ROAD STUD WITH IMPROVED FIXING STRUCTURE

Abstract

In accordance with the present invention, there is a road stud with an improved fastening structure made up of a one-piece main body having a top surface made up of reflective lenses and handling cavities, and a base with two longitudinal anchoring channels of angled walls that are divided by cross-sectional supports that increase their compression strength and improve the adherence of the epoxy glue or bitumen inside each anchoring channel, wherein at least one QR Identification Code is placed on top of the main body.

Claims

1. A road stud with improved fastening structure comprised of a one-piece main body having a top surface and a base; wherein the top surface of the main body shows: at least one housing area on at least one of its longitudinal sides for the placement of the at least one reflective media, at least two handling cavities at their opposite cross-sectional ends; and wherein the bottom surface of the base has: a plurality of side openings distributed at both longitudinal ends of the base; a plurality of edges distributed over the entire bottom surface of the base; and at least two longitudinal anchoring channels that cross, from end to end, the entire bottom surface of the base; characterized in that, each longitudinal anchoring channel is divided by at least one perpendicular cross-sectional support that increases the compression strength of the road stud and improves the adherence of the adhesive to the interior of each anchoring channel; and a plurality of primary and secondary tensors defined by vaulted cavities that are distributed in the central part of the bottom surface of the base, and that comply with the function of increasing its thickness in order to balance the impact strengths.

2. The road stud of claim 1, characterized in that the inner walls of the longitudinal anchoring channels and of the perpendicular crossbeams are angled walls to improve adhesive adhesion.

3. The road stud of claim 1, characterized in that the side openings of the base are separated from each other by perpendicular supports with angled walls.

4. The road stud of claim 1, characterized in that the top surface of the main body of the road stud has at least one QR Identification Code.

5. The road stud of claim 4, characterized in that the QR Identification Code is located within at least one handling cavity.

6. The road stud of claim 1, characterized in that the top surface of the main body of the road stud has rounded edges that reduce the impact stress exerted by the vehicle tires on the road stud.

7. The road stud of claim 1, characterized in that each housing has a stepped perimeter frame inside for the placement of the reflective media.

8. The road stud of claim 1, characterized in that each reflective media has visible edges for greater reflectivity.

9. A road stud with improved fastening structure comprised of a one-piece main body having a top surface and a base; wherein the top surface of the main body shows: at least one housing area on at least one of its longitudinal sides for the placement of the at least one reflective media, at least two handling cavities at their opposite cross-sectional ends; and wherein the bottom surface of the base shows: a plurality of side openings distributed at both longitudinal ends of the base; a plurality of edges distributed over the entire bottom surface of the base; and at least two longitudinal anchoring channels that cross, from end to end, the entire bottom surface of the base; characterized in that, each longitudinal anchoring channel is divided by at least one perpendicular cross-sectional support that increases the compression strength of the road stud and improves the adhesive adherence to the interior of each anchoring channel; and at least four longitudinal channels with a pointed end to cover the largest possible area of the bottom surface of the base are distributed in the central part of the bottom surface of the base of the road stud to increase the compression strength of the road stud.

10. The road stud of claim 9, characterized in that the inner walls of the longitudinal channels of the base of the road stud are angled.

11. A road stud with improved fastening structure comprised of a one-piece main body having a top surface and a base; wherein the top surface of the main body shows: at least one housing area on at least one of its longitudinal sides for the placement of the at least one reflective media, at least two handling cavities at their opposite transverse ends; and wherein the bottom surface of the base shows: a plurality of side openings distributed at both longitudinal ends of the base; a plurality of edges distributed over the entire bottom surface of the base; and at least two longitudinal anchoring channels that cross, from end to end, the entire bottom surface of the base; characterized in that, each longitudinal anchoring channel is divided by at least one perpendicular cross-sectional support that increases the compression strength of the road stud and improves the adhesive adherence to the interior of each anchoring channel; and at least four rectangular channels with a pointed end and at least four triangular-shaped openings are located in the central part of the bottom surface of the base of the road stud to increase the compression strength of the road stud.

