US-12618208-B2 - Restorable crash cushion apparatus

US12618208B2US 12618208 B2US12618208 B2US 12618208B2US-12618208-B2

Abstract

A crash cushion apparatus broadly comprising a rail assembly, a number of dividers and a number of side panels forming a number of collapsible bays, and a number of crushable tubes. The rail assembly includes a number of anchor plates and a rail. The dividers are longitudinally spaced apart from each other and slidably entrained on the rail. The side panels link the dividers together. The crushable tubes are oriented longitudinally in spaces formed by the collapsible bays and extend between sequentially adjacent ones of the dividers. The dividers entrain the crushable tubes in the longitudinal orientation without the crushable tubes being fixed to the dividers. The dividers are configured to be driven rearward along the rail and crush the crushable tubes to collapse the collapsible bays.

Inventors

Joseph Nagy
Robert Fulton Hendricks
Augusto Piccinini
Nicholas Kent Bang
Nathan Daniel Poppe
Marco Anghileri
Valeria Di Giacomo

Assignees

LINDSAY TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS, LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20231017

Claims (17)

1 . A crash cushion apparatus comprising: a rail assembly including: a plurality of anchor plates longitudinally spaced apart from each other; and a rail extending longitudinally on the anchor plates; a plurality of collapsible bays supported on the rail, at least some of the plurality of collapsible bays including: a divider slidably entrained on the rail and longitudinally spaced from a divider of an adjacent one of the plurality of collapsible bays; and a plurality of side panels linking the dividers of the plurality of collapsible bays together, each of the plurality of collapsible bays forming a space; a plurality of crushable tubes oriented longitudinally in the spaces formed by the plurality of collapsible bays and extending between sequentially adjacent ones of the plurality of dividers, the plurality of dividers entraining the plurality of crushable tubes in the longitudinal orientation without the plurality of crushable tubes being fixed to the plurality of dividers, the plurality of dividers being configured to be driven rearward along the rail and crush the plurality of crushable tubes to collapse the collapsible bays; and a brace positioned in the space formed by one of the plurality of collapsible bays and configured to transfer lateral impact loads between opposing sides of the crash cushion apparatus, wherein the brace extends to opposing side panels of the plurality of side panels, and wherein the brace includes end brackets configured to nest on the opposing side panels, each end bracket including a vertically-extending section, an upper section extending diagonally upward from the vertically-extending section, and a lower section extending diagonally downward from the vertically-extending section.
2 . The crash cushion apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the brace is positioned in a forward-most collapsible bay of the plurality of collapsible bays.
3 . The crash cushion apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the forward-most collapsible bay includes at least six of the plurality of crushable tubes.
4 . The crash cushion apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the forward-most collapsible bay includes eight of the plurality of crushable tubes.
5 . The crash cushion apparatus of claim 4 , wherein some of the crushable tubes in the forward-most collapsible bay are upper crushable tubes and some of the crushable tubes in the forward-most collapsible bay are lower crushable tubes.
6 . The crash cushion apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the brace is configured to slide relative to the opposing side panels in a longitudinal direction of the crash cushion apparatus.
7 . The crash cushion apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the brace includes structure configured to anchor a fastener thereto for securing the brace to the opposing side panels.
8 . The crash cushion apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the brace is a hollow, cylindrical tube.
9 . A crash cushion apparatus comprising: a rail assembly including: a plurality of anchor plates longitudinally spaced apart from each other; and a rail extending longitudinally on the plurality of anchor plates; a plurality of collapsible bays supported on the rail, at least some of the plurality of collapsible bays including: a divider slidably entrained on the rail and longitudinally spaced from a divider of an adjacent one of the plurality of collapsible bays; and a plurality of side panels linking the dividers of the plurality of collapsible bays together, each of the plurality of collapsible bays forming a space, one of the plurality of collapsible bays being a forward-most collapsible bay and one of the plurality of collapsible bays being a rearmost collapsible bay; a plurality of crushable tubes oriented longitudinally in the spaces formed by the plurality of collapsible bays and extending between sequentially adjacent ones of the plurality of dividers, the plurality of dividers entraining the plurality of crushable tubes in the longitudinal orientation without the plurality of crushable tubes being fixed to the plurality of dividers, the plurality of dividers being configured to be driven rearward along the rail and crush the plurality of crushable tubes to collapse the collapsible bays, the collapsible bay immediately aft of the forward-most collapsible bay having zero crushable tubes; and a brace positioned in the space formed by one of the plurality of collapsible bays and configured to transfer lateral impact loads between opposing sides of the crash cushion apparatus, wherein the brace extends to opposing side panels of the plurality of side panels, and wherein the brace includes end brackets configured to nest on the opposing side panels, each end bracket including a vertically-extending section, an upper section extending diagonally upward from the vertically-extending section, and a lower section extending diagonally downward from the vertically-extending section.
10 . The crash cushion apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the forward-most collapsible bay includes at least six of the plurality of crushable tubes.
11 . The crash cushion apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the forward-most collapsible bay includes eight of the plurality of crushable tubes.
12 . The crash cushion apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the forward-most collapsible bay includes at least three upper crushable tubes and three lower crushable tubes of the plurality of crushable tubes.
13 . The crash cushion apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the forward-most collapsible bay includes four upper crushable tubes and four lower crushable tubes of the plurality of crushable tubes.
14 . The crash cushion apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the forward-most collapsible bay and the rearmost collapsible bay each include eight crushable tubes of the plurality of crushable tubes.
15 . The crash cushion apparatus of claim 9 , wherein some of the collapsible bays between the forward-most collapsible bay and rearmost collapsible bay include inclusively between four and six crushable tubes of the plurality of crushable tubes.
16 . The crash cushion apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the brace is positioned in a forward-most collapsible bay of the plurality of collapsible bays.
17 . A crash cushion apparatus comprising: a rail assembly including: a plurality of anchor plates longitudinally spaced apart from each other; and a rail extending longitudinally on the plurality of anchor plates; a plurality of collapsible bays supported on the rail, at least some of the plurality of collapsible bays including: a divider slidably entrained on the rail and longitudinally spaced from a divider of an adjacent one of the plurality of collapsible bays; and a plurality of side panels linking the dividers of the plurality of collapsible bays together, each of the plurality of collapsible bays forming a space, one of the plurality of collapsible bays being a forward-most collapsible bay and one of the plurality of collapsible bays being a rearmost collapsible bay; and a plurality of crushable tubes oriented longitudinally in the spaces formed by the plurality of collapsible bays and extending between sequentially adjacent ones of the plurality of dividers, the plurality of dividers entraining the plurality of crushable tubes in the longitudinal orientation without the plurality of crushable tubes being fixed to the plurality of dividers, the plurality of dividers being configured to be driven rearward along the rail and crush the plurality of crushable tubes to sequentially collapse the collapsible bays, the forward-most collapsible bay including at least six crushable tubes of the plurality of crushable tubes, and the collapsible bay immediately aft of the forward-most collapsible bay having zero crushable tubes; and a brace positioned in the space formed by the forward-most collapsible bay and configured to transfer lateral impact loads between opposing sides of the crash cushion apparatus, wherein the brace extends to opposing side panels of the plurality of side panels, and wherein the brace includes end brackets configured to nest on the opposing side panels, each end bracket including a vertically-extending section, an upper section extending diagonally upward from the vertically-extending section, and a lower section extending diagonally downward from the vertically-extending section.

