GB2404408A

GB2404408A - Reflective road stud

Info

Publication number: GB2404408A
Application number: GB0409198A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Philip John Wrenn
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-07-31
Filing date: 2004-04-26
Publication date: 2005-02-02
Anticipated expiration: 2024-04-26
Also published as: GB0409198D0; GB2404408B; GB0317914D0

Abstract

The reflective road stud comprises a main body from which a membrane extends around at least a portion of the circumference, the membrane including a number of apertures. In use, the stud is placed on a road and a surface material, e.g. bitumen, concrete, paint etc., is placed over the membrane such that surface material extends through the apertures so as to mechanically lock the stud in place. The stud is preferably formed from a flexible, resilient material and the main body is provided with a low, preferably dome-shaped profile. The stud may be formed with a high visibility day glow colour and may additionally be secured to a road surface with a chemical adhesive etc.

Description

Road Stud

Description and Design objective

Current The current stuabon provides for "Cats Eye" type units, which are placed Into the road and reflect ingot from vehicle headlights, to guide drivers to follow the road line safely This design Is excellent and has worked very well for many years These are solid devices, and while they are proven to work However, traffic wear and tear and road demands have increased over the years, and they are very expensive to maintain and replace when removed (aka "popped") from the road by traffic wear and tear.

They are especially prone to being pulled out In snow prone regions by snow plough blades Very often complete stretches of road are left without cats-eye cover when they are "popped" due to the expense of replacement The driver does not revise how much they relied on Road Studs until they are no longer there Solution This invention seeks to provide a very cheap, robust and resilient solution to this problem, providing a Road Stud light reflector, particularly for use on roadways, and seeks to provide a very low cost, very low profile, easily replaced solution to the requirement of guiding drivers safely on dark roads This design Is unique for five main reasons 1 Cheap to make and Install 2. Low profile - does not present enough of a profile to be an obstruction - using latest reflective material ensures that it Is still viewabie despite the low profile 3 Flexible If hit, it will "give" and re-form to moulded position 4 The outer membrane (M) surrounding the Road Stud, allows the unit to be both bonded to the road surface, and because there are holes on the outer membrane, tarmac can be forced through the holes to capture the Road Stud base Into a sandwich, and form a mechanical Join.

Cheap to maintain - uses exshog materials. No special tool requirements foreseen The outer section of the Road Stud contains holes The Road Stud assembly (of silicon rubber, Plastic, Rubber, or whichever suitable material is used In production) is laid In the road. The membrane Is laid on the road, track or runway surface, and the road material (example of hot or cold tar, bitumen, concrete or paint) may be applied across the outer membrane (M), which becomes Immersed In the road covering material being applied to the road surface The road surface material being applied, In It's workable state, enters the holes on the membrane, and forms a Join from the top of the road surface to the road surface under the Road Stud When set, the entire membrane (M) Is "captured" and held fast by the road surface, encapsulated under the new road surface The road material forced through the holes In the membrane (M), has now formed many mechanical Joins through all the holes In the membrane, between the top of the road surface above the Road Stud, and the ongnal road surface below the membrane The membrane section z of the Road Stud is thin enough to be hidden below the surface of the road, and is now "sandwiched" between the old road surface and the new top surface. The Road Stud centre section rises (protrudes) above the surface of the road and continues to function as a flexible low profile Road Stud From prototype testing, it has been found that the less viscous the road surface matenal, the bigger the membrane is required to capture the Road Stud Hence this Patent is being extended to include all membrane (M) tab sizes from a small section to encompassing the entire Road Stud, to ensure that all permutations of road surface material can be accommodated. The prototype membrane (M) concept Is performing satisfactorily in freezing and wet conditions Current The current situation provides for Cats Eye type units, which are placed Into the road and reflect light from vehicle headlights, to guide davers to follow the road line safely These are solid devices, and while they are proven to work, are very expensive to maintain and replace when removed (aka "popped") from the road by traffic wear and tear They are especially prone to being pulled out In snow prone regions by snow plough blades. Very often complete stretches of road are left without cats-eye cover when they are "popped" due to the expense of replacement.

