Plant crawling up prevention metal fittings for sound insulating wall

Abstract

To provide metal fittings that can be mounted to a support pillar of a sound insulating wall and prevents a plant from crawling up along a rear side support pillar of the sound insulating wall.SOLUTION: Plant crawling up prevention metal fittings 10 for a sound insulating wall are the metal fittings mounted to a sound insulating wall 20 configured with a support pillar 21 made of H-shaped steel and sound insulation plates 22. The metal fitting 10 comprises a main body metal fitting having a front surface part contacting a front surface of the support pillar 21 and a side surface part contacting a side surface of the support pillar 21, and a fixture. The metal fittings prevent the plant P from crawling up along the support pillar 21 on a rear side of the sound insulating wall 20 by mounting two main body metal fittings so as to sandwich the support pillar 21 on the rear side of the sound insulating wall 20 from left and right respectively and fixing the front surface parts of the two main body metal fittings to each other by using the fixture.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a metal fitting that prevents plants from climbing up along the supports on the back side of sound insulation walls installed on roads, railways, factories, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] Noise-generating facilities are equipped with soundproofing walls to prevent the noise from affecting the health and living environment of nearby residents. Noise-generating facilities include roads, railways, factories, etc., and highways in particular are equipped with soundproofing walls of various types, shapes, and heights. Therefore, the following explanation will use highways as an example.

[0003] Noise barriers are made up of support posts erected at regular intervals and sound-proofing panels installed between the posts. Weeds may grow on the ground surface of facilities where sound barriers are installed. These weeds (especially climbing plants) are known to creep up along the support posts of sound barriers.

[0004] Here, Figure 1 shows weeds creeping up along the support posts of a sound insulation wall installed on a highway, with (A) being the main road side of the highway (road side) and (B) being the back side of the highway (residential side). As shown in Figure 1(A), weeds P creep up along support posts 21 of sound insulation wall 20 and grow overgrown all the way to the main road side. Also, as shown in Figure 1(B), weeds P creep up along support posts 21 of sound insulation wall 20 (left image), and as time passes, weeds P grow overgrown so much that they straddle the spaces between the support posts, completely obscuring the support posts 21 (right image).

[0005] When weeds grow on sound barriers like this, it becomes extremely difficult to deal with them (weeding). Especially on expressways, depending on the location and scale, it may be necessary to implement roadside and lane restrictions when weeding. Therefore, there is a demand for more efficient and less costly weeding methods for sound barriers.

[0006] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a pole cover intended to prevent weeds from growing on the portion of a pole near the ground surface. This pole cover is attached to the pole by bringing a pair of pole cover units C1 close to each other and placing them opposite each other with the pole in between, and by burying the lower part (underground buried part 1a) of the pole covering part 1 that constitutes each pole cover unit C1 in the ground (see Figures 1 to 3).

[0007] Patent Document 1 also states that with this configuration, the underground buried portion of the pillar covering part that constitutes each pillar cover unit is pushed into the ground, protecting not only the part of the pillar near the ground surface but also the part buried underground, and that even if rainwater containing dissolved antifreeze seeps into the ground, there is little risk of the pillar being damaged. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-342927 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] However, the pole cover described in Patent Document 1 is a pole cover for covering the portion of a pole erected above ground level that is near the ground surface (see paragraph 0001 of the specification, etc.), and the lower part of the pole covering part that constitutes each pole cover unit must be buried in the ground and attached to the pole. Therefore, the pole cover described in Patent Document 1 requires sufficient space near the ground surface of the erected pole for attaching the pole cover, and assumes that there are no obstacles that would get in the way of attaching the pole cover. Furthermore, there may be cases where the ground (underground) is too hard to bury the lower part of the pole covering part sufficiently.

[0010] Therefore, it is difficult to attach the support pole cover described in Patent Document 1 to the support poles of a soundproof wall where the space near the ground surface (space for installation) is narrow or where soundproofing panels are installed that act as obstacles during installation. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a metal fitting that can be attached to the support posts of a sound insulating wall and that prevents plants from creeping up along the support posts on the rear side of the sound insulating wall. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The plant-creeping prevention fitting for a sound insulating wall according to the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as "fitting") is a fitting that is attached to a sound insulating wall that is made up of a support made of H-shaped steel and a sound insulating plate. In addition, the metal fittings of the present invention comprise a main metal fitting having a front portion that contacts the front of the support and a side portion that contacts the side of the support, and a fixing device; the two main metal fittings are attached so as to sandwich the support on the back side of the soundproof wall from the left and right, and the fixing device secures the front portions of the two main metal fittings together, thereby preventing plants from climbing up the support on the back side of the soundproof wall.

