Guard rail mounting block and guard rail system incorporating the same

• US 7,832,713 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2008
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KESS Incorporated
• Original Assignee: KESS Incorporated
• Inventors: King, David T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferguson; Michael P
• Application Number:
  US12/070,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20080265231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 256/13.1, 256/65.02, 256/65.03, 404/6
• US Class Current: 256/13.1
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 15/0438 Spacers between rails and posts, e.g. energy-absorbing means E01F15/0415 takes precedence

Abstract

An improved guard rail system spacer block having a front face, a rear face and an outer circumferential undulating surface surrounding a plurality of individual spaced apart cavities that extend from one of such faces to the other. Lugs project from the rear face to support the block on a post of a roadway guard rail system and align it with the post during installation of the system and a lug projects from the front face to temporarily support a guard rail strip during installation of the guard rail system.

Claims

1. A guard rail spacer block for attaching a guard rail to a post, said spacer block comprising:

a front face for cooperatively engaging said post;

a rear face for cooperatively engaging said guard rail;

upper and lower cylindrical sections disposed at spaced apart upper and lower ends of said spacer block, respectively, and interconnected by a pair of spaced apart leg portions, a cavity being defined within each said cylindrical section, said cylindrical sections and said leg portions each extending from one to the other of said front and rear faces and defining an undulating outer circumferential surface of said spacer block;

a cylindrical enlargement disposed in each said leg portion, said cylindrical enlargements extending from one to the other of said front and rear faces with each cylindrical enlargement providing a through hole for a bolt to fasten said guard rail to said post;

an engagement mechanism comprising a lug coupled to an upper end of said upper cylindrical section, said lug extending from said rear face of said spacer block for engaging said post and said lug including at least two spaced part fingers coupled proximate a distal end of said lug, the fingers extending from a bottom surface of said lug and forming a gap between said fingers and said rear face of said spacer block, the gap between said fingers operable to engage respective sides of a web of an I-beam support post and the gap between said fingers and said rear face of said spacer block operable to engage respective sides of a flange of the I-beam support post;

an alignment mechanism comprising at least one pair of lugs coupled to and extending from said rear face of at least one of said upper and lower cylindrical sections, respectively, and disposed at opposing diametric positions of said at least one cylindrical section for maintaining lateral alignment of said spacer block on said post; and

wherein said spacer block is composed of a polymeric material.

6. The guard rail spacer block as defined in claim 1 wherein said block is formed from a mixture of a plastics material and particles of rubber.

7. The guard rail spacer block as defined in claim 1 having walls of predetermined thickness and wherein said walls have a central core portion that is more porous than the remainder of the wall.

2. The guard rail spacer block as defined wherein a web interconnects said leg portions intermediate the length of said leg portions thereof.

3. The guard rail spacer block as defined in claim 2 including a pair of cavities disposed between said leg portions, said pair of cavities extending from one to the other of said front and rear faces and wherein said pair of cavities between said leg portions are separated from the other by said web.

4. The guard rail spacer block as defined in claim 3 including a plate covering said front face having a plurality of holes therethrough providing air passageways for respective ones of said cavities defined within said cylindrical sections and between said leg portions.

5. The guard rail spacer block as defined in claim 4 wherein said plate is an integral part of the block.