Filled Vehicle Restraint Base Sill for Roadway Safety

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle restraint systems, both permanent and mobile, face challenges in achieving sufficient containment level and minimizing effective range with low impact severity, especially in scenarios with limited installation space and changing safety requirements.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle restraint system designed for temporary use with increased mass and inertia, featuring a base sill filled with pourable materials like concrete, gravel, or steel, and a guide profile that can be adjusted for weight and stability, including a base plate with improved friction and stiffening ribs, allowing for adaptable installation and impact resistance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the vehicle restraint system is designed with increased mass and inertia to improve containment level, then the containment level is improved, but the mobility and ease of installation are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontainment levelVSAvoidmobility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The vehicle restraint system is divided into modular components (guide profile, base sill, connecting pieces) that can be assembled and disassembled. This segmentation allows the system to be transported in manageable parts and reconfigured at the installation site, maintaining mobility despite the overall increased mass of the filled structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The base sill is designed with a cavity that can be filled with pourable materials (concrete, gravel, steel) to dynamically adjust the mass and inertia of the system. This allows the containment level to be enhanced by filling the cavity with heavy materials, while the unfilled state maintains ease of installation and mobility during transport.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Area of stationary object

If the vehicle restraint system is anchored to the ground with tie rods and concrete to reduce effective range, then the effective range is reduced, but the impact severity on vehicle occupants increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveeffective rangeVSAvoidimpact severity
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses the weight of the filling material in the base sill cavity as a counterweight to provide stability and reduce effective range without requiring ground anchoring. The filled base sill acts as a self-anchoring element, counterbalancing the forces during impact and reducing the lateral displacement without transferring harmful forces to the vehicle occupants.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #8Anti-weight (Counterweight)

3Area of stationary object

If the base sill is filled with massive filling material to increase weight and reduce effective area, then the effective area is reduced, but the mobility is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveeffective areaVSAvoidmobility
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The base sill cavity can be filled or left empty depending on the installation requirements. For temporary installations where mobility is needed, the cavity remains unfilled or partially filled. For permanent installations where minimal effective area is required, the cavity is completely filled with heavy materials. This dynamic configuration allows the system to adapt to different operational requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

4Reliability

If the vehicle restraint system is designed as a permanent installation with concrete casting to improve containment level, then the containment level is improved, but the adaptability to different installation situations is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontainment levelVSAvoidadaptability to installation situations
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system is divided into modular components that can be assembled in different configurations to suit various installation situations. The guide profile, base sill, and connecting pieces can be arranged to match different roadway geometries and space constraints, providing adaptability while maintaining high containment levels through the modular steel construction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The base sill is designed with a universal cavity structure that can accommodate different filling materials (concrete, gravel, steel, or no filling) depending on the installation requirements. This multi-functionality allows the same base sill design to serve both temporary mobile applications and permanent fixed installations, adapting to different containment level requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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 system maintains mobility while enhancing containment level and reducing effective range, improving stability and impact severity by increasing weight and friction, thus meeting modern safety standards without the need for ground anchoring, and allowing for flexible assembly and filling configurations.

Implementation Method 1

the increase in mass and the resulting increased inertia of the entire system in an impact situation

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectInertia: Inertia

Implementation Method 2

a base plate with improved friction

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Data Source

PatentEP2158363B1Filled or fillable vehicle restraint system for limiting roadways
Publication Date: 2014.11.12 VOLKMANN & ROSSBACH GMBH & CO KG
  • EP2158363B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2158363B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2158363B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The invention relates to a vehicle restraint system (10) for limiting roadways comprising a base beam (12) which extends along a longitudinal axis (A), rests on a base (U) and, in a view of an orthogonal cross-section along the longitudinal axis (A), tapers upward starting from the base (U). The system further comprises a guide profile (36) which extends along the longitudinal axis (A), is arranged above the base beam (12) and can be or is connected thereto. In order to increase the weight of the vehicle restraint system according to the invention, the base beam (12), in a view of an orthogonal cross-section along the longitudinal axis (A), has a substantially closed profile forming a cavity (26), said cavity (26) being filled with a high-mass filling material (27).