Lightweight Barrier With U-Shaped Deforming Members
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing temporary vehicle barriers are either heavy or require ballast for impact resistance, making transportation cumbersome and costly, and lack a lightweight, cost-effective solution that can absorb impact energy without additional on-site ballast.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight temporary barrier design featuring opposed longitudinal side members with U-shaped members spanning a gap between them, supported above the ground, allowing for easy transportation and impact energy absorption through deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If heavy construction or ballast is used to provide impact resistance, then the barrier can redirect vehicles effectively, but transportation becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs thin-walled hollow sections (tubes) as the barrier structure. These thin-walled sections can deform under impact to absorb energy while maintaining a lightweight construction. The hollow sections act as flexible structures that yield during vehicle impact, providing crash cushioning without requiring heavy ballast, thus resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and properties of the barrier by using hollow sections that can deform elastically and plastically under impact. The hollow sections are designed to collapse or deform in a controlled manner during impact, absorbing energy through deformation rather than relying on heavy mass. This parameter change from rigid heavy structure to deformable lightweight structure resolves the contradiction between impact resistance and transportation ease.
2Strength
If water or ballast is added to provide sufficient impact resistance, then the barrier can redirect vehicles, but ballast must be added/removed which is time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the ballast (water or other heavy materials) from the barrier system entirely. Instead of using hollow sections filled with ballast that need to be added and removed, the invention uses empty hollow sections that rely on their structural deformation capacity to absorb impact energy. This extraction of ballast eliminates the time-consuming operations of adding and removing ballast while maintaining impact resistance through the deformation mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The hollow sections are designed as lightweight, disposable-style components that can be deployed quickly without the need for ballast handling. The sections are intended to be used temporarily and can be replaced if severely damaged, eliminating the time-consuming ballast management process while providing sufficient impact resistance during their service life.
3Weight of moving object
If lightweight construction is used, then transportation is easier, but the barrier may not provide sufficient impact resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses thin-walled hollow sections that leverage their hollow structure to provide both lightweight construction and impact resistance. The hollow sections can deform under impact, absorbing energy through wall deformation and collapse, while maintaining a lightweight profile for easy transportation. The thin-walled design provides sufficient strength through the deformation mechanism rather than through heavy mass.
Solution Approach 2:
The hollow sections can be constructed from composite materials or materials with optimized mechanical properties that provide high strength-to-weight ratio. The sections are designed to utilize material properties that enable deformation under impact while maintaining lightweight construction, resolving the contradiction between weight and impact resistance.
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 provides structural integrity for easy handling and effective impact energy absorption, reducing the need for ballast and lowering manufacturing costs while maintaining ease of construction and transportation.
Implementation Method 1
the U-shaped member due to its relatively thin construction is capable of yielding to the force of an impact and deforming so as to absorb impact energy with minimal transfer of impact energy to the non-impact side of the barrier
Data Source
AI summary
A barrier is provided, including opposed longitudinal side members separated by a gap, supports which hold the side members above the ground; and at least one U-shaped member when viewed in transverse cross section which is/are connected to the opposed members to span between the gap and wherein the at least one U-shaped member does not contact the supports.