure) from the position where the through-hole 32 is provided to the lower end portion 30D (the lowermost end) of the auxiliary member 30 is "about 30 mm".

[0036] Therefore, when the temporary intermediate support 10 is installed on the road, the position of the upper end portion 30T (the uppermost end) of the auxiliary member 30 attached (fixed) to the main body portion 20 is at a height of "about 520 mm (length L13 + length L16 + length L22)" from the ground surface 91.

[0037] In addition, when the temporary intermediate support 10 is installed on the road, a cap 40 is attached to the upper end portion 20T of the main body portion 20 (see Fig. 4). Also, a ring-shaped strap 41 for preventing the slit 21 from opening during an accident (when a vehicle collides) is attached to the main body portion 20 (see the same figure). A plurality of spacers 42 for adjusting the height of each of the plurality of wire ropes 60 are attached to the main body portion 20 (see the same figure). In this embodiment, the spacers 42 can be externally attached.

[0038] Note that the wire rope type protective fence 100 of the present invention can achieve temporary repair (replacement of intermediate posts) so that it does not remain in a damaged state after an accident occurs. Therefore, the temporary intermediate post 10 of the present invention is replaced with a regular intermediate post at the timing of inspection that is performed regularly (for example, once a year, twice a year, or more). The regular intermediate post referred to here means an existing intermediate post, an intermediate post installed when a wire rope type protective fence (cable type road protective fence) is newly installed, and the like. In addition, although the temporary intermediate post 10 is replaced with a regular intermediate post some time after installation, it has the same level of quality (strength, durability, etc.) as the regular intermediate post.

[0039] [Installation method of temporary intermediate post] Next, with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8, a method for installing the temporary intermediate post 10 of the present invention will be described. First, when an accident occurs and the intermediate post needs to be replaced with a new one, the damaged or bent intermediate post is removed from the site. Then, a new temporary intermediate post 10 is inserted into the sleeve 70 into which the original intermediate post was inserted (see FIGS. 6 to 8).

[0040] At this time, the temporary intermediate post 10 is initially tilted obliquely (about 30° in the example shown in FIG. 6(A)), and the lower end portion of the temporary intermediate post 10 is located in the sleeve 70. Also, the auxiliary member 30 is not fixed to the main body portion 20 (it is slidable), and the auxiliary member 30 is lowered until the upper end portion 30T is located at the lower end of the slit 21.

[0041] Also, a plurality of wire ropes 60 pass through the slit 21 of the main body 20 (an operator passes a plurality of wire ropes 60 through the slit 21 of the main body 20). And at this time, since the lower end of the slit 21 is open up to the vicinity located on the ground surface 91 (see Fig. 4), even the wire rope 60U can be passed through the slit 21 of the main body 20 while maintaining the tensioned height. That is, the wire rope 60 can be passed through the slit 21 of the main body 20 while the wire rope 60 is in a tensioned state without loosening the wire rope 60 and changing its height.

[0042] Then, the temporary intermediate support column 10 is lifted up, and its inclination is gradually reduced (in the example shown in Fig. 6(B), about 60°). Also at this time, although the wire rope 60U is somewhat deflected, it can be seen that the wire rope 60 passes through the slit 21 of the main body 20 while maintaining almost the tensioned height.

[0043] Subsequently, the temporary intermediate support column 10 is further lifted up, and its lower end portion (the lower end portion 20D of the main body 20) is inserted into the sleeve 70 so that the temporary intermediate support column 10 stands vertically (see Fig. 7(A)). Also at this time, although the wire rope 60U is somewhat deflected, it can be seen that the wire rope 60 passes through the slit 21 of the main body 20 while maintaining almost the tensioned height.

[0044] Finally, it is pushed in until the lower end portion of the temporary intermediate support column 10 abuts against the support portion 71 or the bottom cover 72 of the sleeve 70 (see Fig. 7(B)). Then, the auxiliary member 30 having a larger diameter than the main body 20 slides upward because it cannot enter the sleeve 70. The above operations may be performed while inserting the lower end portion of the temporary intermediate support column 10 into the sleeve 70 at an intermediate stage (for example, at the stage of lifting the temporary intermediate support column 10 as shown in Fig. 6(B) and Fig. 7(A)). As long as it is within the deflection range of the wire rope 60, after lifting the temporary intermediate support column 10, the lower end portion may be finally inserted into the sleeve 70 (or pushed in).

[0045] As subsequent operations, as described above, after rotating the auxiliary member 30 in the horizontal direction to engage the protrusion 31 with the notch 22 (the tip portion 22T of the notch) of the main body portion 20, the auxiliary member 30 is fixed to the main body portion 20 by the fixture 43. Then, the cap 40 is attached or the spacer 42 is attached to adjust the respective heights of the wire ropes 60 (see FIG. 8).