12. The road stud of claim 11, characterized in that the inner walls of the longitudinal channels of the base of the road stud are angled.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The foregoing aspects and many of the advantages of this proposal will be better understood when the following detailed description is consulted and considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0032] FIG. 1 shows a top view of the top surface of the main body of the road stud.

[0033] FIG. 2 shows a front view of the top surface of the main body of the road stud.

[0034] FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of the preferred embodiment of the base wherein the bottom surface of the road stud is shown.

[0035] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the main body of the road stud.

[0036] FIG. 5 shows a top view of the main body of the road stud where a QR identification code is seen.

[0037] FIG. 6 shows a bottom view of the bottom surface of the base of the main body of the road stud in a second embodiment.

[0038] FIG. 7 shows a bottom view of the bottom surface of the base of the main body of the road stud in a third embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] In the following, the embodiments of the present proposal will be described with reference to the drawings. Identical elements in the several figures are identified with the same reference numbers.

[0040] Detailed reference will be made to each embodiment of this application. The embodiments are provided by way of explanation and are not intended to be limited thereto. In fact, those skilled in the art will appreciate by reading the specification hereof and viewing the accompanying drawings that several modifications and variations may be made thereto.

[0041] In the present proposal, there is an innovative product that differs from the current art since the reflective element used preferably has a PC (POLYCARBONATE) composition as raw material, with which the degree of reflectivity has been exceeded with much higher values compared to PMMA (ACRYLIC) and ultrasound welded.

[0042] Two important modifications to increase the physical-mechanical, thermal, and reflectivity properties of the proposed road stud are the following: [0043] 1. Modification of the architectural structure of the casing [0044] a. Modification of the gravity center. [0045] b. Modification of the grooved surface for greater adherence to the floor and impact strength. [0046] c. Modification of reflectivity by increasing the area thereof. [0047] d. Increase in the contact surface to increase the degree of impact strength of the piece. [0048] 2. The reinforcement of the structure of the polymeric chains through the use of a polymer as an impact modifier with modifications in: [0049] a. Temperature conditions in the process. [0050] b. RHEOLOGY modifications with this polymer. [0051] c. THIXOTROPY modification.

[0052] Referring now to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the road stud sought for protection is made up of a main body (1) preferably rectangular in shape with straight longitudinal edges (1b), rounded cross-sectional edges (1c) and a top surface (1d) preferably trapezoidal in shape; although it can be in any other way. Said main body (1) is manufactured in a single piece, top surface (1d) and base (7) defining, on at least one of its faces, a housing area (2) for coupling a reflective media. At least two semicircular-shaped handling cavities (3), preferably on the cross-sectional edges (1c), are arranged to facilitate their grip and placement on the pavement when the epoxy glue or bitumen is placed on its bottom surface. In the present road stud, the sizes increase with respect to the prior art to reduce the impact strength with tires of vehicles and provide a longer lifespan of the piece. Also, the gravity center is also increased so the adherence strength increases and, thus, the strain strength thereof.

[0053] The rounded edges (1c) help reduce the impact stress exerted by vehicle tires on the body of the road stud (1) when they come into contact with it, which minimizes the risk of it coming off the pavement or asphalt. With regard to the handling cavities (3), these are deeper in relation to the prior art, which makes it easier to insert the person's fingers once the adhesive is applied for its subsequent placement on the pavement or asphalt.

[0054] As mentioned in previous paragraphs, the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises only one housing area (2) on one of the longitudinal sides (1b) of the road stud, which is why, the opposite longitudinal side of the main body (1) defines high embossment pattern (4) which can be arrows in the opposite direction, as shown in FIG. 1, or any other signaling desired to be applied. Said high-embossment pattern (4) contributes to improving the traction on the vehicle's tires, once they cross the body of the road stud, since it prevents them from slipping on its surface, which contributes to extending the useful life of the road stud. It is worth mentioning that in another embodiment of the present invention, two housing areas (2) can be used instead of the high embossment pattern (4).

