Improvements relating to protector bollards, barrier posts and barrier rails

Abstract

Protector bollards, barrier posts and barrier bails are commonly used to protect structures from accidental collisions from vehicles operating in the area. However, they are regularly damaged by such collisions, and once they are damaged the protection they provide is much reduced, and repairs are often complex and expensive. The inventions provide bollards, posts and rails that include resilient members that are designed to absorb the energy from typical collision impacts without being permanently deformed. The use of resilient materials, and the allowance for a degree of flexure, allows the bollards, posts or rails to move to some degree while absorbing the collision loads, and then to return to their original shape or orientation without the need for expensive repairs.

1 . A protector bollard having a base member and a post member;
 the base member being configured for rigid attachment to a solid flooring or footing structure, and   the post member being configured to provide a visual indication of an obstacle to be avoided by vehicles, and the post member having a rigid body configured to provide a physical resistance to the motion of a vehicle if the vehicle inadvertently contacts the post member;   and the protector bollard has a pivoting connection between the base member and the post member, the pivoting connection including one or more resilient members that are sandwiched between a bottom plate of the post member and an upper tie plate of the pivoting connection, the pivoting connection further including an elongate tie member; the elongate tie member having a lower end which is configured to engage with the base member in a manner that allows the tie member to pivot relative to the base member, and having an upper end which is configured to engage with the upper tie plate.   
     
     
         2 . The protector bollard as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the base member includes a socket configured to engage with the lower end of the tie member. 
     
     
         3 . The protector bollard as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the tie member includes a shaft section and a foot section, the foot section being joined to a lower end of the shaft section, and the foot section having a cross sectional area that is greater than a cross sectional area of the shaft section. 
     
     
         4 . The protector bollard as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the socket includes a concave surface that is configured to engage with the foot section of the tie member in a manner that allows the tie member to pivot relative to the base member. 
     
     
         5 . The protector bollard as  claimed 1 , wherein the connection between the upper end of the tie member and the upper tie plate is adjustable and configured to allow the or each resilient member to be compressed between the bottom plate of the post member and the upper tie plate. 
     
     
         6 . The protector bollard as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the adjustable connection between the upper end of the tie member and the upper tie plate includes a threaded connection. 
     
     
         7 . The protector bollard as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the upper end of the tie member is threaded, with the thread being configured to mate with a mating thread in the upper tie plate or in a nut situated above the upper tie plate. 
     
     
         8 . The protector bollard as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the or each resilient member is made of an elastomeric material. 
     
     
         9 . The protector bollard as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein each resilient member comprises a cylinder of elastomeric material. 
     
     
         10 . The protector bollard as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the or each resilient member is a spring. 
     
     
         11 . The protector bollard as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the bottom plate of the post member has a removable connection to the rigid body of the post member.