Cable Security Barrier With Slip Attachments For Soft Ground
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing security barriers, particularly those installed in soft ground, face challenges such as uneven terrain, interference with buried services, and failure to meet stringent impact tests due to their tensile nature and deep foundation requirements.
Innovation Solution
A security barrier design featuring two posts with cables that allow limited slip at attachments, reducing initial impact force and energy absorption, combined with resilient posts and impact posts to distribute kinetic energy and prevent vehicle passage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If deep reinforced bedding is used to provide structural integrity for high-speed vehicle impact, then the barrier strength is improved, but the excavation complexity and interference with buried services increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces energy-absorbing elements (such as deformable posts, breakable components, or cushioning materials) that are pre-installed in the barrier structure to absorb impact energy before it reaches the foundation. This cushioning mechanism reduces the force transmitted to the bedding, allowing shallower excavation while maintaining barrier effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the mechanical properties of barrier components (e.g., using materials with specific energy-absorbing characteristics, adjusting post flexibility, or modifying connection mechanisms) to optimize energy dissipation. This allows the barrier to achieve required strength with reduced foundation depth, thereby simplifying excavation and minimizing interference with buried services.
2Ease of manufacture
If tensile cable fences are used for security barriers, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the reliability in soft ground deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines tensile cables with resilient posts made of materials that have both strength and energy-absorbing properties. This composite structure allows the barrier to maintain simplicity in manufacture while improving reliability in soft ground conditions through the synergistic interaction of different material properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic elements such as flexible posts that can bend or deform during impact, allowing the barrier to adapt to soft ground conditions. The resilient posts can deflect under load and return to position, providing reliable performance in soft ground without requiring complex installation procedures.
3Area of stationary object
If cables are tensioned over long distances in uneven ground, then the barrier coverage is improved, but the loading on posts worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the long cable span into multiple shorter segments by introducing intermediate support posts or tensioning points. This segmentation reduces the cumulative tension in each cable section and distributes the loading more evenly across multiple posts, preventing excessive force concentration while maintaining comprehensive barrier coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary elements such as pulleys, tensioning devices, or intermediate posts that act as mediators between the cable ends. These intermediaries allow the cable to change direction or distribute tension forces, reducing the direct loading on individual posts while maintaining effective barrier coverage across uneven terrain.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design effectively mitigates the challenges of uneven terrain and soft ground installations by reducing peak loading on posts, absorbing impact energy, and preventing vehicle breaches, while minimizing excavation depth and service interference.
Implementation Method 1
the attachments are configured to allow said cable to slip in said attachment under loading
Implementation Method 2
the limited amount of slip allowed upon initial impact reduces the impact force on the posts and absorbs some of the initial energy of the impact
Implementation Method 3
resilient posts and impact posts to distribute kinetic energy
Data Source
AI summary
A security barrier section includes two barrier section posts and at least one cable which extends between the two posts and is attached thereto, for example with U-bolts. Under impact of a vehicle the cable can slip to a limited degree. A security barrier includes a plurality of the security barrier sections and adjacent security barrier sections share a common barrier section post.