[0055] FIG. 2 shows how the housing area (2) of the main body (1) of the street without reflective elements is formed. Said housing (2) has inside a perimeter frame (5) that forms a seat step on which a reflective media (not shown) is placed. Said perimeter frame (5) is also located above the surface of the housing area (2) but does not exceed the perimeter edges thereof, in order to keep the reflective element inside the housing (2) and not flush with the edges forming it, which results in greater protection of the reflective lens thanks to the rims (6) that protect it from the impacts of the tire. Also, the rims (6) of the road stud can have reflective elements for greater reflectivity.

[0056] Thanks to the trapezoidal structure of the main body (1) of the preferred embodiment of the road stud of the present application, the calculation of the gravity center was determined as follows:

[0057] In order to obtain the gravity center, as well as the impact, compression and strain stresses from the gravity center equation, the experimental data of the closest prior art road stud with respect to the current proposal were considered and the corresponding values are shown.

[00001]$y=\frac{\left(B+2b\right)}{\left(B+b\right)}*\frac{h}{3}$

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 GRAVITY CENTER VS MECHANICAL STRESSES GRAVITY CG IMPACT COMPRESSION STRAIN ROAD STUD CENTER INCREASE STRESS STRESS 1060 Lb/inch.sup.2/ GENERATION GC % lb/inch.sup.2/sec lb/inch.sup.2/sec min % 4 12.66 0 6.32 35.3 0.25 5 15.04 15 15%> 18.5% 0.09

[0058] With the increase in the gravity center in the present design, final physical-mechanical properties are achieved that allow for a better product with technological support.

[0059] Derived from the previous analysis, in FIG. 3, the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein the base (7) of the road stud, which has a bottom surface, formed in one piece in such a way that the main body (1) and base (7) are the same element. Also, the base (7) has at least two longitudinal channels (8), preferably two on each side, which project from the central part of the base (7) to the cross-sectional edges (1c). These longitudinal channels (8) are divided into four by means of a central support or crossbeam (9).

[0060] It is important to mention that both the inner walls (10) of the longitudinal channels (8) and the inner walls (11) of the crossbeams (9) are angled with respect to the vertical, see FIG. 4, which allows the adhesive or bitumen to expand inside them, fitting them tightly thereto, thus forming a dovetail effect between the adhesive and the base (7) of the body of the road stud. This feature forms both a mechanical and an adhesive bond that keeps the body of the road stud firmly attached to the adhesive and, in turn, to the pavement or asphalt.

[0061] Thanks to the intervention of the crossbeams (9), the body of the road stud increases its compressive strength since the body of the road stud increases its maximum stress that it can withstand under a crushing load, so the stress exerted on a point of the road stud exerted by the passage of vehicles, and even heavy trucks, cause the piece to be deformed as necessary without actually breaking, which allows it to absorb the stress exerted by the vehicle tires without the latter being transmitted through the entire piece and the adhesive preventing the road stud from detaching from the pavement without breaking. Also, unlike the prior art, the longitudinal channels (8) are now placed more towards the center of the base (7) so that they do not receive the stresses that generate fractures in the system.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 3, trying to increase the mechanical strength of the road stud, for protection within the design, one more modification is presented in the grip point of the part of the base (7) of the road stud, thanks to the inclusion of two extra stress distributors identified as a series of vaulted cavities. In the first place, we have the main tensors or primary tensors (8.1) and the secondary tensors (8.2) that increase their thickness in order to balance the impact strengths. Therefore, instead of having only four primary tensors (8.1) for dissipating impact energy, thanks to the incorporation of secondary tensors (8.2), the corresponding compression and bending support strengths of the piece will be doubled, keeping the same formulation of the manufacturing thereof and only modifying the distribution of the strengths it receives therefrom to give a greater span life to the piece. This is done to have greater versatility in the market of the products to be offered with different impact strengths according to its needs.