[0046] At this time, although the main body portion 20 is opened to the vicinity where the lower end of the slit 21 is located on the ground surface 91, the portion below the vicinity of the notch 22 of the slit 21 is blocked by the auxiliary member 30 fixed to the main body portion 20 (see FIG. 2). Therefore, the wire rope 60U does not fall below the upper end portion 30T of the auxiliary member 30 and is supported by the upper end portion 30T.

[0047] Alternatively, in this embodiment, the position of the upper end portion 30T of the auxiliary member 30 is at a height of about 520 mm from the ground surface 91, and the height of the wire rope 60U is also about the same (about 520 mm as described above). Therefore, in this embodiment, the upper end portion 30T of the auxiliary member 30 attached to the main body portion 20 naturally positions at the height that supports the wire rope 60U, but the height that supports the wire rope 60U can also be adjusted by adjusting the length L2 of the auxiliary member 30 (see FIG. 5(A)).

[0048] Thus, according to the temporary intermediate support 10 of the present invention, when replacing with a new one, it is not necessary to loosen the wire rope 60 or stretch the wire rope 60 again. Therefore, repair (replacement of the intermediate support) can be performed more easily and quickly. In addition, when a wire rope type protective fence is installed in the median strip of a road (expressway), for example, it is difficult to take measures after an accident unless the entry of vehicles into the road is stopped for a certain period of time. Furthermore, on roads where there are toll booths, the entry of vehicles can be stopped by closing the toll booths. However, on roads without toll booths (for example, sections of the expressway where there is no toll), it is realistically difficult to stop the entry of vehicles for a certain period of time. In such cases, in particular, quicker repair (replacement of the intermediate posts) is required.

[0049] Also, at the same time, since the auxiliary member 30 can support the wire rope 60U at the lowest height, the wire rope 60U will not drop more than necessary. In addition, the auxiliary member 30 also serves to prevent the slit 21 from opening during an accident and to prevent the sleeve buried in the ground from being blown away and causing secondary disasters.

[0050] Furthermore, the temporary intermediate post 10 of the present invention can be inserted into the sleeve in which the existing (old type) intermediate post was inserted. Therefore, it can also be used on roads where existing wire rope type protective fences are installed. That is, any wire rope type protective fence can be used as a replacement member, one at a time.

[0051] The temporary intermediate post 10 and the like described above are examples of the temporary intermediate post and the like according to the present invention. As long as the gist of the present invention is not deviated from, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated ones. For example, the shape of the notch 22 of the main body portion 20 and the shape of the protrusion 31 of the auxiliary member 30 may be other than the illustrated shapes as long as they can engage with each other and prevent the auxiliary member 30 from dropping or rotating with respect to the main body portion 20.

Industrial Applicability

[0052] The temporary intermediate support and the like according to the present invention can be used in wire rope type protective fences anywhere in the country, and it can be said that it can break the current situation where the response (repair) after an accident cannot keep up, so it is industrially useful.

Explanation of Signs

[0053] 10 Temporary intermediate support 20 Main body part 20T Upper end part of the main body part 20D Lower end part of the main body part 21 Slit 22 Notch 22T Tip part of the notch 23 Through hole 30 Auxiliary member 30T Upper end part of the auxiliary member 30D Lower end part of the auxiliary member 31 Projection 32 Through hole 40 Cap 41 Strap 42 Spacer 43 Fixture 50 Terminal support 60 Wire rope 60U Wire rope at the lowest position 70 Sleeve 71 Support part 72 Bottom cover 80 Terminal pile foundation 81 Terminal fitting 90 Concrete foundation 91 Ground surface 100 Wire rope type protective fence

Claims

1. A temporary intermediate support column used for a wire rope type protective fence inserted into a sleeve buried in the ground between terminal support columns, which is a main body portion made of a pipe, and has a pair of slits that open from the vicinity located on the ground surface when installed by being inserted into the sleeve, to the upper end of the support column, on the left and right surfaces substantially parallel to the road; an auxiliary member attached to the main body portion, which is an auxiliary member that supports the lowest wire rope among a plurality of wire ropes passing through the slits; The temporary intermediate support column having the above.

2. The main body portion has notches in a part of each of the pair of slits, The auxiliary member moves along the pair of slit portions and has protrusions that engage with the respective notches. The temporary intermediate support column according to Claim 1.

3. The auxiliary member is made of a pipe having a larger diameter than the main body portion, and is attached to the main body portion and slidable with respect to the main body portion. The temporary intermediate support column according to Claim 2.

4. A wire rope type protective fence provided with the temporary intermediate support column according to any one of Claims 1 to 3.

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