US2518004A - Highway guard structure bracket - Google Patents

Description

N. GREENWELL HIGHWAY GUARD STRUCTURE BRACKET Aug. 8, 1950 filed March 16, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l N. GREENWELL HIGHWAY GUARD STRUCTURE BRACKET Aug. 8, 1950 Filed Mardh 1a, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fi'reanwell.

Patented Aug. 8 1950 ,-2,5is,o94 v HIGHWAY GUARD STEUQTUEEQBRAQKET LfNflVil Greenwell, .Bethlehenj 11a assign!!! :to

Bethlehem Steel Pennsylvania -'Application"March" 16,

' :9 fllaims.

. :My invention relates'to improvementsdn, guard sastructures ior-ihighwayseandz especially to hrackets :eforrresiliently*supporting'athe guardtwith respect totithe.rsupports.

: iOne objectsof :my: inventiloncisuto: provide:1im-.

'nproved sbrackets :Jfor =::a highway :guard tstructure i'xwhich EWill effectivelyrresist .impactsntransmitted to the guard structure by *travellingwehicleszcomning' intozcontactmithr-the guard: structure so as to qmpany, ,a tcorporation 59f 1945, Serial masseuse rprevent=.,the=vehic1es -fromlleavingAthe highway,r;--'snortionzifl,zzrespectively, ri fifi v rse yurve wand whichuat the .same:time will-aeffectivelyabsorb :tthetshock transmitted :by such rvehicle to (the "guard cstructure :so :that .Ithe vehiclevwill receive :rno .asubstantial :'damage' upon :impact with 513118 b Another object 10f :my :Linvention :is 1 to :provide improved brackets intermediate the.guard:-and tthe ssuppo'rits zwhich'zwill effectively zsupport the sguardiine spaced-rrelation zito thezsupportsatall atimesr I 'rfI h'e r-novel :features 40f my invention will be more i'fiully czunderstood from the following r description and claims gtakentwith the: accompanyringsdrawings :in' which Figure 1 issa top aplanzsview or a a section-of a highway =guard structure embodying one form of any invention. v

-."*Fig.. 2 is'a ideiview' inelevation fthe strucure shown in Fig. 1. f '-?Fig. 3.2vi's an:enlargedxsectional view t eZIiIIBZ 3- 3 OIIFiQ. 5. 1 EEig: 4 1s a' top plan -view:of the bracketishown Jim-Fig, in itsdeformed condition.

Fig. 5 is a side view in elevation df thezstruc- -:dauresl'iown -iri= I ig.;-"3. ,'".Fig.=:'6 is antopnplamviewxof a 'bracket embodylfigfi'lvis arear view in elevation of thebracket iaShown' in Figi-afi.

t. 1 Referring to the 'drawings, particularly-Fig.

akenron 1 copeninga'fitis providedaimthel a'fsspr n por i ETDOIZtiQI SLC IHP S g 0 shap .i o ti :3-5 Candi-36 'i'and;arcuatemortionsffil find- 38, respectively. iopeningi 3911s: provided in:.the -leaf;spring=,portions .;j:2fi :and 21 :forj:receivir g the bolt :20 to :secure nprthezbracketz la8x-ctozthe support 16. while the post hengaging:ieafzispring portions are shown welded ttogethenanyotgher,connectingrmeans may; be. used atoaconnectatheseaportions;rwithoutizdepartingfrom "rin!e1SCOPflDfIHlYiIiHVGIIfiOH. 31

fi heribracketew :shown gin: Figs: 6 ,=.and;7 isesim-i --d ar dzofthe bracketdisc1osed::in;-Figs. 3, 4;.and:,5. The bracket 40 comprises supportnorzposttengagingi leaf aispring :portions 5.4l and 4,2 which L are zushow'n uriitedxby acweld2z423 and which-have .;lips 44 deflected inwardly thereof which providerporrtions v=.r:1iverg-ing "outwardly: toward "the tend .por- -:tio ns 1415 sand r46,:;respec.tively, :-.an inverted QU- ishaped vguard cengaging x-portion :41, comprising -.:1egs::4;8:;and 4.9,: reverse1y curvedrgpnrtions :-;and 1511a intermediatemthe leg 2143 and the end zportion -v45candeintermediatezthe-leg;549rand'athe end por- 1131011 5:46;,- respectivelmz thesez-reversely -;.curvedgvporftions comprising x'Crshaped 4 portions 52 and {153 band" arcuatemortions 54 134116.555; respectively 4| and 42 for receiving the bolt ,Zfictmsecur the bbracketqflflatothe Supports. statedzwith. refer- ;ence to theabracket ;[B the support engagingdeaf .isprm portions awhile QshoWn twelded together, :'may;bei0ined=;inany; suitab1e.manner.

