AU734114B2 - Barrier elements and methods of constructing barriers - Google Patents

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2 9 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: Soae-Wose lAdus'ries P-y LMr GORnr9 nDnT wILERT Rr GORDON ROBERT WILLS S AHEARNS A'V Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, GPO Box 1149, Brisbane, 4001 "BARRIER ELEMENTS AND METHODS OF CONSTRUCTING BARRIERS" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: BARRIER ELEMENTS AND METHODS OF CONSTRUCTING BARRIERS TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION THIS INVENTION relates to barrier elements and methods of constructing barriers.

The invention has particular but not exclusive application to barriers for forming bunds and for illustrative purposes reference will be made to such application. However it is to be understood that the invention could be used for other purposes such as for guidance of pedestrian or vehicular traffic.

BACKGROUND ART e. Regulatory bodies such as State or Federal Government Authorities often require the construction of bunds around chemical storage facilities (particularly storage facilities for chemicals which are hazardous to health or the environment) and areas where chemicals are used and/or are likely to be spilled. Notably, garages, workshops and fuelling stations are facilities where chemicals, particularly petroleum type chemicals are used for cleaning purposes and/or spillage of such chemicals can and frequently does occur. In such places bunds are typically formed by constructing concrete, brick or steel barriers about a work area or forming shallow wells within a work area where the chemicals are used whereby any spillage will be contained in a confined area for collection, treatment and disposal in an appropriate nonhazardous manner. Such known methods of constructing barriers are undesirably time consuming and thus barriers constructed according to such methods are expensive. Moreover, such types of barriers often inhibit movement of personnel and equipment, particularly motor vehicles into and out of a work area.

Furthermore, once constructed such barriers are generally difficult to remove as is often required to facilitate rearrangement of a workshop or transfer to another workshop, particularly if leased premises are being utilised.

-2- This invention aims to alleviate at least one of the aforementioned problems and to provide a barrier element which will be reliable and efficient in use and a method of constructing a barrier utilising such a barrier element.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION With the foregoing in view, this invention in a first aspect resides broadly in a barrier element having a longitudinally extending wall defining an elongate hollow, said wall including a substantially flat base wall portion and a curved upper wall portion, said base wall portion having a substantially flat outer face adapted to abut a foundation such as a concrete floor, said curved upper wall portion being adapted for substantially elastic deformation by passage of vehicular traffic thereover. Preferably the barrier element is constructed of a semi-rigid plastics material which suitably is deformable under a downwardly or sidewardly directed load to allow partial collapse of the barrier element.

20 Advantageously such collapse allows easy passage of a vehicle Sover the barrier element when secured to a foundation. Semirigid PVC is a suitable plastics material which has sufficient elastic memory to return at least substantially to its original form after application and release of sidewardly and/or downwardly directed loads such as applied by a motor vehicle passing over it.

The barrier element may include strengthening members such as ribs within the wall for assisting in maintaining the wall in a predetermined form and for improving the elastic memory of the barrier element.

In a second aspect the invention resides broadly in a barrier element having a longitudinally extending wall defining an elongate hollow, said wall including a substantially flat base wall portion adapted to abut a foundation such as a concrete floor and a curved upper wall portion, the thickness of said curved upper wall portion decreasing for a substantial part thereof away from said base wall portion and said curved upper wall portion being adapted for substantially elastic deformation by vehicular traffic -3thereover. Bearing in mind that the barrier element is intended primarily for use in constructing bunding walls about designated car service areas and is intended to be driven over by cars entering the service area, it is preferred that the barrier element be shaped such that the upper portion of the wall will bend at a desirable location allowing collapse or partial collapse of the barrier element whereby splitting of the barrier element may be avoided or at least inhibited. In one form of the invention according to the second aspect, the preferred location for bending is immediately below the line at which the average sized common car tyre (14 inch rims) makes initial contact with the upper wall portion of the wall (about 26mm above the foundation to which the outer face of the base portion is secured). Of course other sized tyres will make initial contact at slightly higher or lower lines and if only one size of vehicle is to be serviced in a particular bay, longer life of the barrier element could be achieved by providing an upper wall portion designed to bend about the relevant contact line. It will be appreciated that 20 bending about a line remote from the base wall portion reduces the likelihood of splitting at the junction of the upper portion and the base portion and in order to decrease the possibility of bending at this junction further it is preferred that in the region of the junction the wall be thicker than the base portion and be internally radiussed. It will also be appreciated that reduction of bending at the junction will reduce the tendency of traffic over the barrier element to lift the base portion at its side edges so that the bond between the barrier element and the foundation is subject to less stress thus increasing its life.

