Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ANTI-SKID SURFACE
* * * * *
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a device to slow down and/or stop means of
transport on a pavement.
The device according to the present invention can be installed on any
pavement, for example a road, it can act substantially on any type of means of
transport equipped with tires and substantially in any weather condition.
By road pavement or surface layer, we mean the surface covering layer of the
road surface, understood in the broadest sense of the temi, generally made of
bituminous conglomerate.
By means of transport, here and in the following description and claims, we
mean any means of transport or vehicle provided with tires, chosen for example
in a group comprising cars, motorcycles, buses, coaches, trucks, ambulances or
other emergency vehicles, or suchlike, bicycles, roller skates, scooters,
skateboards, or suchlike.
Furthermore, the present invention can be used to slow down and/or stop
means of air, space or atmospheric transport provided with tires, such as for
example airliners, ultralight aircraft, or suchlike.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Different solutions are known to make, directly on the road pavement, systems
or devices that cause or induce a progressive slowing down or an emergency
stop
of means of transport in motion.
Solutions exist that highlight, for example through the use of special
phosphorescent and/or fluorescent colors, and adequate horizontal and vertical
signs, the presence and visibility of pedestrian crossings or dangerous bends
or,
also, proximity to critical points.
Acoustic and/or visual speed bumps also exist which exploit the passage of the
vehicle on suitable strips or protrusions to produce a sound and/or luminous
warning to alert the driver of the means of transport.
However, these solutions have the disadvantage that they do not guarantee full
road safety, as they do not act directly as speed bumps for the means of
transport
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but rely on the reactions of the driver.
Techniques are also known which provide to use particular mixtures mixed
with the asphalt to increase the skid resistance between road pavement and
tires,
for example in proximity to pedestrian crossings, dangerous bends or critical
points.
These solutions, generally, do not prove particularly efficient in the case of
rain or, generally, of adverse weather conditions.
The building of bollards or road speed reducers, such as for example speed
bumps, is also known, to reduce the speed of vehicles in determinate zones,
such
as populated centers or dangerous junctions.
Bollards are essentially rigid bodies made on the road pavement protruding
with respect to the road pavement itself, so that the driver of the means of
transport is forced to slow down or stop his means of transport to avoid a
collision between the means of transport and the bollard.
However, this solution imposes a forced slowing down on all means of
transport, including emergency vehicles, such as for example ambulances, fire
trucks, police or military vehicles, or suchlike, thus hindering the correct
performance of possible rescue operations.
Motorized bollards are also known which, in a non-activated condition, are
stored retracted in the road pavement to allow authorized means of transport,
such as for example emergency vehicles, to transit.
This solution, however, requires emergency vehicles to wait for the bollards
to
be retracted, and therefore slows down rescue operations.
One purpose of the present invention is to provide a device able to slow down
and/or stop, substantially safely, in a short time and in a reduced space, any
means of transport provided with tires, independently of its mass and/or its
sizes.
Another purpose is to provide a device that facilitates and guarantees a
progressive stopping or slowing down substantially in all weather conditions.
It is also a purpose to provide a device that increases the skid resistance of
the
road pavement in order to allow a greater braking action.
It is also a purpose to provide a device that allows, at the same time,
authorized means of transport, such as emergency vehicles, to transit.
It is also a purpose to provide a device able to be applied on any road
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pavement, intended in the broadest sense, including, for example, airport
runways or other spaces intended for the circulation of means of transport.
It is also a purpose to provide a road pavement with a surface which is
mechanically resistant to impacts and to weight of the means of transport, and
at
the same time able to provide a high skid resistance for tires during sudden
braking in zones that are dangerous or subject to forced stops, such as for
example mountain roads, level crossings, toll booths, cross-roads, dangerous
hills
or bends, or even the end segments of runways for landing/take-off of
airplanes.
The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to
overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and
other
purposes and advantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent
claims,
while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention or
variants to the main inventive idea.
