GB2524833A

GB2524833A - Safety barrier

Info

Publication number: GB2524833A
Application number: GB1406122.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Wilson; Wilson Owen
Original assignee: SKARA CONCEPTS Ltd
Current assignee: SKARA CONCEPTS Ltd
Priority date: 2014-04-04
Filing date: 2014-04-04
Publication date: 2015-10-07
Anticipated expiration: 2034-04-04
Also published as: GB201406122D0; GB2524833B

Abstract

A safety barrier 10 comprises an elongate body with a base 12, an upper portion 14 and first and second ends. A projection 22 extends from the first end, with an engagement member 24 mounted transverse to the longitudinal axis of the barrier. The second end includes a slot 26 extending into the upper portion at an angle between the vertical and the horizontal, ensuring that two barriers can be easily connected/disconnected. The base may be formed from arcuate plates 16 having apertures 28a-c, at least one of the apertures 30 located at a lower position than the others. A plurality of barriers may be connected together and at least one reinforcing member may be mounted on them. Barriers may be secured together by a U-shaped locking shackle. At least one fence panel may be mounted on the barriers. Also claimed is a method of constructing a barrier system.

Description

SAFETY BARRIER

The present invention relates to a safety barrier element which can be connected end-to-end with like elements to form a safety barrier system. Such safety barrier systems may be used to separate work or traffic areas from pedestrian or other areas. The safety barrier elements can be easily connected to and disconnected from one another in order to assemble and disassemble the barrier system so that it can be positioned as required.

Standard fencing panels may be mounted on the barrier elements to increase the overall height and to provide increased separation, security or acoustic properties. L5

GB 2 373 806 describes a safety barrier system in which a spigot protruding from one end of a barrier element fits into a socket on the other end of an adjacent barrier element. The two barrier elec.ents must be precisely aligned in order to fit the spigot properly into the socket and this is very awkward to use in practice.

The present invention provides a safety barrier comprising an elongate body with a longitudinal axis, a base, an upper portion, a first end and a second end, wherein at the first end a projection extends axially from the upper portion and an engagement member is mounted on the projection transverse to the longitudinal axis, at the second end a slot is formed in the upper portion, transverse to the longitudinal axis and extending into the upper portion at an angle between the vertical and horizontal.

The safety barrier is easy to manufacture and easy to join to adjacent barriers to form a safety barrier system.

Preferably, the upper pcrtion comprises a tube mounted on the base. The tube may extend beyond the base at the first end, and a lower porticn of the tube may be cut-away, to form the projection.

Preferably, the engagement member comprises a cylindrical member mounted across the end of the projection.

The safety barrier may further comprise a plurality of apertures extending through the base transverse to the longitudinal axis. At least cne aperture may be located at a lower position on the base than the other apertures.

Preferably, the base corrprises a pair of arcuate plates positioned with their convex sides adjacent to each other and the apertures formed in the plates are connected by tubes.

The safety barrier may further comprise a plurality of upwardly facing openings forced in the upper portion for mounting additional fencing panels.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a safety barrier system comprising a plurality of safety barriers as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the engagement member at the first end of one barrier is engaged within the slot in the second end of an adjacent barrier to connect the two barriers together.

Preferably, a safety barrier system may further comprise at least one reinforcing member. Each reinforcing member may comprise a tube with a plurality of radially projecting pins engageable in apertures formed in the base portions of the safety barriers.

Alternatively, each reinforcing member may comprise a tube with a plurality of apertures arranged to correspond with at least some apertures on the safety barriers and locking means is adapted to extend through apertures in the reinforcing member and corresponding apertures in the safety barriers.

Preferably, adjacent safety barriers are secured together by a U-shaped locking shackle inserted through an aperture in one barrier and an aperture in an adjacent barrier.

The safety barrier system may further comprise at least one fence panel mounted on the safety barriers overlapping at least part of at least two adjacent safety barriers.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides a method of constructing a safety barrier system with a plurality of safety barriers as claimed in any of claims 1- 8, comprising positioning a first safety barrier as required, lifting a second safety barrier and rotating it so that its second end is higher than its first end, locating the engagement member at the first end of the second barrier within the slot at the second end of the first barrier, rotating the second barrier back into a horizontal position adjacent to the first barrier.

Preferably, each safety barrier comprises at least two apertures extending transversely through the base, and the method comprises inserting lifting handles through a pair of the apertures and using the lifting handles to lift, rotate and lower the safety barrier.

Preferably, the pair of apertures receiving the lifting handles are located at different heights on the base of the safety barrier.

The invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a barrier element in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the barrier element of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end view of the barrier element of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a top view of a barrier element of Figures 1-3; Figure 5 is a side view showing two barrier elements being connected to one another; Figure 6 is a side view of two barrier elements once connected; Figure 7 is a perspective view of two barrier elements once connected; Figure 8 is a side view of two connected barrier elements with additional fencing panels; Figure 9 is a side view of interconnected barrier elements with additional reinforcing bars; Figure 10 is a top view of Figure 9; Figure 11 is an end view of Figure 9; Figure 12 is a perspective view of two barrier elements secured together; and Figure 13 shows enlarged top, front and side views of the securing pin.

With reference to Figures 1-4, a barrier element 10 in accordance with the present invention comprises an elongate body with a longitudinal axis X. The barrier element 10 is made up of a base 12 and an upper portion 14. The base 12 comprises a pair of arcuate plates 16. Each plate 16 curves through approximately 9O and the two plates 16 are positioned "back-to-back" as shown, i.e. with their convex faces adjacent, so that at the bottom they are splayed apart to provide a stable footing for the barrier element 10 and at the top are close together and support the upper portion.

The plate 16 may be joined and braced by various transverse connecting ribs 18.

The upper portion preferably consists of a tubular body and for ease in the remainder of the description will be referred to as the top tube 14. This is secured to the uppermost edges of the two plates 16. However, the upper portion can be of any configuration as desired.

The top tube 14 preferably includes a series of upwardly facing apertures 20. Three apertures 20 are shown in this example but a different number may be provided.

These apertures 20 are to receive fence panels as described further below.

At a first end of the barrier element 10, on the left-hand side in Figure 1, part cf the top tube 14 projects beyond the base 12. This projecting part may be integral with the whole top tube 14, or a sleeve 15 may be fitted over the top tube 14 at the first end, the sleeve 15 extending to form the projecting part. In this example, the lower half of the projection 22 of the top tube 14 is cut away so that the projection 22 is in the form of a half cylinder. A transverse crossbar 24 extends between the lowermost edges of the cutaway projection 22, at its free end furthest from the main bcdy of the barrier element 10.

The transverse crossbar 24 is preferably circular in cross-section.

At the second end of the barrier element 10, on the right-hand side in Figure 1, the top tube 14 is provided with a transverse slot 26. Preferably, this communicates with the end of one of the apertures 20 and extends downwardly at an angle between the vertical and the horizontal. Preferably, the slot 26 is at an angle of approximately 3Qfl from the vertical.

A plurality of apertures is provided in the base plates 16. Preferably, these are connected by tubes secured between the plates 16, for added strength and to provide a clear passageway through the barrier element 10. Three apertures 28a, 28b and 28c are provided immediately beneath the top tube 14. Two of these apertures 28a, 28b are located close to the first end of the barrier element 10, and the third aperture 28c is located close to the second end, beneath the slot 26. A fourth aperture 30 Is provided lower down, approximately halfway between the top and bottom of the plates 16 and approximately two thirds of the distance between the first and second ends, being closer to the second end.

In order to join one barrier element 10 to another, a first barrier element 10 is positioned as required on the ground and a second barrier element 10 is lifted (as described further below) and tilted as shown in Figure 5 so that the transverse crossbar 24 of the second barrier element 10 can be hooked into the slot 26 in the top tube 14 of the first barrier element 10. The transverse crossbar 24, once located in the slot 26, acts as a pivot point around which the second barrier elerrent 10 can be rotated to bring it into a horizontal position. Due to the slant of the slot 26, as this rotation occurs it tends to pull the second barrier element into close proximity with the first barrier element 10 as seen in Figure 6.

If it is desired to lock the two barrier elements 10 together more securely, a U-shaped shackle 32 may be inserted through the two barrier elements 10 as shown in Figure 12. One arm of the U passes through aperture 28c located beneath the slot 26 in the second end of the first barrier element, or the other arm of the U passes through the aperture 28a in the first end of the second barrier element 10. The U-shaped shackle 32 may be locked in position with a looking pin 34 or nuts or any other suitable mechanism. The locking pin 34 extends between the open ends of the arms of the U-shaped shackle 32, so together they form a so-called D-lock. Plates 35 may also be located on the arms of the U-shaped shackle 32 either side of the base 12.

To facilitate lifting of the barrier element 10 for attachment to and detachment from a neighbouring barrier element 10, lifting bars (not shown) in the form of elongate rods or scaffolding tubes may be passed through the apertures 28b and 30 in the barrier element 10, protruding to each side. Two operators, one standing on each side of the barrier element 10, can then use the lifting bars to raise and manoeuvre the barrier element 10.

Where a higher barrier is required, additional panels, such as standard fencing panels 36 can be mounted on the barrier elements 10 as shown in Figure 8. Protruding legs 38 of the fence panels 36 can simply be slotted into the apertures 20 in the top tubes 14 of the barrier elements 10.

