JP-2026075533-A - Methods to prevent climbing plants from ascending

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a method for preventing climbing plants from climbing sound barriers, which can be prevented from overcoming the barriers and encroaching on the main railway line as the vines of climbing plants grow, and which can be implemented efficiently and at low cost without requiring heavy human labor. [Solution] A soundproof wall 1 is formed by fixing the soundproof wall 1 to the support columns 2. The soundproof wall 1 is formed by inserting the edges of the soundproof wall 3 into grooves 2A formed between a pair of flanges of the H-shaped steel that make up each support column 2 and stacking multiple soundproof panels 3 between each support column 2. The gaps G that are created when the edges of the soundproof panels 3 are inserted into the grooves 2A of the H-shaped steel that make up the support columns 2 of the soundproof wall 1 are installed and fixed, and the gaps G are sealed with a joint material, which is a sealing means, so that the vines of climbing plants do not enter the gaps G and the gaps G do not become a starting point for the vines to climb along the support columns 2 as they grow. [Selection Diagram] Figure 3

Inventors

• 桑原 浩輔
• 小澤　徹三
• 光浪 一成
• 井上 竜次朗
• 横山 浩希
• 増谷 貴斗

Assignees

• 西日本高速道路メンテナンス関西株式会社
• 株式会社スペース・グリーン

Dates

Publication Date

20260508

Application Date

20241022

Claims (4)

1. A method for preventing climbing plants from climbing a sound barrier comprising: multiple H-shaped steel posts erected at predetermined intervals along the edge of a road; sound-insulating panels whose edges are inserted into grooves formed between a pair of flanges of each H-shaped steel post, allowing multiple panels to be stacked and supported between the posts; and fasteners for fixing the sound-insulating panels to the posts, characterized in that the gaps created when the edges of the sound-insulating panels are inserted into the grooves of each H-shaped steel post and sequentially stacked and fixed in place are sealed with a sealing means to prevent climbing plants from entering these gaps and to prevent these gaps from becoming starting points for climbing along the posts as the vines grow.
2. The method for preventing climbing plants from climbing, according to claim 1, is characterized in that the sealing means is a jointing material that is installed and sealed in the gap, and the gap is sealed by the jointing material.
3. The aforementioned sealing means is a covering material large enough to cover the portion of the foundation site of an earth structure where an H-shaped steel column is erected, including the H-shaped steel column and a wall surface centered on the H-shaped steel column that is at least 1 to 2 meters high, and is capable of covering the entire portion, including the stepped portion of the sound insulation panel that communicates with the gap between the column and the sound insulation panel at the foundation site, and the gap is indirectly sealed by the covering material, as described in claim 1.
4. The method for preventing climbing plants from climbing according to claims 2 to 3, characterized in that the joint material or covering material used in the sealing means is treated with a chemical control measure such as a herbicide or other plant repellent.

Description

This invention relates to a method for preventing climbing plants from growing on wall-like structures (hereinafter referred to as "sound barriers"), such as sound barriers installed along highways and other roads to reduce noise emitted by moving vehicles. The method aims to prevent climbing plants growing in the soil portion of the sound barrier's foundation from growing and climbing along the barrier, causing their tips to hang down and encroach on the main road, thereby adversely affecting vehicles traveling on the road. Road structures can be broadly categorized into three types: earth structures (embankments, cuts, etc.), bridges, and tunnels. Of these, roads, except for the paved surface, are primarily composed of earth, and over time, plants tend to invade and proliferate. In particular, when sound barriers are installed on these earthen structures and climbing plants are growing, the plants can climb along the barriers, eventually overhanging them, and their tips can hang down towards the main road. In other words, sound barriers installed on earthen roads use H-shaped steel beams as supports, with sound-insulating panels inserted between the H-shaped beams to form a wall-like structure. Climbing plants growing near the base of the H-shaped steel beams, installed in the soil, use the gaps between the H-shaped beams and the sound-insulating panels as footholds, growing and climbing along the supports. Once they reach the top of the sound barrier, they use this point as another foothold, growing to cover the entire H-shaped steel beam, with the tips of the vines hanging down and encroaching towards the main road. Because climbing plants lack a trunk to support themselves against gravity, they grow rapidly. If left unchecked, as mentioned above, these climbing plants can proliferate on soil structures, encroaching onto the main road, hanging down from their tops, and potentially causing accidents by contacting passing vehicles. Specifically, when climbing plants hang over the sound barriers of highways, they can easily come into contact with the tops of taller vehicles such as trucks. On highways with high-speed traffic, this raises concerns about potentially leading to unexpected and unforeseen accidents. Therefore, while efforts to remove climbing plants have been made in the past, removing vines entangled in sound barriers using powered lawnmowers and manual methods, primarily on slopes, involves the use of high-speed rotating disc cutters, making it a dangerous operation with a high risk of accidents. Furthermore, on highways, removing climbing plants that hang down onto the main road requires restricting traffic on the main road and using aerial work platforms, resulting in traffic congestion and accident risks, hindering safe and smooth logistics. Thus, even after spending time and effort to remove climbing plants, their rapid growth necessitates repeated removal during their growth season, leading to increased operational costs. Additionally, even when using herbicides to kill climbing plants, continuous application is required, which can be problematic from the perspective of worker health, roadside conditions, and environmental protection, especially when adjacent areas are farmland or residential areas. Therefore, a weed-control fence has been proposed that prevents climbing plants from encroaching onto adjacent land by preventing manual removal (Patent Document 1). Furthermore, a guard fence has been proposed that involves attaching a net to an existing protective fence to prevent encroachment onto the road (Patent Document 2). Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-102494Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-206904 This is a simplified partial external view showing a sound barrier, the subject of this invention, installed on the side of a road.This is a cross-sectional view showing the cross-section of a standard type of sound insulation panel that is commonly used.This is a plan view intended to simulate and explain the state in which sound insulation panels are installed on H-shaped steel beams that serve as support columns.This is a partial external view illustrating the state before and after applying putty to all parts of the interface where the support column and sound insulation panel come into contact, after filling and sealing the joint material.This is a partial external view illustrating a state in which the gap between the support column and the sound insulation panel at the installation foundation, which is an embodiment of the present invention, is covered with a covering material. The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a simplified partial external view showing the installation state of a sound barrier 1 installed along a road on an earthen structure 4. This sound barrier 1 is formed by using so-called H-shaped steel as support columns 2, erecting multiple such columns 2 at predetermined intervals, and stacki