In accordance with the above purposes, a device to slow down and/or stop
means of transport on road pavement, according to the present invention,
comprises a series of lamellar elements, parallel to each other, suitable to
be
inserted, to protrude from the upper part or be disposed substantially flush,
in any
pavement, in particular a road pavement.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the upper edges of the
lamellar elements define an anti-skid profile.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the device can also
comprise a series of connection cross pieces disposed, with respect to the
lamellar elements, to form a grid-type structure.
The upper edges of the connection cross pieces can define anti-skid profiles.
The succession of the anti-skid profiles, of the lamellar elements and/or of
the
cross pieces, defines an anti-skid surface in the road pavement with the
function
of slowing down or stopping the means of transport that pass over it in a
short
time and safely.
Advantageously, the device according to the present invention allows to define
a better braking action on known road pavements, independently of the
positioning of the lamellar elements with respect to the direction of travel
of the
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means of transport.
In particular, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
the lamellar elements can be disposed perpendicularly with respect to the
direction of travel of the means of transport, so that the tire has the
maximum
braking surface to grip on.
The device, when installed, is inserted in the road pavement and partially
covered with a covering layer of adhesive material, generally bitumen, so that
the
upper edges of the lamellar elements and of the cross pieces remain partially
exposed.
Advantageously, the device is installed so that the upper edges of the
lamellar
elements and of the possible cross pieces are located substantially at the
same
level as the road pavement, to guarantee continuity between tires and road
pavement and, at the same time, determine a high skid resistance of the road
pavement.
The device and the pavement according to the present invention, therefore, do
not define rigid obstacles, so as not to cause impacts for the means of
transport.
Furthermore, by increasing the skid resistance, advantageously, the present
invention allows to slow down and/or stop the vehicle only when the means of
transport needs to be slowed down, that is, when the means of transport is
braked
by the action of the driver. If it were not necessary to slow down or stop the
means of transport, for example in the case of emergency vehicles, the present
invention allows the transit thereof without hindering rescue operations.
According to possible embodiments of the invention, the device can be applied
to any type of road pavement - even non-bituminous - provided that the
stability
and the anchorage between the device and the road pavement itself are
guaranteed.
The device can be installed in proximity to zones that are dangerous or
subject
to forced stops, such as for example mountain roads, level crossings, motorway
toll booths, crossroads, downward slopes, pedestrian crossings or dangerous
bends, or also the end segments of runways for landing/take-off of airplanes.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the upper edges of the
lamellar elements and/or the possible cross pieces can have a series of teeth.
In particular, the teeth can have any shape suitable to facilitate the slowing
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down or stopping of the means of transport.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the device can be made of
any material suitable to support the high operating loads and to perform the
braking function.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the device can generally be
made of a metal or composite material, for example steel or its alloys.
Advantageously, the device according to the present invention allows to:
- increase the grip between tire and road pavement, increasing the latter's
skid
resistance;
- guarantee the substantially immediate and safe braking of the means of
transport.
When installed, the device is generally disposed upstream of the stop or
danger zone with respect to the direction of advance of the means of
transport,
for example upstream of a pedestrian crossing, of a level crossing, or at the
end
of a take-off/landing runway of an airplane.
According to possible variant embodiments, a plurality of devices can be
installed in order to cover a more or less extended area of the road pavement
according to the intervention required, in order to guarantee the increase in
the
skid resistance between tire and road pavement.
Embodiments of the present invention also concern a method to lay a device to
slow down and/or stop means of transport, as described below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent
from the following description of some embodiments, given as a non-restrictive
example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:
- fig. 1 is a cross-section view of a device in its condition of use;
- fig. 2 is a perspective view of a variant of the device of fig. 1
according to the
present invention;
- fig. 3 is a view from above of the device of fig. 2;
- fig. 4 is a lateral view of the device of fig. 2 from a first angle;
- fig. 5 is a further lateral view of the device of fig. 2 from a second
angle;
- fig. 6 is a section view taken along the section line VI-VI of the device
of fig. 3;
- fig. 7 is a partial section view of the device in fig. 2 in its condition
of use.
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To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used,
where possible, to identify identical common elements in the drawings. It is
understood that elements and characteristics of one embodiment can
conveniently
be incorporated into other embodiments without further clarifications.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS
We will now refer in detail to the various embodiments of the present
invention, of which one or more examples are shown in the attached drawings.