In a third aspect the invention resides broadly in a barrier element having a longitudinally extending wall defining an elongate hollow, said wall including a substantially flat base wall portion adapted to abut a foundation such as a concrete floor, a top wall portion spaced from said base wall portion and two side wall portions connecting said upper wall portion to said base wall portion, each of said side wall portions having a first portion connected to said base portion and a second portion connected -4to said top portion, said first portion and said second portion being connected to each other by a substantially continuous living hinge so as to allow folding of said second portion towards said first portion upon application of a downwardly directed load applied to said top portion.

Preferably, said side wall portions and said top portion at least are adapted for substantially elastic deformation by vehicular traffic thereover and it is preferred that the barrier element according to this third aspect of the invention also be constructed of a semi-rigid PVC plastics material.

In a fourth aspect the invention resides broadly in a barrier element according to any of the previously described aspects and further including a plurality of outwardly opening spaced parallel grooves formed in the base wall portion.

Suitably, the spaced parallel grooves are adapted to receive and retain therein adhesive for bonding the barrier element to the foundation thereby providing an improved bond over barrier elements having a base wall with a plain flat outer surface.

Thus it will be understood that the expression "spaced parallel grooves" includes grooves of any selected size and spacing suitable for the aforementioned purpose and also includes corrugations. Preferably, the spaced parallel grooves extend longitudinally and include keying means for keying the adhesive to the base portion. In a preferred form the grooves are dovetail in section and it will be appreciated that the adhesive may cure to form a corresponding cross-sectional shape which will be at least partially effective for securing the barrier element to the foundation even if an adhesive bond is formed with the foundation only and an adhesive bond is not formed with the barrier element.

In a fifth aspect the invention resides broadly in a method of constructing a barrier including; providing a barrier element according to any of the previous descriptions, and securing the base wall portion of said barrier element to a foundation.

In those embodiments having spaced parallel grooves formed in the base portion it will be appreciated that the base wall portion may be secured to the foundation by adhesive adapted to form keys for cooperating with complementary keying means provided in the barrier element. However, in embodiments not including such grooves other means of securement may be installed, for example, fixing elements such as bolts, screws or the like may be extended through the base wall and into the foundation. For this purpose the barrier element may include apertures in the upper wall for gaining access to the hollow. Complementary plugs may be provided for closing the apertures after securement and preferably such plugs would be constructed of the same material as the barrier element. Of course, such means may be utilised in conjunction with the adhesive where desired and preferably, an adhesive or sealant is utilised to seal the joint between the barrier element and the foundation foundation wherein the barrier may act as a bund preventing the escape of liquid chemicals.

Preferably the method also includes securing the ends of the barrier element to each other or to a wall to form a continuous barrier. Preferably the joints between the ends of the barrier element or between the ends of the barrier element and an abutting wall are sealed and a sealing compound such as that sold under the name SICAFLEX may be utilised for this purpose.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS In order that this invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein:- Fig. 1 is a pictorial representation of a barrier element according to one aspect of the invention; Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the barrier of Fig.

1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the barrier of Fig. 1 illustrating one method of connecting the ends of the barrier element to form a continuous barrier as shown in Fig. 8 at section B-B; Fig. 4 is a pictorial representation of a barrier element according to another aspect of the invention; -6- Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of the barrier of Fig.

4; Fig. 6 is a pictorial representation of a barrier element according to another aspect of the invention; Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the barrier of Fig. 6 along line 1A 1A; and Fig. 8 is a pictorial representation of a barrier constructed according to the invention utilising the barrier element of Fig. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The barrier element 10 illustrated in Fig. 1 is tubular in form having a closed longitudinally extending wall 11 defining a hollow 12 extending throughout the length of the 15 barrier element. The wall 11 is of substantially constant cross section and has a substantially flat base wall portion 13 having a plain flat outer face 14 and a parallel inner face 16 and an upper wall portion 17 contiguous with the base wall portion and extending upwardly from the respective sides of the base wall portion being of substantially semi-circular form thus forming a tube of substantially D-shaped cross section.

Apertures 18 are provided in the upper wall portion 17 to provide access to apertures 19 provided in the base wall portion for receiving fixing elements such as those sold under the name "Dyna-bolts" for securing the barrier element to a concrete floor. Suitably the apertures 19 are spaced apart by a distance suitably selected to provide adequate securement of the barrier element to a concrete floor. In this particular embodiment in which the height of the barrier element is approximately 80mm the apertures 19 are spaced apart by a distance of approximately 300mm. Suitably the diameter of the apertures 18 is selected to provide access for a socket or tube spanner for tightening the fixing element.

In order to form a bund, the barrier element 10 is secured to a concrete floor 21 as shown in Fig. 2 to form bund The barrier element 10, being constructed of semi-rigid PVC deforms sufficiently to enable corners 23 to be formed such that a continuous barrier 22 can be constructed. In -7order to suitably seal the abutting ends 26 and 27 of the barrier element 10 a complementary joiner 28 may be slidably fitted to the hollow of the barrier element and extend thereinto for a suitable distance to form a sleeve-type joint.

The joint may be further sealed with a sealing compound such as "SICAFLEX" to provide a continuous sealed barrier thereby forming the bund It will be appreciated that upon securement of the barrier element 10 to the concrete floor 21, plugs 25 may be inserted into the apertures 18 to seal the hollow 12. It will also be appreciated that the barrier 22 can be easily removed by first removing the plugs 20 to gain access to the bolts 29 which can be removed to allow lifting of the barrier for shifting to a new position.

15 In use a vehicle can be driven over the barrier 22 for positioning totally within the barrier wherein the engine oil can be released or the panel work can be rubbed down with chemicals which will be totally contained within the work area. Any such liquid chemicals can be pumped from the bund to a suitable collector for disposal in an appropriate waste disposal system. Alternatively the bund can be drained to a work area.

The barrier element 110 illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 is similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 being tubular in form and having a closed longitudinally extending wall 111 defining a hollow 112 extending throughout the length of the barrier.

The wall 111 is of substantially constant cross section and is comprised of a substantially flat base wall portion 113 having an outer face 114 and an inner face 116 and an upper wall portion 117 contiguous with the base wall portion and extending upwardly from the respective sides of the base wall portion being of curved form terminating in a top portion 117a which takes the form of a quadrant of a circular annulus in cross section thus forming a tube of substantially triangular cross-section.

The base wall portion 113 has five longitudinally extending grooves 113a formed therein being dovetail in crosssection and opening to the outer face 114. The grooves are adapted to retain adhesive for bonding the barrier element to -8the concrete floor of a motor vehicle garage or workshop. It will be seen that if the adhesive bonds well to the concrete floor and cures to the shape of the grooves, the keying of the adhesive to the barrier element will be sufficient to secure' the barrier element to the floor.

The upper wall portion 117 decreases fairly constantly in thickness away from the base wall portion from 6mm immediately above the base wall portion to 4mm nearer the top (marked where it continues as the annular quadrant of constant thickness. The region of the junction of the base wall portion with the upper wall portion (marked in Fig. 5) is thicker than both the previously mentioned regions due to the inner radius of 5mm. The particular thicknesses illustrated are designed to allow bending of the upper wall portion in the 15 region above region upon initial contact by a car tyre along a line approximately 26mm above face 14 and marked in Fig. 5. In this embodiment, the curvature of the upper wall portion is chosen to allow initial contact of a 14 inch motor vehicle tyre at approximately position although if the bund was to be used mainly with large vehicles, the barrier Selement would be formed with a higher level of initial contact.

Apertures 118 and 119 are provided in the upper wall portion 117 for the same reasons as described in relation to the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2 regarding apertures 18 and 19.

Furthermore, the ends of the barrier element may be connected S in a manner similar to that described earlier with a complementary joiner.

The barrier element 210 illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 is also tubular in form having a closed longitudinally extending wall 211 defining a hollow 212 extending throughout the length of the barrier. The wall 211 includes a substantially flat base wall portion 213 which is similar to the base wall 113 of the embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5 and an upper wall portion 217 which includes a top wall portion 217a spaced from the base wall portion and two opposed side wall portions 217b connecting the top wall portion to the base wall portion. Each side wall portion includes a first portion 217c contiguous with the base wall portion and extending upwardly from the sides thereof respectively and a second portion contiguous with the top wall portion, the first and second portions being joined by a living hinge portion 117e.