[0012] With this configuration, the metal fittings are attached so as to sandwich the support posts on the rear side of the soundproof wall from the left and right, with the side portions of the main metal fittings contacting the side surfaces of the support posts and the front portion of the main metal fittings contacting the front surfaces of the support posts and fixed in place with fasteners.

[0013] In particular, it is desirable that the metal fittings have a front portion and a side portion formed so as to be H-shaped when viewed from the front. With this configuration, the front portion, which has a certain length in the vertical direction (the direction in which the support pole extends), is fixed to the front surface of the support pole with a fixture.

[0014] Furthermore, it is desirable that the metal fittings be configured so that a plurality of metal fittings can be attached to the supports of the sound insulating wall, which is configured by connecting a plurality of sound insulating plates vertically. With this configuration, multiple metal fittings are connected and attached in the vertical direction (the direction in which the support posts extend). [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] With this configuration, the metal fittings of the present invention are attached so as to sandwich the support posts on the rear side of the soundproof wall from the left and right, and the side portions of the main metal fittings contact the side surfaces of the support posts, while the front portion of the main metal fittings contacts the front surface of the support posts and is fixed in place with fasteners.As a result, plants are unable to climb up the sides of the support posts because the side portions of the main metal fittings are in the way, and plants are unable to climb up the front surfaces of the support posts because the front portions of the main metal fittings are in the way, so plants can be prevented from climbing up the support posts on the rear side of the soundproof wall. Therefore, the metal fittings of the present invention can prevent plants from creeping up and growing along the supports of the sound insulation wall as shown in Figure 1, thereby reducing the effort and cost required for weeding the sound insulation wall and maintaining the roadscape for a long period of time.

[0016] In particular, the metal fittings are configured with a front and side section so that they form an H shape when viewed from the front, and the front section, which has a certain length in the vertical direction, is fixed to the front of the support with a fixing device.This prevents plants from climbing up the support on the back side of the soundproof wall, makes installation easy for workers, and reduces material and manufacturing costs.

[0017] Furthermore, the metal fittings are attached in multiple vertically connected configuration to the support posts of the sound insulation wall, which is made up of multiple sound insulation panels connected vertically, so that the multiple metal fittings are connected and attached along the vertical direction, allowing them to be attached to sound insulation walls of any height. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] This figure shows weeds creeping up along the supports of a noise barrier installed on a highway. (A) is on the main road side of the highway (road side), and (B) is on the back side of the highway (residential side). [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a plurality of metal fittings connected vertically in this embodiment. [Figure 3]FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 . [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams (front views) showing the metal fitting of this embodiment, in which (A) shows the metal fitting attached to a support, and (B) is a diagram for explaining the procedure for attaching the metal fitting. [Figure 5] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams (plan views) showing the configuration of a metal fitting according to the present embodiment, in which (A) shows the metal fitting attached to a support, and (B) is a diagram for explaining the procedure for attaching the metal fitting. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention, but the following description of the components is one example (typical example) of the embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following content unless the gist of the present invention is changed. Furthermore, components having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The directions used in this description (up-down direction, left-right direction, and front-rear direction) are based on Fig. 2. Therefore, for example, the up-down direction and the direction in which the support pillars extend or the height direction are synonymous, and the left-right direction and the width direction of the support pillars are synonymous.

[0020] [Soundproofing wall] First, to explain the sound insulation wall, the sound insulation wall 20 of this embodiment is installed on a highway, and the back side of the sound insulation wall 20 is an unpaved gentle slope 30 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). Plants P grow thick on this slope 30.

[0021] The sound-insulating wall 20 is made up of pillars 21 and sound-insulating plates 22, and the pillars 21 are made of H-shaped steel (see FIG. 5(A)). The sound-insulating plates 22 are attached to the pillars 21 by sandwiching fixing metal fittings 40 between the pillars 21 and the sound-insulating plates 22 (see the same figure).

[0022] Furthermore, the sound insulating wall 20 has support posts 21 erected at regular intervals, and a plurality of sound insulating plates 22 are connected and attached to each support post 21 at the top and bottom. In the sound insulating wall 20 of this embodiment, four sound insulating plates 22 (221, 222, 223, 224) are attached to one support post 21 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0023] Here, the type of sound-insulating board 22 is not particularly limited, and may be a reflective type, a sound-absorbing type, or a type with an improved tip. Furthermore, when measures against sunlight are required or when it is necessary to ensure a view or visibility, a transparent type sound-insulating board 22 may be used, or a different color may be used; there is no particular limit to the color of the sound-insulating board 22. Of course, the sound-insulating wall 20 to which the metal fitting 10 according to the present invention is attached may be a new or existing one.