Each example is supplied by way of illustration of the invention and shall not
be
understood as a limitation thereof For example, the characteristics shown or
described insomuch as they are part of one embodiment can be adopted on, or in
association with, other embodiments to produce another embodiment. It is
understood that the present invention shall include all such modifications and
variants.
A device 10 to slow and/or stop a means of transport, according to the present
invention, comprises a series of lamellar elements 12 substantially parallel
to
each other.
According to a possible embodiment of the invention, the device 10, in
addition to the lamellar elements 12, can also comprise connection elements or
cross pieces 13.
The cross pieces 13 can be disposed inclined at an angle a with respect to the
lamellar elements 12 to foun a grid-type structure 11.
Advantageously, the angle a can be about 90 , so as to produce a grid-type
structure 11 with regular rectangular cells.
According to possible variant embodiments of the invention, the lamellar
elements 12 and the cross pieces 13 can be disposed to form a grid-like
structure
11 with rhomboidal cells.
Advantageously, the grid-type structure 11 allows to make the passage of the
tire over the lamellar elements 12 less tortuous, reducing the noise generated
by
the means of transport.
According to possible embodiments, the lamellar elements 12 and the cross
pieces 13 can be overlapped, that is, they can be connected one over the other
to
define the grid-type structure 11. For example, the cross pieces 13 can be
located
above and transverse to the lamellar elements 12.
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Once the grid-type structure 11 has been assembled, it can be joined at
different points by welding to guarantee the solidity of the device 10.
According to variants of the invention, the device 10 can have any size or
geometrical conformation corresponding to the technical characteristics of the
road pavement. For example, the device 10 can have a rectangular shape, for
example square.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the device 10 can be
modular so that it is possible to quickly replace or add components, for
example
in the event of damage.
According to one aspect of the invention, the lamellar elements 12 of the
device 10 are disposed substantially perpendicularly to the direction of
travel.
According to a possible embodiment, the lamellar elements 12 can be slightly
inclined by an angle 13 with respect to the road surface 27, toward the
direction of
origin of the means of transport, see fig. 1, so as to guarantee a greater
contrasting and load-absorbing action during the step of stopping and blocking
the vehicle. For example, the angle 13 can be comprised between 10 and 20 ,
preferably about 150
.
According to possible embodiments of the invention, the lamellar elements 12
and the possible cross pieces 13 can be distanced from each other with a
constant
pitch P.
The lamellar elements 12 and the cross pieces 13 have respectively an upper
edge 24 and 26, which, during use, are disposed flush with the road pavement
21.
The cross pieces 13 have a lower edge 25, respectively opposite the upper
edge 26.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the upper edges 24 of the
lamellar elements 12 define anti-skid profiles 14.
According to some embodiments of the invention, the upper edges 26 of the
cross pieces 13 can define anti-skid profiles 15.
According to possible embodiments of the invention, the upper edges 24, 26 of
the lamellar elements 12 and/or of the cross pieces 13 can be flat.
Advantageously, the upper edges 24, 26 can have a surface roughness such as to
increase the skid resistance.
According to one possible embodiment, the lamellar elements 12 and the cross
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pieces 13 can have a serrated upper edge 24, 26. In particular, the upper edge
24
of the lamellar elements 12 can consist of trapezoidal teeth 18 one after the
other.
According to another possible embodiment, the serrated upper edge 26 of the
cross pieces 13 can consist of square teeth 17 one after the other.
However, we do not exclude that the anti-skid profiles 14, 15 can be made in
another way suitable for the purpose, for example with different toothing, so
as to
have a high skid resistance.
The succession of the anti-skid profiles 14 and of the anti-skid profiles 15
defines an anti-skid surface 16.
Advantageously, the anti-skid profile 14 has a greater skid resistance than
the
skid resistance of the road pavement 21, independently of weather conditions.
In
this way, even in the event of rain, snow or other weather conditions, the
anti-
skid profile 14 allows to slow down or stop the means of transport safely.
