Retractable barrier strip

Patent · 01 January 2002

OSTI ID:874850

Marts, Donna J ^[1]; Barker, Stacey G ^[1]; Wowczuk, Andrew ^[2]; Vellenoweth, Thomas E ^[2]

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1. Idaho Falls, ID
2. Wheeling, WV

A portable barrier strip having retractable tire-puncture spikes for puncturing a vehicle tire. The tire-puncture spikes have an armed position for puncturing a tire and a retracted position for not puncturing a tire. The strip comprises a plurality of barrier blocks having the tire-puncture spikes removably disposed in a shaft that is rotatably disposed in each barrier block. The plurality of barrier blocks hare hingedly interconnected by complementary hinges integrally formed into the side of each barrier block which allow the strip to be rolled for easy storage and retrieval, but which prevent irregular or back bending of the strip. The shafts of adjacent barrier blocks are pivotally interconnected via a double hinged universal joint to accommodate irregularities in a roadway surface and to transmit torsional motion of the shaft from block to block. A single flexshaft cable is connected to the shaft of an end block to allow a user to selectively cause the shafts of a plurality of adjacently connected barrier blocks to rotate the tire-puncture spikes to the armed position for puncturing a vehicle tire, and to the retracted position for not puncturing the tire. The flexshaft is provided with a resiliently biased retracting mechanism, and a release latch for allowing the spikes to be quickly retracted after the intended vehicle tire is punctured.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-94ID13223
• Assignee: Bechtel BWXT Idaho, LLC. (Idaho Falls, ID)
• Patent Number(s): US 6474903
• OSTI ID: 874850
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/404/
accommodate
adjacent
adjacently
allow
allowing
armed
barrier
bending
biased
block
blocks
cable
complementary
connected
disposed
double
easy
flexshaft
formed
hare
hinged
hingedly
hinges
integrally
integrally formed
intended
interconnected
irregular
irregularities
joint
latch
mechanism
motion
pivotally
plurality
portable
position
prevent
provided
punctured
puncturing
quickly
release
removably
resiliently
retractable
retracted
retracting
retrieval
roadway
rolled
rotatably
rotate
selectively
shaft
shafts
single
spikes
storage
strip
surface
tire
tire-puncture
torsional
transmit
universal
user
vehicle
via