[0063] With the incorporation of the primary (8.1) and secondary (8.2) tensors, it will be possible to have a greater grip of the glue, be it bitumen or epoxy adhesive, and therefore the distribution of stresses to be distributed to obtain greater bending and compression strength as shown in the following table:

TABLE-US-00002 COMPRESSION PHYSICAL- STANDARD BENDING MECHANICAL ASTM D- STANDARD EFFICIENCY 4828-18 6000 ASTM D- PERFORMANCE Lb.sub.f/inch.sup.2 4280-18 2000 Lb.sub.F/inch.sup.2 GENERATION Lb.sub.F/inch.sup.2 Lb.sub.F/inch.sup.2 % 3 6000-10000 1600-1800 (20)-(17) 5 6000-10000 2000-2300 0-15 5.sub.MODIFYa 6000-10000 2500-2800 25-40

[0064] The increased capacity of the bending property of the preferred embodiment is reflected in the impact distribution.

[0065] In the case of compression, the standard requires that the piece not be deformed by compression at 3 mm strain, with the present proposal there is a compression strain of 10000 Lbf/inch.sup.2 of 1 mm, with which it is placed within of the standard and the design tensors and impact distributors are complying with the regulations.

[0066] Additionally, the base (7) of the road stud has a series of openings (15) that define an internal housing of substantially triangular shape, which are formed from the faces of the trapezoidal surface of the main body (1). It is important to mention that all the openings (15) can be of any shape and size that allows them to cover the largest possible area of the base (7) of the road stud. Also, each opening (15) is separated from the other by means of crossbeams or perpendicular supports (15a) that have an angled inner wall to improve adhesive adhesion.

[0067] In addition to the above, FIG. 3 shows a plurality of edges (16) distributed over the entire surface of the base (7), even surrounding the longitudinal channels (8), the first (8.1) and second (8.2) tensors and the openings (15) to define a rough surface that improves the fastening of the road stud with the adhesive, since each edge (16) forms a mechanical-adhesive anchor that keeps the road stud durably attached to the adhesive, and in turn, firmly attached to the pavement, regardless of the conditions of use or types of soil.

[0068] With all the architectural structural modifications, it was possible to increase the strengths that the road stud can receive during its application and therefore continue to support innovation, research and development of more sophisticated products with technological support. In addition to the architectural structural changes of the modification to the molecular structure of the polymer with impact modifiers and the process conditions to increase the intrinsic properties of the new alloys in improvement of the physical-mechanical, thermal and reflective properties of our product.

[0069] Impact modifier agents that would make an alloy with the main structure of the engineering plastic that we use, which is ABS (ACRYLONITRILE-BUTADIENE-STYRENE), were used within the selection that was made mainly to the physical-mechanical impacts that the piece undergoes plus the application conditions with the softening temperature, the following results were obtained, which are presented in the following Table 2, using polymeric impact modifiers that modified the intrinsic properties of glass transition temperature (Tg), the coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CLTE), its flow rate or rheological system (MI),the density (Q) that modifies its elongation (E) and the strain stress () where we used two different impact modifier additives MIMP-1 and MIMP-2, which allows the process to have greater strength in the viscoelastic properties during its transformation depending on its temperature, speed and pressure during the process, helping to improve the rheology and thixotropy of the injected pieces, in terms of its final physical-mechanical properties and the corresponding thermal strength, they increase especially during its placement, since with epoxy glue, the heat emanates from the reaction of the adhesive resin, and we increased the strain strength with the use of bituminous resins that are placed at a temperature of up to 200 C. and after being applied to its surface, the road stud is placed, whereby we improve the structural development on the CLTE and the softening temperature to increase its strain strength and therefore the final environmental physical, mechanical and thermal properties to which the road stud will be subjected, which are presented in Table 3.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 2 ALLOYS WITH IMPACT MODIFIERS WITH RESPECT TO THE INTRINSIC PROPERTIES OF THE POLYMER AND ITS PHYSICAL-MECHANICAL PROPERTIES CLTE 1*10.sup.6 MI POLYMER MIMP- MIMP- Tg mm/mm g/10 P E COMPOSITION ABS 1 2 C. C. min g/cm.sup.3 % Lb/inch.sup.2 COMPOSITION 100 26.8 5-6 22 1.04 65 300 W % 97.5 2.5 24.2 10%< 22.3 +/0.003 < > 95 5 21.5 13%< 22.5 +/0.003 < > 92.5 7.5 18.8 15%< 22.5 +/0.003 < > 90 10 16.3 17.5%<.sup. 22.5 +/0.003 < > 97.5 2.5 24.7 6%< 22.7 +/0.003 < > 95 5 22.5 7.5%< 23.1 +/0.003 < > 92.5 7.5 20-2 19%< 23.9 +/0.003 < > 90 10 17.9 11%< 24.1 +/0.003 < >