According to possible embodiments of the invention, the cross pieces 13 and
the lamellar elements 12 have respectively notches 19, 20 such as to allow a
secure and stable connection between the cross pieces 13 and the lamellar
elements 12.
In particular, the cross pieces 13 can have notches 20 in the lower edge 25,
mating in a slot-in manner with respective notches 19 present in the upper
edge
24 of the lamellar elements 12.
The lamellar elements 12, see fig. 4, can have a height H1 comprised between
2.5 cm and 3.5 cm, preferably about 3 cm, and a thickness Si comprised between
2.5 mm and 4 mm, preferably about 3 mm.
The notches 19 of the lamellar elements 12 can have a width D1 comprised
between 2.5 mm and 4 mm, preferably about 3 mm, and a depth Ti variable
between 1.3 cm and 1.7 cm, preferably about 1.5 cm, suitable for the insertion
of
the cross pieces 13.
The distance between one notch 19 and the next in the lamellar elements 12 is
identified by a pitch P 1 . In a pitch P 1 , there can be between two and four
trapezoidal teeth 18, preferably three.
The cross-pieces 13, fig. 5, can have a height H2 comprised between 2 cm and
3 cm, preferably 2.5 cm, and a thickness S2 substantially equal to Si.
The notches 20 of the cross pieces 13 can have a width D2 comprised between
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2.5 mm and 4 mm, for example about 3 mm, and a depth T2 comprised between
0.8 cm and 1.2 cm, for example 1 cm for the insertion of the lamellar elements
12.
The distance between one notch 20 and the next in the cross pieces 13 is
identified by a pitch P2. One or two, preferably one, square teeth can be made
in
the pitch P2, according to the size of the pitch P2.
The height of the trapezoidal teeth 18 and square teeth 17 can be comprised
between 3 mm and 5 mm, for example 4 mm.
According to possible embodiments, when installed, the trapezoidal teeth 18
and the square teeth 17 can be at the same height as the road pavement 21.
Alternatively, the trapezoidal teeth 18 of the lamellar elements 12 can be,
when installed, at the same height as the road pavement 21, while the square
teeth 13 can be below this level.
With reference to fig. 7, the device 10 is shown during use in a road pavement
21.
According to the invention, the device 10 is inserted in the road pavement 21
and after it has been installed it is filled with a layer generally of
bituminous
conglomerate, guaranteeing solidity and stability to the structure.
According to the invention, the device 10 is installed in such a way that the
lamellar elements 12 are located transversely to the direction of travel of
the
means of transport. In this way, advantageously, the disposition of the device
10
allows to expose the largest anti-skid surface in contact, during use, with
the tires
of a means of transport.
The device 10 can be inserted during the making of the road pavement 21, or
subsequently, following milling, cutting and/or scraping of the road pavement
21.
For example, by milling the road pavement 21, a suitable seating 22 is made,
suitable to accommodate the device 10.
The seating 22 has to be deep enough for the device 10 to be installed, fig.
7,
so that it does not protrude from the road pavement 21, so as to guarantee the
grip
of the tire on the road pavement 21.
Furthermore, the depth of the seating 22 can be such as to reach the road
surface 27, according to the thickness of the road pavement 21. The materials
that
the road surface 27 consists of can be cement mortar and/or bituminous
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conglomerate with different sizes and compositions, or similar materials.
The width and length of the seating 22 will be equal respectively to at least
the
transverse and longitudinal size of the device 10. Before the insertion of the
device 10, it can be advantageous to level the possible irregularities of the
seating
22, in particular of the road surface 27.
The depth of the seating 22 can be comprised between 4 cm and 7 cm.
Preferably the depth of the seating can be greater than the height of the
device 10,
for example by about 2 cm, so as to consider the possible addition of layers
of
material to level the seating 22.
According to possible embodiments, the road surface 27 and the road
pavement 21 can be inclined, for example in correspondence with mountain
roads or parabolic curves. The seating 22 is therefore made taking into
consideration possible inclines.
According to one embodiment of the invention, in order to guarantee greater
solidity to the device 10, the latter can preferably be laid on a fiber-
reinforced
concrete base to which it is attached with suitable attachment means. This
solution could be particularly advantageous in the case of heavy means of
transport, as the fiber-reinforced concrete increases resistance to loads and
impacts.
