Mobile Safety Barrier Trailer for Fast Roadside Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional barriers used to protect road construction workers from traffic offer limited protection against lateral incursions and require significant time and effort to transport and deploy, exposing workers to risk during setup.
Innovation Solution
A safety trailer with a fixed safety wall and semi-tractor hookups at both ends, featuring interconnectable platforms, ballast members for weight balance, and adjustable vertical positioning, along with optional caboose and braking systems for enhanced protection and mobility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional barriers (cones, barrels, heavy equipment) are used to protect workers, then some level of protection is provided, but the protection is limited against lateral incursions and requires significant transport and deployment time
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier is divided into multiple modular wall sections that can be quickly assembled and configured. Each section is a self-contained unit that can be independently handled during deployment, reducing the overall time required to set up the complete barrier system while maintaining comprehensive protection coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The barrier system combines multiple protective functions into a single integrated structure. The wall sections are designed to interconnect and work together as a unified barrier that provides both longitudinal and lateral protection, eliminating the need for multiple separate barrier elements and reducing deployment time.
2Reliability
If conventional barriers are deployed at the work site, then protection is established, but workers are exposed to significant risk of accident during the deployment process
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier sections are pre-assembled and pre-positioned on transport equipment before reaching the work site. This preliminary configuration allows the barrier to be deployed more quickly and safely, minimizing the time workers are exposed to traffic risks during assembly operations.
3Reliability
If heavy construction equipment is parked in the lane to reduce worker injury risk, then protection against same-lane traffic is improved, but protection against lateral incursions from adjacent lanes remains insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier wall sections are designed with universal interconnection capabilities that allow them to be configured in various orientations and arrangements. The same modular sections can provide protection against traffic from any direction by adjusting their placement and orientation, making the system adaptable to different traffic patterns and work zone configurations.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a safety trailer has semi-tractor hitches at both ends and a safety wall that is fixed to one side of the trailer. That side, however, can be changed to the right or left side of the road, depending on the end to which the truck attaches. A caboose can be attached at the end of the trailer opposite the tractor to provide additional lighting and impact protection. Optionally, the trailer can be equipped with overhead protection, lighting, ventilation, onboard hydraulics, compressors, generators and other equipment, as well as related fuel, water, storage and restroom facilities and other amenities.