[0024] [Metal fittings] The metal fitting 10 according to the present invention is attached to a support pillar 21 on the back side (residential side) of the sound insulating wall 20 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). Specifically, as described above, the sound insulating panel 22 is attached to the support pillar 21 made of H-shaped steel of the sound insulating wall 20 with the fixing metal fitting 40 sandwiched between them, so that a portion of the support pillar 21 protrudes from the sound insulating panel 22 on both the main line side (road side) and the back side (residential side) of the sound insulating panel 22 (see FIG. 5(A)). The metal fitting 10 is attached to the portion of the support pillar 21 protruding on the back side of the sound insulating wall 20 (see the same figure).

[0025] Furthermore, the metal fitting 10 in this embodiment includes main metal fittings 10A, 10B having a front portion 11 that contacts the front of the support 21 and a side portion 12 that contacts the side of the support 21, and a fastener 13 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The front portion 11 and the side portion 12 may be formed by welding two members together, or may be formed by bending a single member (e.g., a steel plate). Meanwhile, the fastener 13 is, for example, a bolt or the like.

[0026] In this embodiment, the main body metal fittings 10A and 10B have a symmetrical shape. The two main body metal fittings 10A and 10B are attached so as to sandwich the support posts 21 on the rear side of the sound insulating wall 20 from the left and right, respectively, and the fasteners 13 fasten the front portions 11 of the two main body metal fittings 10A and 10B together (see FIGS. 4(B) and 5(B)). Then, the side portions 12 (left side portion 12A, right side portion 12B) of the main body fittings 10A, 10B contact the side of the support 21, and the front portions 11 of the main body fittings 10A, 10B contact the front of the support 21, and are fixed by the fixing device 13 (see Figures 4(A) and 5(A)).

[0027] Here, the height L1 of the side surfaces 12 (left side surface 12A, right side surface 12B) of the main body fittings 10A, 10B is the same as or approximately equal to the height L2 of the sound insulation plate 22 (see FIG. 4).

[0028] Furthermore, the length L3 in the front-to-rear direction of the side portions 12 (left side portion 12A, right side portion 12B) of the main body fittings 10A, 10B is the same as or approximately equal to the length L4 from the sound-insulating plate 22 to the front of the support pillar 21 on the back side of the sound-insulating wall 20 (see Figure 5).

[0029] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the widthwise length L5 of the front portion 11 of the main metal fitting 10A is equal to the widthwise length L5 of the front portion 11 of the main metal fitting 10B (see FIG. 4). This length L5 is half or approximately half the widthwise length L6 of the support 21 (see FIGS. 4(A) and 5), and the ends (right end and left end) of the front portions 11 of the main metal fittings 10A and 10B, which are attached so as to sandwich the support 21 from the left and right, are configured to just abut each other (see FIG. 4).

[0030] The height L7 of the front portion 11 of the main body fittings 10A, 10B can be designed arbitrarily as long as it is shorter than the height L2 of the sound-proof plate 22 (see FIG. 4(B)). The metal fitting 10 according to this embodiment has such a configuration, and the front portion 11 and the side portion 12 are formed so as to form an H shape when viewed from the front (see FIG. 4(A)).

[0031] Therefore, when the metal fittings 10 are attached to the support 21, the side portions 12 of the main metal fittings 10A and 10B are in contact with the side surfaces of the support 21, so the plant P is blocked by the side portions 12 of the main metal fittings 10A and 10B and cannot climb up from the side surfaces of the support 21. Also, the front portions 11 of the main metal fittings 10A and 10B are in contact with the front surface of the support 21, so the plant P is blocked by the front portions 11 of the main metal fittings 10A and 10B and cannot climb up from the front surface of the support 21 (see the dashed line shown in Figure 4(A)).

[0032] Furthermore, in the metal fitting 10 of this embodiment, the front portion 11 and the side portion 12 are formed so as to form an H-shape when viewed from the front, and therefore the worker need only fasten the contacting ends (right end and left end) of the front portions 11 of the main metal fittings 10A, 10B together with fasteners 13 (see FIGS. 4(A) and 5(A)), making it easier for the worker to attach the metal fitting 10 to the support 21 and reducing the weight of the metal fitting 10. Furthermore, because the height direction length L7 of the front portion 11 can be designed as desired, it is no longer necessary to use a component that is larger than necessary, and material costs and manufacturing costs can be reduced when manufacturing and selling the metal fitting 10.

[0033] In short, the metal fittings 10 of this embodiment can prevent plants P from creeping up along the supports 21 on the back side of the sound-insulating wall 20, while also achieving high efficiency and low cost.