According to a further variant, a layer of bitumen emulsion could be applied
in
the seating 22, for example by hand or by spraying, and/or a layer of mortar
or
cement, in order to level the base of the seating 22.
The device 10, once positioned in the seating 22, is partly covered by a
covering layer 28. The covering layer 28 is generally bituminous conglomerate.
The covering layer 28 can also be of another material, such as for example
concrete or other stabilizing material, suitable to guarantee the stability of
the
device 10.
In the event that the device 10 comprises a grid-type structure 11, the
lamellar
elements 12 and the cross pieces 13 can be disposed with respect to each other
according to their different heights, as well as to the depth of the
corresponding
notches 19, 20.
In other words, the cross pieces 13 can be raised by a distance X comprised
between 3 mm and 6 mm, advantageously 5 mm, from the lower edge 25 of the
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lamellar elements 12. In this way, channels 29 are defined between the cross
pieces 13 and the road surface 27, to allow the covering layer 28, such as
cement
or bitumen, to transit between the lamellar elements 12.
Afterwards, the covering layer 28 is compacted so as to fix the device 10 in
the seating 22.
The covering layer 28 of the device 10 is disposed so as not to cover the
upper
edges 24, 26, so as to also guarantee the anti-skid functional characteristic
which
characterizes the present invention.
Advantageously, following the laying of the covering layer 28, it can be
provided to lay a sheet of plastic material, in particular made of rubber.
According to a possible variant embodiment of the present invention, a
method to lay a device 10 to slow down and/or stop means of transport can
comprise:
- making a seating 22 in a road pavement 21,
- inserting the device 10 in the seating 22,
- covering the device 10 with a covering layer 28.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the laying method further
comprises spreading a sheet of plastic material over the device 10 and the
covering layer 28;
- compressing and leveling the sheet of plastic material in order to compact
the
covering layer 28 and to insert at least the anti-skid profile 14 in the sheet
of
plastic material; and
- removing the sheet of plastic material so that the anti-skid profile 14 is
flush
with the road pavement 21 and protrudes by a height Z from the covering layer
28.
In this way, when the sheet of plastic material is removed, the anti-skid
profiles 14 and possibly the anti-skid profiles 15 can protrude by height Z
from
the covering layer 28 and be flush with the road pavement 21, in order to
guarantee the grip of the means of transport, see fig. 7.
With reference to figs. 1 and 7, according to the present invention, only the
anti-skid profiles 14 protrude with respect to the covering layer 28 and are
flush
with the road pavement 21.
According to a variant, in the case of teeth 17, 18, these can be inserted in
the
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sheet of plastic material during the compression step.
According to some embodiments, the trapezoidal teeth 18 and the square teeth
17 can protrude from the covering layer 28 by a height Z comprised between 1
mm and 4 mm, preferably between 2 mm and 3 mm and remain flush with the
road pavement 21. In this way, the device 10 in the seating 22 produces an
anti-
skid pavement 23 with a series of small obstacles in the direction of travel
with a
greater skid resistance than the skid resistance of the road pavement 21.
According to a possible variant embodiment, the height Z corresponds to the
thickness of the sheet of plastic material.
Advantageously, the upper edge 24 and possibly the upper edge 26 are flush
with the surface of the road pavement 21 so as not to cause loss of grip of
the
means of transport.
Consequently, the high skid resistance of the anti-skid pavement 23 allows,
advantageously, to slow down and/or stop the means of transport in a short
time
and in a small space, independently of their mass andJor their sizes.
Furthetinore,
the grip that is maintained with the remaining road pavement 21 ensures that
the
means of transport stop in substantial safety.
According to possible embodiments, the anti-skid pavement 23 can be
advantageously colored with phosphorescent, fluorescent or similar colors, and
combined with suitable vertical and/or horizontal signs to make it suitably
visible.
It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the
device 10 to slow down and/or stop means of transport as described heretofore,
without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.
It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with
reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall
certainly be
able to achieve many other equivalent forms of device 10, having the
characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the
field of
protection defined thereby.
