Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE OF THE INVENTION
COLLAPSIBLE SIGNALLING POST
5 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a post provided with a
10 weakened section adapted to collapse when hit sideways. The section
is particularly structured so as to retain the post to its anchor and
accordingly prevent surrounding persons from being hit by a projected
post or the recoil of the post.
Prior art
A search made by the inventor has failed to reveal
pertinent references. Flexible posts have been c.ontemplated to prevent
the breaking of posts when hit such as in U.S. patent NQ 5,029,783.
20 Flexible posts have a recoil effect which is eliminated by the present
invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
More specifically, in accordance with the present
invention, there is provided a collapsible signalling post, comprising:
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a lower ground-engaging anchoring member for securing
the signalling post into the ground;
an upper post member; and
an intermediate tubular member for interconnecting the
5 lower ground-engaging anchoring member and the upper post member.
The intermediate tubular member defines a weakened tubular wall
comprlslng: .
groove means made in the tubular wall to split open
along at least a portion thereof upon bending of the
intermediate tubular member caused by a lateral force
exerted on the upper post member; and
link means defined in the tubular wall by the groove
means for maintaining the upper post member fastened
to the lower ground-engaging anchoring member when
the groove means splits open.
Also in accordance with the present invention, there is
provided a collapsible signalling post comprising
an anchoring member adapted to be secured into the
20 ground, this anchoring member having an upwardly directed throat
member;
a tubular member having a lower part, a middle part and
an upper part, the lower part being fixed to the throat member, and the
tubular member extending upwardly from the anchoring member; and
a rod member having a tubular lower end fixed to the
upper part of the tubular member, the rod member extending upwardly
fromthe tubularmember.
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The middle part has an helical groove carved on the
periphery of the middle part of the tubular member, and the groove
defines a weakened section adapted to split open along a portion thereof
upon bending caused by a lateral force exerted on the rod member.
The groove defines helical whorls adapted to stretch
away upon splitting open of the groove, these whorls having a width
sufficient for maintaining the lower and the upper part of the tubular
member securely connected together after the lateral force has been
10 exerted.
According to the invention, the groove means or helical
groove not only provides a means for weakening the signaling post, but
also provides a link to prevent spreading apart of the two opposite parts
15 of the signalling post.
An added security device is provided to prevent the
anchoring member and the rod member from being completely
disconnected from each other. It consists of a flexible link connected to
20 both ends of the tubular member. The link has a length longer than the
length of the tubular member but is intended to refrain the tubular
member from stretching beyond a predetermined distance or from
breaking completely.
The objects, advantages and other features of the
present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the
following non restrictive description of a preferred embodiment thereof,
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2 b
given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the apended drawings:
Figure 1 is a side view of a signalling post according to
the invention shown in the cross-section of the ground where it is
1 0 inserted,
Figure 2 is a view similar to figure 1 showing the
signalling post after being hit by a car,
Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the encircled portion 3
shown in figure 2,
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 44
of figure 1,
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Figure 5 is a perspective view of a resistently pliable
and unrecoilingly stretchable tubular member,
F igure 6 is a view of the tubu lar member shown in
figure 5 in a stretched condition,
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of encircled portion
7 of figure 5,
Figures 8 and 8a are two alternative embodiments of a
cross-sectional view along line 8-8 of figure 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Figure 1 illustrates an anchoring member 10 secured
into the ground 11 and a rod member 12 supporting a sign 14. A
split sleeve 16 has an upper part 18 which is welded at 20 to the
rod member 12 and a lower part 22 which is secured to the
anchoring member 10. As shown in figure 2, the signalling post
shown in figure 1 is adapted to be collapsible when hit by a
lateral force such a car 24 pushing in the direction of the arrow
A. According to the invention, the rod member 12 will tilt in
the direction of the arrow B but remains connected to the
anchoring device 10 by means of a tubular member 26 of the type
illustrated in figure 5 .
The tubular member 26 has an upper part 28, a lower
part 30 and a middle part 32. The upper part 28 is located in
the throat of the upper part 18 of the sleeve 16 and secured
thereinto by a pair of fastening bolts 34. The lower part 30 of
the tubular member 26 is tightly secured into the lower part 19
of the sleeve 16 by a pair of tightening bolts 36.
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As shown in cross-section in figure 4, the lower part
of the sleeve 26 rests on the upper part of the anchoring
device 10 and is fastened thereinto by the bolts 36. The upper
part 28 of the tubular member 26 which extends above the upper
edge of the lower part 19 of the sleeve 16 is covered by the
upper part 18 of the sleeve 16 and secured thereinto by the bolts
34. A ring 38 is preferably disposed between the lower edges of
part 18 and the upper edge of part 19. This ring is made of a
flexible material such as synthetic rubber. The ring 38 has a
rigidity to be able to support the rod member 12 but is
sufficiently flexible to squeeze when a very small amount of
lateral pressure in the direction of the arrow C is exerted on
the rod member 12, such pressure being within the modulus of
elasticity of the elements of the post under tension and
accordingly will permit the rod member 12 to return to its
original position in the direction of the arrow D. Such small
deflection will produce a contraction of the ring 38 as shown in
figure 2a.
