Prefabricated Concrete Barrier With Rotating Top Parts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing road safety barriers made of concrete parts with constant cross-section fail to effectively absorb kinetic energy during vehicle impacts, leading to severe injuries due to misalignment and breakage of components, and cannot be installed in certain areas like central reservations without causing lane invasions.
Innovation Solution
A road safety barrier design featuring prefabricated concrete bottom and top parts with a longitudinal channel and extension, allowing limited vertical displacement and lateral rotation, and using attaching means like threaded rods to absorb kinetic energy and prevent misalignment and breakage, while ensuring the barrier remains anchored to prevent lane invasions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If rigid attaching means are used to maintain alignment of barrier parts, then structural continuity is improved, but the barrier becomes unable to absorb kinetic energy and parts breakage occurs during impact
Solution Approach 1:
The attaching means are designed to be rigid during normal operation to maintain alignment, but capable of deforming plastically during impact to absorb kinetic energy. The reinforcement bars remain embedded in concrete blocks throughout the impact process, transforming from a static rigid connection to a dynamic energy-absorbing mechanism that allows controlled misalignment and plastic deformation.
2Strength
If displaceable barrier design is used to absorb impact energy, then kinetic energy absorption is improved, but the barrier cannot be installed in central reservations without invading opposite lane
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier is divided into discrete concrete blocks connected by reinforcement bars. This segmentation allows each block to remain in its installed position (preventing lane invasion) while the connections between blocks allow controlled deformation and energy absorption during impact, combining the benefits of fixed and movable barriers.
3Adaptability or versatility
If fixed barrier installation is used to prevent lane invasion, then installation location flexibility is improved, but the barrier cannot absorb kinetic energy and impact severity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement bars embedded in concrete blocks are designed to yield and deform plastically during impact, converting the harmful kinetic energy of the vehicle into beneficial plastic deformation work. This allows the fixed barrier to absorb energy through controlled damage to the attaching means rather than transmitting full impact force to the vehicle occupants.
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 barrier significantly reduces impact severity by absorbing up to 25% of the kinetic energy, minimizing harm to occupants and maintaining structural integrity during impacts, and can be installed in various locations without invading traffic lanes.
Implementation Method 1
the top part maintains its integrity and performs, with respect to the vertical median plane of the bottom part, a lateral rotation of an amplitude determined and limited by the coupling means of the upper and bottom parts
Data Source
AI summary
Road safety barrier comprising: concrete bottom parts (1); concrete top parts (2) coupled on the bottom parts (1), and attaching means (3, 31) of the successive top parts (2) at their opposite ends. The bottom parts (1) have an upper surface provided with a longitudinal channel (11) for coupling in the longitudinal direction and with the possibility of limited vertical displacement of a longitudinal extension (21) protruding from a lower surface of the top parts (2); the channel (11) and the extension (21) have similar cross-sections and dimensions calculated so that the top part performs a lateral rotation of a determined amplitude, in the event of a vehicle impact, and absorbs a significant part of its kinetic energy.