Roger P Bligh

6435761, Aug 20, 2002

May 5, 2000

09/565425

Roger P. Bligh - Bryan TX
King K. Mak - San Antonio TX

Texas AM University System - College Station TX

E01F 1300

404 6, 404 9, 256 131

Slot guards for a slotted rail terminals are described having a central section and a pair of wing portions that are angularly disposed with respect to the central portion. The wing portions are folded away from the plane of the central section along lines that are angularly oriented with respect to one another so that the wing portions are wider at one end of the slot guard than at the other end. As a result, the slot guard provides a greater height at one of its ends than at the other end. Apertures for connectors are disposed through each of the wing portions, but not through the central portion. The slot guard preferably provides an asymmetrical aperture pattern and/or conspicuous markings so that the slot guard is not inadvertently installed in a reversed configuration on a guardrail. Methods for forming the slot guard are also described wherein a blank for a slot guard is cut or stamped out of a sheet of metal. Apertures for the receipt of connectors are cut into the blank, preferably in an asymmetrical pattern.

6575434, Jun 10, 2003

Dec 17, 1999

09/465635

Roger P. Bligh - Bryan TX
King K. Mak - San Antonio TX

The Texas AM University System - College Station TX

E01F 1500

256 131, 256 1

Devices and methods for strengthening the upper portions of the support posts for guardrails and guardrail end treatments against the forces that are imparted to the post during an impact. The upper portions of support posts, particularly the areas proximate the bolt connection, are reinforced. Preferably, a compressive force is applied to those areas as well by the reinforcements. In one embodiment, reinforcement for the upper portion of the post is provided by metal banding that is disposed around the periphery of the post. Alternative exemplary embodiments are also described in which reinforcement to the upper portion of the post is provided by plates that are secured into place on a location proximate the connection bolt and by a metal cap that sits atop the post. In another embodiment, the drilled hole and connection bolt are eliminated.

6715735, Apr 6, 2004

Aug 31, 2001

09/943727

Roger Bligh - Bryan TX
Steve Brown - Dallas TX
Eugene Buth - College Station TX
Hayes E. Ross - College Station TX

The Texas AM University System - College Station TX

E01F 1500

256 131, 404 6, 404 10

A guardrail extruder terminal includes a rail feeder chute associated with a downstream end of the guardrail extruder terminal. The terminal also includes an impact portion associated with an upstream end thereof. The impact portion is coupled to the upstream end of the rail feeder chute and includes an impact plate positioned to face oncoming traffic, a first side member coupled to the impact plate and positioned on a roadway side of the guardrail extruder terminal, and a second side member coupled to the impact plate and positioned opposite the first side member. The impact portion may include a top plate and a bottom plate, each being coupled between the first and second side members. The top and bottom plates each have a traffic side edge positioned to face a roadway that is approximately flush with a traffic side of the rail feeder chute.

6729607, May 4, 2004

Jul 19, 2002

10/199452

Dean C. Alberson - Bryan TX
Roger P. Bligh - Bryan TX
C. Eugene Buth - Wellborn TX

Texas AM University System - College Station TX

E01F 1500

256 131, 403 2, 404 6, 52 98, 256DIG 5

A cable release anchor having an improved breakaway post design with a cable release feature. The cable release anchor includes upper and lower anchor portions that are readily separable from one another during an impact. A bearing plate is retained within the end of each of the upper and lower anchor portions, and each bearing plate has a bearing surface that is oriented at an acute angle with the vertical when installed in the ground. Each of these bearing plates contains a U-shaped cutout. When the upper and lower anchor portions are joined, the cutouts form an opening through which an end of the tension cable is disposed. An impact to the upper anchor portion readily releases the upper post section from the lower post section and frees the cable. The cable release anchor provides positive anchorage to react to tensile loads on a rail member to redirect a vehicle impacting along the length of the terminal or guardrail.

6902150, Jun 7, 2005

Dec 2, 2002

10/308296

Dean C. Alberson - Bryan TX, US
C. Eugene Buth - College Station TX, US
Roger P. Bligh - Bryan TX, US

The Texas A&M University System - College Station TX

E01F015/00

256 131, 404 6, 404 9, 404 10

A guardrail support post includes a continuous structural member having a top edge, a bottom edge, and a generally uniform cross section from the top edge to the bottom edge. The structural member includes first and second generally parallel flanges, and a web forming a coupling between, and extending generally perpendicular to the first and second flanges. The structural member includes a lower portion for installing below grade adjacent a roadway, and an upper portion configured to be coupled with a guardrail beam. A mid portion of the structural member is disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion. In accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention, the first and second flanges include first and second cutouts, respectively, that occur within the mid portion. The cutouts are operable to weaken the structural member about an axis generally perpendicular to the flanges without substantially weakening the structural member about an axis generally parallel to the flanges.

6932327, Aug 23, 2005

Jan 30, 2003

10/355601

Dean C. Alberson - Bryan TX, US
Roger P. Bligh - Bryan TX, US
C. Eugene Buth - Wellborn TX, US

The Texas A&M University System - College Station TX

E04F011/00

256 131, 404 8

A cable guardrail release system includes a first number of anchor posts installed adjacent a roadway. Each of the first number of anchor posts secures an end of a respective cable. Each anchor post is operable to release the respective cable secured by the anchor post upon a vehicle impact to the anchor post. The system may include a length of need section that includes a plurality of intermediate support posts each configured to support each of the respective cables. The length of need section may include portions of each of the respective cables running in between the plurality of intermediate support posts. Each anchor post may be configured to resist release of the respective cable secured by the anchor post upon a vehicle impact to the length of need section generally at an angle to the flow of traffic on the roadway.

6948703, Sep 27, 2005

May 13, 2003

10/436641

Dean C. Alberson - Bryan TX, US
Frederick Mauer, IV - Greenland NH, US
Roger P. Bligh - Bryan TX, US
C. Eugene Buth - Wellborn TX, US

The Texas A&M University System - College Station TX

E01F015/00

256 131, 256 32, 256 47

A locking hook bolt, which may be used for securing cable to support posts in guardrail assemblies, and a method for using the same are provided. The locking hook bolt includes a first leg, a second leg, and an arcuate portion coupling the first and second legs such that the second leg extends generally parallel with, and spaced apart from, the first leg. A locking portion configured to engage a support post extends from, and forms an angle of approximately 90 degrees with, the second leg. The first leg of the locking hook bolt includes a threaded portion opposite the arcuate portion.

7185882, Mar 6, 2007

Jul 19, 2002

10/199540

C. Eugene Buth - Wellborn TX, US
Roger P. Bligh - Bryan TX, US
Dean C. Alberson - Bryan TX, US
Akram Abu-Odeh - College Station TX, US

The Texas A&M University System - College Station TX

E01F 15/10
F16L 3/08

256 131, 248 66

Guardrail installation designs are described that incorporate a box beam rail as the structural rail member. The box beam rail member may have an open cross-section or a closed cross-section. An impact head is provided to bend and deflect the rail member during an end-on collision, allowing the rail member to be deflected away from the roadway and out of the path of an end-on impacting vehicle. The impact head includes a striking face and a chute portion that receives the box beam rail member therewithin. In addition to bending and deflecting the rail member, the impact head may also include a flattening section for flattening the rail member.