[0034] [Multiple installations possible by connecting them vertically] Note that the metal fittings 10 of this embodiment can be attached in multiple units by vertically connecting them to the supports 21 of the sound insulating wall 20, which is formed by vertically connecting a plurality of sound insulating plates 22 (221, 222, 223, 224) (see FIGS. 2 and 3). In this embodiment, four sound insulating plates 22 (221, 222, 223, 224) are connected together, and therefore four metal fittings 10 (101, 102, 103, 104) corresponding to each sound insulating plate 22 are attached by vertically connecting them.

[0035] Specifically, the lower end 10T of a metal fitting 10 and the upper end 10U of another metal fitting 10 are connected and attached. In this embodiment, taking metal fittings 103 and 104 as an example, the lower end 104T of metal fitting 104 (side surface portion 12 of metal fitting 104) is connected to the upper end 103U of metal fitting 103 (side surface portion 12 of metal fitting 103) (see FIGS. 2 and 3). Furthermore, since metal fitting 104 is supported by metal fitting 103, metal fittings 103 and 104 do not require any particular metal fittings or jigs to connect and fix them, but of course some kind of metal fittings or jigs may be used to connect and fix them. The same applies to the other metal fittings (metal fittings 101 and 102, and metal fittings 102 and 103).

[0036] In this way, since multiple metal fittings 10 can be attached by connecting them vertically to the supports 21 of a sound insulating wall 20 that is made up of multiple sound insulating plates 22 connected vertically, they can be attached to sound insulating walls of any height. For example, depending on the installation location, there are sound insulating walls that are provided with five, six, or even more sound insulating plates. Even in such cases, the worker can easily adapt to the height of the sound insulating wall (number of sound insulating plates) by simply changing the number of metal fittings 10 to be attached.

[0037] Furthermore, if the plant P climbs up to the top of the support 21, it will grow all the way to the road side, especially if the soundproof wall 20 is installed on a highway (see Figure 1 (A)), making it very difficult to deal with (weed) the problem. However, in a configuration in which multiple metal fittings 10 are attached, even if the plant P climbs over the front part 11 of the lowest metal fitting (metal fitting 101), the front part 11 of the second-lowest metal fitting (metal fitting 102) will prevent the plant P from climbing up, making it possible to more reliably prevent the plant P from climbing up to the top of the support 21.

[0038] The metal fitting 10 described above is one example of an embodiment of the metal fitting according to the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these configurations as long as the gist of the present invention is not changed. For example, some sound-proofing boards have recesses like unified sound-absorbing boards (to increase strength through bending), and the metal fittings of the present invention can also be used in sound-proofing walls that use such sound-proofing boards. [Industrial Applicability]

[0039] The metal fittings of the present invention can be attached to the supports of various sound insulation walls, regardless of height or whether they are existing or new, and are industrially useful because they can prevent plants from creeping up the supports on the back side of the sound insulation wall. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 10 Metal fittings 10A First body bracket 10B Second body bracket 10T, 104T Upper end of metal fittings 10U, 103U Bottom end of metal fittings 11 Front 12 Side part 12A Left side part 12B Right side part 13 Fixtures 20 Soundproofing Wall 21 Pillar (H-shaped steel) 22,221,222,223,224 Soundproofing board 30 Slope 40 Fixing bracket P plant

Claims

1. A sound insulating wall is composed of a support made of H-shaped steel and a plurality of sound insulating plates, and a metal fitting attached to the sound insulating wall on the back side is configured so that a part of the support protrudes from the sound insulating plate, a main metal fitting having a front portion that contacts the front surface of the support and a side portion that contacts the side surface of the support; and a fixing device; The length of the side surface of the main body metal fitting in the height direction is approximately the same as the length of the sound insulation plate in the height direction, The two main body metal fittings are attached so as to sandwich the support posts on the rear side of the sound insulating wall from the left and right, and the side portions close the space generated between the sound insulating board and the support posts from the left and right, The fixing device fixes the front portions of the two main metal fittings together, and the side portions of the space created between the sound insulation board and the support are blocked along the height direction by the side portions of the main metal fittings fixed to the support. The metal fittings for preventing climbing plants from climbing up along the support posts on the rear side of the sound insulating wall are provided.

2. 2. The metal fitting for preventing plants from climbing up a sound insulating wall according to claim 1, wherein the front portion and the side portion are formed to form an H-shape when viewed from the front.

3. The support pillars of the sound insulating wall are configured by connecting a plurality of the sound insulating plates vertically.

3. The metal fitting for preventing plants from creeping up a sound insulating wall according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of metal fittings are attached by being connected vertically.

Images