Single anchor terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11608604-B2
Application number	US-201916291664-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2019
Priority date	Nov 6, 2014
Publication date	Mar 21, 2023
Grant date	Mar 21, 2023

Abstract

A single anchor terminal is provided for a roadside wire rope barrier. The single anchor terminal includes a release post, a brace, and an anchor base. The brace supports the release post in an upright position and extends from the release post to the anchor base. The brace has a first portion attached to the release post and a second portion coupled to the first portion with a release component. The anchor base includes a main post that supports the release post and a brace anchor that is coupled to the main post.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cable release system for a single anchor terminal, the system comprising:
a release post;
a pair of keeper plates disposed on opposing first and second faces of the release post, the keeper plates each having apertures adapted to receive an end portion of a cable extending in a first direction from the release post;
a pair of notched plates disposed adjacent the keeper plates, the notched plates each having lateral notches disposed along opposite side edges of each notched plate, wherein the notches are adapted to receive the end portion of the cable, and wherein the lateral notches align with the apertures of the keeper plates; and
a brace extending in a second direction from the release post to support the release post in an upright position, the second direction being opposite the first direction.

2. The cable release system of claim 1 further comprising at least one cable having an end portion received in one of the notches of each of the notched plates and in one of the apertures of each of the keeper plates aligned with the notches.

3. The cable release system of claim 2 wherein the at least one cable comprises first, second and third cables received in first, second and third notches of each of the notched plates and in first, second and third apertures of each of the keeper plates aligned with the first, second and third notches.

4. The cable release system of claim 2 , wherein the cable is moveable from an anchored position, wherein the end portion of the cable is received in one of the notches of each of the notched plates and in one of the apertures of each of the keeper plates aligned with the notches, and a released position, wherein the end portion of the cable is free of any engagement with the keeper plates and the notched plates.

5. The cable release system of claim 4 , wherein the keeper plates are breakable as the cable is moved from the anchored position to the released position.

6. The cable release system of claim 1 , wherein:
the apertures and lateral notches comprise:
an impact side aperture and an impact side notch located at an impact side of the release post; and
an opposing aperture and an opposing notch located at an opposing side of the release post opposite the impact side of the release post.

7. The cable release system of claim 1 , wherein each of the lateral notches comprises an upwardly sloping edge and a downwardly sloping edge.

8. The cable release system of claim 1 wherein each of the notched plates has a pair of vertically spaced notches disposed along each of the opposite side edges.

9. The cable release system of claim 8 wherein the pair of vertically spaced notches formed on one of the side edges are staggered relative to the pair of vertically spaced notches along the opposite side edge such that the pairs of vertically spaced notches along the opposite sides are not horizontally aligned.

10. The cable release system of claim 1 wherein the
brace extends from the release post to a brace anchor, the brace anchor having an above grade portion, wherein the brace comprises:
a first portion and a second portion having adjoining portions, the adjoining portions of the first and second portions each comprising a catch and an indent, the catch having an inclined surface and a flat surface and the indent having an inclined surface and a flat surface;
wherein a distal end of the first portion is attached to the release post and a distal end of the second portion is attached to the above grade portion of the brace anchor, the distal ends of the first and second portions forming opposing ends of the brace.

11. The cable release system of claim 10 wherein the flat surface of the catch forms the flat surface of the indent in each of the adjoining portions of the first and second portions of the brace.

12. The cable release system of claim 10 , further comprising a fastener coupling the adjoining ends of the first and second portions of the brace.

13. The cable release system of claim 10 , wherein the flat surface of each of the catches of each of the first and second portions comprises an edge formed perpendicular relative to longitudinal axes of the first and second portions, wherein the flat surface of each of the indents of each of the first and second portions comprises an edge formed perpendicular relative to the longitudinal axes of the first and second portions, wherein the perpendicular edge of the catch of the first portion is configured to abut the perpendicular edge of the indent of the second portion to provide resistance against a tensile force applied to the first and second portions along the longitudinal axes, and wherein the inclined edge of the catch of the first portion is adapted to slip against the inclined edge of the indent of the second portion to decouple the adjoining ends of the first and second portions of the brace when a compressive force is applied along the longitudinal axes of the first and second portions.

14. A method for triggering release of a cable from a single anchor terminal, the method comprising:
impacting a cable with a vehicle in a lateral direction, the cable having an end portion releasably coupled to a release post of a single anchor terminal, the cable extending in a first direction through apertures of a pair of keeper plates disposed on opposite first and second faces of the release post and into laterally opening notches of a pair of notched plates disposed adjacent the keeper plates;
applying a tensile load to the cable, and thereby applying a tensile load to a brace supporting the release post in an upright position, the brace extending from the release post in a second direction opposite the first direction and comprising a first portion attached to the release post and a second portion coupled with the first portion by a release component; and
breaking the keeper plates with the cable and releasing the cable from the laterally opening notches.

Assignees

• Texas A & M Univ Sys

Inventors

• Brackin Michael S
• Alberson Dean C
• Bligh Roger P
• Bullard Jr Delbert Lance

Classifications

• E01F15/06 Primary

  essentially made of cables, nettings or the like (E01F15/10, E01F15/12 take precedence; protection against falling rocks E01F7/04; arresting gear for aircraft B64F1/02) · CPC title