Description

BACKGROUND Crash cushion apparatuses are often placed in road medians and shoulders to safely redirect or arrest wayward vehicles. Some crash cushion apparatuses include crushable tubes affixed in collapsible bays for absorbing and dispersing impact forces. Unfortunately, the crushable tubes can be imperfectly affixed in the collapsible bays (e.g., via cracked welds or broken fasteners) in ways that are impossible or at least impractical to identify and address. The crushable tubes also often buckle and bend when crushed, which negates their effectiveness and introduces unpredictable behavior. Furthermore, slideable dividers forming the collapsible bays sometimes bind on their rails, thus preventing impact forces from reaching the crushable tubes and being dissipated from the vehicles. Crash cushion apparatuses are also difficult to inspect and restore after impact events, resulting in significant roadside hazardous exposure to workers. In addition, many crash cushion apparatuses perform poorly in side impact events. SUMMARY Embodiments of the invention solve the above-mentioned problems and other problems and provide a distinct advance in the art of crash cushion apparatuses. More particularly, the invention provides a restorable crash cushion apparatus including crushable tubes that are entrained but not affixed in collapsible bays and that have improved crushing characteristics. The crash cushion apparatus also includes slideable dividers with improved sliding characteristics. These and other features ensure more effective and predictable impact behavior. An embodiment of the crash cushion apparatus is configured to be positioned in a road median or shoulder to mitigate head-on vehicle impacts and deflect side impacts and broadly comprises a rail assembly; a number of dividers and side panels that together form a number of collapsible bays entrained on the rail assembly; a nose component configured to be impacted by a vehicle during a head-on impact event and remain substantially intact as it is driven rearward toward the collapsible bays; and a number of crushable tubes entrained but not affixed in the collapsible bays. The crushable tubes crush longitudinally during a head-on impact event, thereby eliminating the need for tube crushing guidance structure. The rail assembly supports the collapsible bays and the nose component and permits the nose component to be driven toward and initiate collapse of the collapsible bays. An embodiment of the rail assembly includes a number of anchor plates, opposing rails, and a number of crossmembers. The rail assembly is attached to a backstop. The anchor plates are rigidly affixed to a substrate or ground surface via threaded bolts or other similar components so that the rail assembly does not move during an impact event. Each anchor plate is a flat plate spaced apart from sequentially adjacent anchor plates. The backstop helps prevent an impacting vehicle from advancing further and is positioned near the rearward end of the crash cushion apparatus and includes an anchor plate affixed to the ground or road surface. To that end, the backstop is a fixed point at which tubes in the aft-most collapsible bay crush against in the longitudinal direction. The opposing rails extend longitudinally from the forward end to the rearward end and are fixed in place via the anchor plates. Each of the opposing rails includes a riser and a ledge. Each of the crossmembers extends laterally between the opposing rails on one of the anchor plates. This increases rigidity of the rail assembly. The dividers are longitudinally spaced apart from each other and slidably entrained on the rails. Each of the dividers includes vertical members and horizontal members, opposing tabs, and one or more cradle members and entrainment members depending on the divider's position. Each of the dividers also includes beveled (filleted, chamfered, or tapered) surfaces. The horizontal members extend between the vertical members and abut ends of the crushable tubes. This entrains the crushable tubes in the corresponding collapsible bays and allows impact forces to be transferred between the crushable tubes and the dividers. The horizontal members and crushable tubes are not fixed together. The opposing tabs are spaced below the ledges of the rails by a gap and extend inwardly toward the risers of the rails to prevent the dividers from becoming derailed. The gap is a predetermined width that optimally facilitates movement between the dividers and the rails. Each cradle member extends laterally and adjacent to one of the horizontal members of a corresponding divider and includes one or more recesses corresponding to a number of crushable tubes disposed in the corresponding collapsible bay. The cradle member supports an end of one or more of the crushable tubes and prevents lateral and vertical movement thereof. Each entrainment member extends laterally and adjacent to one of the horizontal members of a correspon