zInoperationi-xwhen; a;-vehi,c1e comes; into; contact 'aiwithl'considerable force-:iwith :the guardcable sor iCfiLblGSJlIL lihfi; U eshapedrportion 341 nor; the gnard cable r bracket 2| 8 will move :inwardly :aintil vthe thexguardicablesll are anchored. The brackets shown in Figs. 1 and 2, an enlarged view of one of which is shownin'Figs.-3, 4=arid 5 are shown ecomiwte t eupp rt ib ,mc nsio b l 2.31; and :38, Arrespectively,@contact :the:,leaf:.:spring -;portions2.6:and ,21,:z-respectively,gastshownzinz full dines; mime-.14 sand zduezi to n; the inclination iofithe ile'aifispringrportions z-fizandzzzl the conti-nuediforce and the guards I! are shownislidabl connected rzoitransmittedto the Ueshaped'portiomM=will cause to the brackets] 8 bymeanscofcthe clips 2 I, which, while shown" in these "figures as having their lower ends 22 inserted in slots 23 in thebrackets It and their upper end secured: to the "bracket" l 8 rtheseiarcuate portions 31': andazw :ito :movecdown 'z-theseginclinations: in opposite direction fiandswill .umoveathezlegsialrand4232,xrespectively outwardly 'tharespecttto each:sothemaszshown sin (dotted the bolts and nuts- 24, may-be connected to r55 linestin i Eig.a4. rDuring the initial movementrof fathe brackets l8-i-nany -well known manner. The

'ggguards H, #as shown, comprise cables which are preferably slidabl-y mounted' i-n loops fi-prov-ided in the clips 2|.

rthe a-U eshape'd uportion 30 inwardl stewards the ie'a'f spring:portions 2l3 andzl, the C shape'd; por- -tions 35and fli, respectively;-will have a tentlency to coil towards each other in absorbing the im- Referring particularly to Figs; 3, 4 and 5, the pact of the vehicle with the guard cable [1 but upon contact of the arcuate portions 31 and 38, respectively, with the leaf spring portions 26 and 21, the arcuate portions 31 and 38, respectively, will have a tendency to uncoil away from each other due to the movement of the legs 3| and 32 away from each other, during the further deflection of the bracket. The provision of means for deflecting the legs of the bracket after partial deformation thereof is an important feature of this invention as it provides a bracket which throughout its operation effectively absorbs the shock imparted to the guard cable 11 upon the impact of the vehicle therewith.

The operation of the bracket 40 shown in Figs. 6 and 7 is substantially the same as the operation of the bracket 18, except that under impact the U-shaped portion 41 of the bracket will move inwardly until the end of the legs 48 and 49 or arcuate portions 54 and 55, respectively, contact the lips 44, and due to the inclination of these lip 44 the continued force transmitted to the U-shaped portion 47 will cause the arcuate portion 54 and 55 to move down the inclined lips 44 away from each other and thereby move the .said U-shaped portion to constitute camming legs 48' and 49 outwardly with respect to each other, and the action of the C-shaped and arcuate portions therefore will be the same as the similar portions of the bracket 18, as shown in Fig. 4.

While I have shown my invention in a plurality of forms it will be obvious to those skilled in the;

art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prion, art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

1 I Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A bracket for a highway guard structure comprising a leaf spring support engaging portion, a U-shaped guard engaging portion and arcuate portions intermediate the support engaging portion and the U-shaped portion, said:

arcuate portions having their outer ends connect'ed to the support engaging portion and their inner ends extending inwardly towards said support engaging portion but terminating in spaced relation thereto and connected to the guard enaging portion.

a cooperation with said support engaging portion to deflect the leg of said U-shaped portion out-.T

wardly during the inward movement of said U-shaped portion towards said support, and resilient -c-shaped portions intermediate the U-shaped portion and the leaf spring portion.

3. A resilient bracket for a highway guard structure comprising an inverted U-shaped guard engaging portion having substantially parallel legs, a leaf spring portion comprising a support engaging portion and a pair of inwardly extending portions, said inwardly extending portions 70 1,680,548 being connected to said legs, respectively, and in cooperation with said support engaging portion to deflect the legs of said U-shaped portion outsurfaces and deformable arcuate portions connecting said U-shaped portion and said leaf spring portions.

5. A highway guard bracket comprising a base portion, a pair of leaf springs connected to the base portion and having their respective outer ends extending inwardly towards the base portion but terminating inspaced relation thereto, and a pair of legs joined together at one of their ends and connected at their opposite ends to said outer ends respectively.

6. A highway guard bracket comprising a base portion having a pair of camming surfaces. -a pair of leaf springs connected to the base portions and having their outer ends disposed in opposite relation to said camming surfaces respectively, and a pair of legs joined together at their outer ends and connected at their inner ends to said outer ends of saidleaf spring respectively. l

7. A highway guard bracket comprising a base portion having a pair of camming surfaces, a pair of C-shaped leaf springs connected to the base portions and having their outer ends disposed in opposite relation to said camming surfaces respectively, and a pair of legs connected at one of their ends and connected at their other ends to said outer ends respectively.

8. A bracket for a guard rail and the Iikecomprising a support engaging element, a rail supporting portion in spaced relation to said element, said rail supporting portion; comprising legs integral therewith and extending toward said element, and oppositely disposed spring members extending outwardly from the ends of said legs andinwardly to connect saidylegsto said element.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS record in the Number Name I Date Re. 21,715 Ahles Feb. 18, 1941 Keiser Aug. 14, 1928 1,793,674 Cam Feb. 24, 1931 1,988,995 Camp Jan. 22, 1935 2,317,249

Brickman Apr. 20, 1943

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