Solution This nvenbon seeks to provide a very cheap, robust and resilient solution to this problem; providing a Road Stud light reflector, particularly for use on roadways, and seeks to provide a very low cost, very low profile, easily replaced solution to the requirement of guiding drivers safely on dark roads Preferably the dome-shaped base membemn cross-sechon Inclines upwards (with concave edges) and then rounds off at the top with a minimum top surface area to reduce contact with road tyres and snow plough blades Preferably, the material will be high visibility, preferably day- glow for maximum visibility in poor visbiity, such as mist and fog, to provide best safety road vision whenever possible, when it Is too light for the reflector to be visible A very high visibility marine grade reflector Is contained within a very low profile, highly visible (dayglow) flexible perhaps "jelly type" base material. This may be Silicon Rubber, perhaps rubber or plastic, designed to be low profile (below snow blade height), but to flex and "give In" to the forces acting on it In the rare event that it does become an obstacle. After lateral forces have passed over the base unit and compressed it, the base material will revert (spring) back to It's ongnal shape, and continue to present the high visibility reflector as a safety aid to drivers.

There are securing tabs which are crucial to the design. These are preferably a very thin membrane (M) (covered by drawing PW 1000/2 part 1 of 2) on the edge of the Road Stud These tab membranes (M) may perhaps be extended to encircle the entire centre of the Road Stud, own any possible permutation of size and shape, to the extent of encircling the entire Road Stud The purpose is to ensure maximum cover of the road surface around the Road Stud for the purposes of fixing the Road Stud to the road surface, as illustrated by drawing no # PW 1000/2 part 2 of 2) The requirement of tab size will vary according to the road surface required for maximum bonding for security Variations to the patent design (a) The holes and width of material between the holes on the securing tab (M) may perhaps be geometrically organsed as the Illustration In drawings PW 1000/2 part 1 of 2 and PW 1000/2 part 2 of 2. The holes and/or possibly the width of material between the holes may perhaps vary according the charactenstcs of road surface material being used, perhaps, hot or cold tar, bitumen, road marking paint or any other suitable materials available.

(b) The holes (reference the Illustration In drawings PW 1000/2 part 1 of 2 and PW 1000/2 part 2 of 2) are preferably crculamn varying sizes and placement, but possibly be of another shape They may perhaps of another shape more suitable for securing to the charactenstcs of the material type and viscosity being used; for example, varying sizes of a square, rectangular or an ellipse or some other shape which works more effectively with the road surface material characteristics being used.

(c) The membrane thickness of the material on the securing tab may also possibly vary, according to the road material charactenshcs being used, but is illustrated in drawings PW 1000/2 part 1 of 2 and PW 1000/2 part 2 of 2 (d) The membrane thickness of the material on the securing tab may also possibly allow for indentations This allows pressure suction to smoother categories of road surface, according to the charactenshcs of the road material being used, but is covered in drawings PW 1000/2 part 1 of 2 and PW 1000/2 part 2 of 2

Claims

1 A highly reflective low cost Road Stud fight reflector housed In one mounding, offering cheap production, safer road vision viewing capability In most weathers, and secured to the surface of a road or other transport related surface by means of a unique perforated membrane [referred to In drawings and referenced as (M) In this document] 2 A Road Stud light reflector as claimed In Item 1, which is low profile (being below the height of most active snow-plow blades) 3 A Road Stud light reflector as claimed In Item 1, which has a very 'ow top surface area, which flexes ("gives") when sideways or top forces act upon it, and presents the minimum obstruction to any moving object passing ovemt The reflector returns to the original moulded position after forces have been removed 4 A Road Stud light reflector as claimed In any proceeding claim, which is made of preferably Silicon Rubber, plastics matenal, rubber, polished glass and polished metal, or perhaps ultimately "intelligent plastic" (which remembers its moulded shape when distorted), or a combination of all of these materials for ultimate performance A Road Stud light reflector, which may be easily and cheaply applied to the road surface, aircraft taxi way, or other highway. This may be by the use of powerful chemical adhesive, tar and or mechanical securing device using tar and adhesive bonding mechanisms as well as using mechanical Joints linking the tar forced through the membrane tab perforations to the road surface The tab may be sandwiched Into a tarmac base on the road surface, and covered over using tarmac Use of both chemical bonding properties and mechanical bonding using the membrane (M) to secure the Road Stud to the road surface should form a very strong bond to the road surface and should help overcome current problems with Cats eyes becoming unseated 6 A Road Stud fight reflector substantially as herein described and illustrated In the accompanying drawings PW 1000/2 part 1 of 2 and PW 1000/2 part 2 of 2) with the outer membrane (M) and permutations described In this document.