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 3 INCREASED PROPERTIES OVER THE BONDING SYSTEM WITH EPOXY AND BITUMINOUS RESINS AVERAGE STRAIN % T EP- BITU- POLYMER softening OXY MINOUS COMPO- MIMP- MIMP- C. 40 C. 200 C. SITION ABS 1 2 VICAT % % COMPO- 100 128 3.52 15.63 SITION 97.5 2.5 132.5 1.70 7.55 w % 95 5 134.7 1.67 7.42 92.5 7.5 136.5 1.65 7.33 90 10 140.2 1.60 7.13 97.5 2.5 129.5 1.74 7.72 95 5 131.3 1.71 7.62 92.5 7.5 133.2 1.69 7.51 90 10 135.4 1.66 7.39

[0070] It is noted that the strains decrease in comparison with the molecular structure of the modified ABS that is used and that with the new structure an improvement in the loss of properties is achieved to give the road stud a longer half-life according to the results of the system.

[0071] The nomenclature we will use will be: [0072] Tg glass transition temperature [0073] CLTE coefficient of linear thermal expansion [0074] MI fluency rate [0075] P density [0076] E elongation at break [0077] impact stress

[0078] Another innovation within the present invention results in the incorporation of a QR (Quick response) identification code, which is used as a module to store information in a dot matrix or in a two-dimensional barcode. In this particular case, as can be seen in FIG. 5, a QR identification code (17) is placed anywhere on the top surface of the body of the road stud (1), preferably inside the handling cavities (3) so it does not get damaged by the passage of vehicle tires, so that the company and/or user that uses it, has access to the database of the manufacturing company within which it will be possible to consult all the information related to each part used such as: [0079] a) The reflectivity data of the reflective element [0080] b) Compressibility rates [0081] c) Bending rates [0082] d) Date of production [0083] e) Batch to which it belongs [0084] f) Warranty

[0085] This data will be provided so that users who make use of this type of road stud have general information on the quality of the product and know the traceability thereof for any anomaly.

[0086] By having the QR code (17) engraved, each piece becomes unique in the market, and this provides a competitive advantage, since its performance and geolocation can be measured in the field to provide better service and monitoring, in addition to guaranteeing the quality of the product in the field.

[0087] The reading process of the QR identifier (17) can be carried out through any QR reader device, which can range from portable devices that include a laser scanner and a small screen to mobile phones to even devices specially designed to, in addition to read the QR code, take data in the field such as the current lumens of the reflective media.

[0088] In FIG. 6, there is a second embodiment of the proposed road stud, which is arranged with the same structural components on the top surface of the main body (1), as well as with the same materials and properties. However, in this second embodiment, instead of the main (8.1) and secondary (8.2) tensors, use is made of a second plurality of longitudinal channels (13.1), at least four, substantially rectangular in shape with at least one pointed end, without being limited to this shape, which are distributed in the central part of the base (7) of the road stud so that said longitudinal channels (13.1) are arranged to also be covered by epoxy glue or bitumen. The pointed end (14) of the longitudinal channels (13) are shaped in such a way that it allows them to extend as close as possible to a circular joint (12), taking advantage of all possible space and, therefore, extending the area of adhesion thereof. In this embodiment, the inner edges of each longitudinal channel (13.1) can also be angled in order to form a dovetail effect inside to provide both an adhesive and a mechanical bond, as well as to contribute to increase the compression strength of the road stud, as happens with the crossbeams of the longitudinal anchor channels (8). With respect to the openings (15), the QR identification code (17) and the edges (16) described for the preferred embodiment, these are also used in said second embodiment.