The preferred embodiment of the tubular member 26 is
illustrated in figure 5 wherein the metal part has a helicoidal
groove which extends over, at least, a complete circumference of
the tubular member 26 and which, preferably, extends over about
five spires. For a hollow cylindrical tubular member having a
wall thickness of about 1/8 of an inch made of mild steel, a
groove having a depth about 2/3 of the thickness of the wall
provides a desired resistence to lateral blows produced by a car
hitting such a signalling post. A groove 40 having an angle of
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about 45 degrees allows the material of the tubular member to
bend without undesirable resistance. However, the width of the
strip between two spires is wide enough, i.e. a minimum of 3/8
inch to prevent separation of the upper part 28 from the lower
part 30.
When a solid blow is exerted on the rod member in the
direction of the arrow E (see f;gure 3), the middle part 32 will
be under such stress as to break along the weakened section, that
is, along the groove 40. If the pressure is maintained in the
direction of the arrow E, the spires 42 between the grooves 40
will stretch away while maintaining a connection between the
upper part 28 and the lower part 30 of the tubular member 26. As
shown in figure 2a, the tubular member 26 is resistently pliable
but becomes unrecoilably stretchable when it reaches the position
shown in figure 3.
As shown in figure 3a, the lower part 19 of the sleeve
16 may be made sufficiently short as to allow the car such as 24
shown in figure 2, to pass over the signalling post without being
hindered. In such a case, the upper part 18 of the sleeve 16 and
rod member 12 may stretch more extensively the middle part 32 of
the tubular member 26 in the direction of the arrow F.
If under certain unusual circumstances, the coil strip
32 is stretched beyond a predetermined limit, an additional
security link such as a chain 44 is provided to maintain the
connection between the upper part 18 and the lower part 19 of the
sleeve 16. The lower part of the chain 44 is retained at its
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lower end to a bolt 46 passing across the lower part 19 of the
sleeve 16 and across the upper part of the anchoring member 10.
The upper part of the chain 44 is inserted through the aperture
of a washer 48 and held on the upper surface of the washer by a
bolt 50 which extends across the aperture in the washer 48. The
washer 48 has a dimension and more specifically a circumference
such as to rest on the top of the upper part 28 of the tubular
member 26.
The chain 44 is installed in its place before the rod
member 12 and in particular before the sleeve part 18 is secured
to the upper part 28 of the tubular member 26. The lower part of
the chain 44 is lowered inside the tubular member 26 before the
bolt 46 is inserted through the upper part of the anchoring
member 10. When the lowermost ring 52 of the chain 44 is at the
level of the apertures through which the bolt 46 extends, the
latter is passed across the ring 52. The bolt 46 is subsequently
held in place by the nut 54. Because the chain 44 can extend
much higher than the top edge of the upper part 28 of the tubular
member 26, it can be fixed as described above to the washer 48,
the latter being subsequently dropped over the upper edge of part
26. The length of the chain is predetermined so as to be longer
than the spires 42 when fully stretched. Accordingly, even when
the middle part 32 of the tubular member reaches its breaking
point, the rod member 12 will be retained to the anchoring member
and accordingly will not be projected and will not produce a
recoiling effect and accordingly will not produce any unintentio-
nal collision of the rod member with neighboring objects or
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persons.
The anchoring member 10 may be of the type disclosed by
in United States patent No. 5,010,698 on April 30, 1991 to the
present applicant. The anchoring device 10 is retained in the
ground by prongs 78 which are projected according to the above
mentioned patent and by fins which extend radially around the
core of the anchoring member 10. The fins 58 are downwardly
tapered to facilitate the penetration of the anchoring member in
the ground and their upper edge 60 are also downwardly tapered in
order not to interfere with the top surface 62 of the ground 11.
The tapering of the upper edges 60 is particularly useful when
the anchoring member is located in a hilly portion of the ground.
The number of fins 58 is preferably three which are evenly
disposed around the core of the anchoring member 10, that is,
~separated by 120 degrees from each other. A larger number of
fins has been found, in many circumstances, to divide the ground
into two small portion~s and accordinglv not provide the desired
gripping effect into the ground.
The novelty of the signaliing post which resides
especially in the resiliently pliable and unrecoilingly stret-
chable section of the tubular member 26 may be used to support of
variety of signs through different types of rod members. As
shown in figure 8, a square rod member is secured to the part 18
of the sleeve 16 depending on the municipal or the state
requuirements. Other types rod members such as U-shaped rod
member 64, as shown in figure 8a, can similarly be used in
connection with the present invention.