It will be seen that the upper wall portion 117 is of substantially constant cross section except for the living hinge 117e which is effectively formed by a thin region of the upper wall portion slightly above mid-height.

In use, the barrier element collapses in a bellows type movement under a downwardly directed load applied by a vehicle passing thereover, with the first and second portions pivoting about the hinge 117e to abut each other along their respective outer faces. Some hinging of the first portion relative to the base wall portion also occurs about the junction of the first portion with the base wall portion (marked 120).

15 Similarly, some hinging of the second portion about the junction with the top wall portion also occurs. In this embodiment, the second portion is not as wide as the first portion so that upon collapsing the top wall portion is wholly contained within the width of the base portion.

20 Apertures 218 and 219 may be provided in the upper wall portion 117 for the same reasons as described in relation to the other embodiments if desired and the ends of the barrier element may be connected in a manner similar to that described 00** earlier with a complementary joiner.

It will of course be understood that the embodiments given herein are illustrative only and that many further modifications of constructional detail and design may be made, as will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the field concerned, without departing from the broad scope and ambit of the invention, the general nature thereof having been herein set forth and defined in the appended claims.

Claims (14)

1. A barrier element having a longitudinally extending wall defining an elongate hollow, said wall including a substantially flat base wall portion and a curved upper wall portion, said base wall portion having a substantially flat outer face adapted to abut a foundation such as a concrete floor, said curved upper wall portion being adapted for substantially elastic deformation by passage of vehicular traffic thereover.

2. A barrier element having a longitudinally extending wall defining an elongate hollow, said wall including a substantially flat base wall portion adapted to abut a foundation such as a concrete floor and a curved upper wall portion, the thickness of said curved upper wall portion decreasing for a substantial part thereof away from said base wall portion and said curved upper wall portion being adapted for substantially elastic deformation by vehicular traffic 20 thereover.

3. A barrier element according to claim 2, wherein the barrier element is shaped such that the upper wall portion is adapted to bend at a location which allows collapse or partial collapse of the barrier element whereby splitting of the barrier element may be avoided or at least inhibited.

4. A barrier element according to claim 3, wherein said upper wall portion is adapted to bend immediately below the line at which the average sized common car tyre (14 inch rims) makes initial contact with the upper wall portion of the wall (about 26mm above the foundation to which the outer face of the base portion is secured).

5. A barrier element according to claim 4, wherein the region of the junction of the base wall portion and the upper wall portion is thicker than the base wall portion and is internally radiussed. -11-

6. A barrier element having a longitudinally extending wall defining an elongate hollow, said wall including a substantially flat base wall portion adapted to abut a foundation such as a concrete floor, a top wall portion spaced from said base wall portion and two side wall portions connecting said upper wall portion to said base wall portion, each of said side wall portions having a first portion connected to said base portion and a second portion connected to said top portion, said first portion and said second portion being connected to each other by a substantially continuous living hinge so as to allow folding of said second portion towards said first portion upon application of a downwardly directed load applied to said top portion.

7. A barrier element according to claim 6, wherein said side wall portions and said top portion at least are adapted for substantially elastic deformation by vehicular traffic thereover.

8. A barrier element according to claim 7, formed from a semi-rigid PVC plastics material.

9. A barrier element according to any one of the preceding claims and further including a plurality of outwardly opening spaced parallel grooves formed in the base wall portion.

10. A barrier element according to claim 9, wherein said spaced parallel grooves are adapted to receive and retain therein adhesive for bonding the barrier element to the foundation.

11. A barrier element according to claim 10, wherein the spaced parallel grooves extend longitudinally and include keying means for keying the adhesive to the base portion.

12. A barrier element according to claim 11, wherein said grooves are dovetail in section.

13. A method of constructing a barrier including; -12- providing a barrier element according to any one of the preceding claims, and securing the base wall portion of said barrier element to a foundation.

14. A barrier element as hereinbefore described with reference to any one or more of the drawings. A method of constructing a barrier as hereinbefore described with reference to any one or more of the drawings. *i* e *ft*oo ot fo *ftof