For increased stability, one fence panel 36 may be fitted so that it overlaps two adjacent barrier elements 10 as shown in Figure 8. Since the apertures 20 in the top tubes 14 are preferably elongate slots rather than round holes, they accommodate some variation in the dimensions of the fence panels 36.

Extra reinforcement may also be provided on the barrier elements 10, for example, where the whole barrier system is required to withstand certain crash test criteria.

Reinforcing bars 40 may be provided, for example, with protruding pins 42 which can pass through apertures 28 in order to mount the reinforcing bars 40 to the barrier elements 10 as shown in Figures 9-11. Preferably, one reinforcing bar 40 extends across two adjacent barrier elements 10, with its pins 42 passing through the second aperture 28b of one barrier element 10 and the first aperture 28a of the adjacent barrier element 10.

Alternatively, the reinforcing bar 40 may have a number of apertures, arranged to correspond with at least some of the apertures 28a, 28b, 28c in the barrier element 10, so that locking means can be passed through aligned apertures in order to mount the reinforcing bar 40 on the barrier element 10. For example, with the barrier element 10 and reinforcing bar 40 positioned as in Figures 9 and 10, an aperture may be formed in the first end of the reinforcing bar 40 which aligns with aperture 28b in one barrier element 10, and an aperture may be formed in the second end of the reinforcing bar 40 which aligns with aperture 28a of the adjacent barrier element 10.

However, reinforcing bars may be provided which are as long as two barrier elements, or other multiples, depending on the application.

Thus, an improved barrier system is provided which allows barrier elements to be easily assembled and disassembled and which provide a secure and stable barrier once interconnected.

Claims

-10 -CLAIMS -1. A safety barrier comprising an elongate body with a longitudinal axis, a base, an upper portion, a first end and a second end, wherein at the first end a projection extends axially from the upper portion and an engagement member is mounted on the projection transverse to the longitudinal axis, at the second end a slot is formed in the upper portion, transverse to the longitudinal axis and extending into the upper portion at an angle between the vertical and horizontal.
2. A safety barrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper portion comprises a tube mounted on the base. L5
3. A safety barrier as claimed in claim 2, wherein the tube extends beyond the base at the first end, and a lower portion of the tube is cut-away, to form the projection.
4. A safety barrier as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the engagement member comprises a cylindrical member mounted across the end of the projection.
5. A safety barrier as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a plurality of apertures extending through the base transverse to the longitudinal axis.
6. A safety barrier as olaimed in olaim 5, wherein at least one aperture is located at a lower position on the base than the other apertures.
7. A safety barrier as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the base comprises a pair of arcuate plates positioned with their convex sides adjacent to each other -11 -and the apertures formed in the plates are connected by tubes.
8. A safety barrier as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a plurality of upwardly facing openings formed in the upper portion for mounting additional fencing panels -
9. A safety barrier system comprising a plurality of safety barriers as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the engagement member at the first end of one barrier is engaged within the slot in the second end of an adjacent barrier to connect the two barriers together.
10. A safety barrier system as claimed in claim 9, further comprising at least one reinforcing member mounted thereon so as to overlap at least part of at least two adjacent safety barriers.
11. A safety barrier system as claimed in claim 10, wherein each reinforcing member comprises a tube with a plurality of radially projecting pins engageable in apertures formed in the base portions of the safety barriers.
12. A safety barrier system as claimed in claim 10, wherein each reinforcing member comprises a tube with a plurality of apertures arranged to correspond with at least two apertures in the safety barriers and further comprising locking means adapted to extend through apertures in the reinforcing member and corresponding apertures in the safety barriers.
13. A safety barrier system as claimed in claim 9, wherein adjacent safety barriers are secured together by a U-shaped -12 -locking shackle inserted through an aperture in one barrier and an aperture in an adjacent barrier.
14. A safety barrier system as olaimed in any of claims 9- 13, further comprising at least one fence panel mounted on the safety barriers overlapping at least part of at least two adjacent safety barriers.
15. A method of constructing a safety barrier system with a plurality of safety barriers as claimed in any of claims 1- 8, comprising positioning a first safety barrier as required, lifting a second safety barrier and rotating it so that its second end is higher than its first end, locating the engagement member at the first end of the second barrier within the slot at the second end of the first barrier, rotating the second barrier back into a horizontal position adjacent to the first barrier.
16. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein each safety barrier comprises at least two apertures extending transversely through the base, and the method comprises inserting lifting handles through a pair of the apertures and using the lifting handles to lift, rotate and lower the safety barrier.
17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the pair of apertures receiving the lifting handles are located at different heights on the base of the safety barrier.
18. A safety barrier substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.-13 -
19. A safety barrier system substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
20. A method of constructing a safety barrier system substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.