[0089] Finally, in FIG. 7, the surface of the base (7) of the road stud is shown in a third embodiment. Said third embodiment is formed by a main body (1) and a base (7) manufactured in a single piece wherein the surface of said base (7) shows at least two longitudinal anchoring channels (8) that run from one end to the other and which are arranged to receive an epoxy glue or bitumen inside which, together with said anchoring channels (8), form a dovetail to achieve adherence of the piece to the floor, both mechanical and adhesive, wherein each channel (8) is divided into two parts by means of a support or crossbeam (9) that increases the compression strength of the road stud and improves the adherence of the epoxy glue or bitumen inside each anchor channel (8) and, in turn, improves the adherence of the road stud to the pavement or asphalt forming an adhesive and a mechanical bond.

[0090] The base (7) of the road stud also has a series of channels (18) distributed in its central part, at least four, which are preferably rectangular with pointed ends that allow them to cover practically the entire bottom surface of the base (7) to cover as much surface area as possible. Likewise, the base (7) has small openings (19), preferably triangular in shape, to cover a greater surface area of the base (7), although they can be of any shape, so that the free spaces left in the central part are covered from the base (7). It is important to mention that all these openings can be of any shape that allows them to be distributed over the entire central part of the bottom surface of the base (7) of the road stud.

[0091] This embodiment has greater mechanical support on the dovetail in the form of a circular joint and making it towards the center of the mass of the road stud to withstand both impact strengths and weather conditions as well as temperature withstand when gluing them to the surface, must of all when it comes to bitumen at a 200 C. temperature. This impact center, which is a circle (17), is to distribute the stresses in a balanced way throughout the surface in such a way that they dissipate quickly without deforming or forcing the piece and therefore have a greater oscillatory and precipitator stresses strength.

[0092] The bars or tensors that will support the impact, compression or strain stress are also seen, and at an angle of 120, the distribution of the energy of the impact emanates from the circle (17) towards these tensors in such a way that it will tend to distribute and return the trapezoids of the system that, together with the glue, will form a set of elongation and resilience of the piece, cushioning the impact, an improvement of 18% is expected, and consequently an increase in the half-life of the piece between 12.5 to 13.9%.

[0093] The dovetail is modified towards the center to give greater impact stress strength and therefore increase the effect of elongation and resilience, giving the piece a longer half-life, and the stresses that are generated at the juncture of the dovetail will tend to be more circular to better distribute the stresses and therefore have a better mechanical, physical and thermal strength to the expansions that it will suffer during its application in the field.

[0094] The dovetail is transferred towards the center, it was previously at the limits of the reflective element, now it is placed towards the center so that it does not receive stresses that generate fractures in the system, as shown in the figure.

[0095] With respect to the crossbeams or supports (9), these are located perpendicular to the length of the anchoring channels (8), preferably in the central part of each anchoring channel (8). Said crossbeams (8) also have an angular wall (11) which contributes to the formation of dovetails between the adhesive and the bottom surface of the base (7) of the road stud. Thanks to the intervention of the crossbeams (9), the body of the road stud increases its compressive strength since the body of the road stud increases the maximum stress that it can withstand under a crushing load, so the stress exerted on a point of the road stud exerted by the passage of vehicles, and even heavy trucks, cause the piece to deform as necessary without actually breaking, which allows it to absorb the stress exerted by vehicle tires without the latter being transmitted throughout the piece and the adhesive preventing the road stud from detaching from the pavement without breaking. With respect to the openings (15), the QR identification code (17) and the edges (16) described for the preferred embodiment, these are also used in said second embodiment.

[0096] Although preferred embodiments have been shown and described, modifications thereto can be made by one of skill in the art without departing from the scope or teachings herein. The embodiments described herein are only exemplary and are not limiting.

[0097] Many variations and modifications of the road stud arrangement are possible within the scope hereof. For example, the sizes of the base both in width and length, the materials and distributions of the cavities can be varied. Also, the angle of inclination of the housing channels and of the supports can be varied to improve their force of attraction. The number of anchor channels, supports, as well as the inner angle of the walls thereof, can be varied. Consequently, the scope of protection is not limited to the embodiments described herein, but is only limited by the following claims, the scope of which will include all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims.