DE9216664U1 - Noise barrier and planter for a noise barrier - Google Patents

Description

Applicant: 23 November 1992

JMH Bosch 1230G100 HO/LÖ

Noise Protection GmbH
Dammstrasse 3
7052 Schwaikheim

Representative:

Witte, Weller, Gahlert & Otten
Patent attorneys
Augustenstrasse 7
7000 Stuttgart-1

Noise barrier and planting troa for a noise barrier

The present invention relates to a plant trough for a noise barrier, which is constructed from at least two layers of plant troughs arranged next to one another in the longitudinal direction of the noise barrier and one above the other in the direction of the height of the noise barrier.

The invention further relates to a noise barrier which is constructed from at least two layers of plant troughs arranged next to one another in the longitudinal direction of the noise barrier and one above the other in the direction of the height of the noise barrier.

Such plant troughs and noise barriers are known from practice.

Noise barriers are now used wherever outdoor noise sources need to be isolated from residential areas, hospitals, office buildings or similar facilities that require a quiet environment. Such outdoor noise sources include busy roads, sports fields, children's playgrounds and industrial facilities.

During construction work, it often happens that such noise sources "move closer" to previously remote residential areas, etc. In order to ensure the necessary noise protection, noise protection walls are erected, which, due to structural and geographical conditions, sometimes have to be built in the immediate vicinity of residential areas or office buildings.

Furthermore, such noise barriers are needed in order to insulate the individual plots from each other not only acoustically but also visually, for example in larger residential complexes such as terraced houses.

While pure noise protection can also be achieved through "bare" walls, such noise protection walls do not meet the aesthetic desires of the observer. In addition to

the painting of noise barriers, as has become common practice along federal motorways or on busy local thoroughfares, the planting of noise barriers is also becoming more and more popular.

While the "bare" noise barriers mentioned above are made of wood, concrete, metal or recycled plastic, the variety of noise barriers that can be planted is limited. As a rule, earthen walls are built for this purpose and divided up with boards. The resulting niches are then planted with greenery.

Because of the required incline of the earth embankments, the floor space required for these plantable noise barriers is very large, so that they cannot be built everywhere. Furthermore, retrofitting the earth embankments is almost impossible, because this would also require the floor space to be increased. However, this means that the existing planting has to be covered with another layer of earth.

In summary, earthen walls have the disadvantage that they cannot be raised easily and that the plants are usually destroyed when they are raised in this way. There is also a disadvantage when it comes to watering the plants. Complex drainage systems are required to avoid the risk of the plants drying out in hot summers.

The noise barrier mentioned at the beginning also has similar disadvantages. This noise barrier consists of stone troughs that can be stacked offset. For this purpose, a base made of stone troughs is first built, on which

the next layer is set back. The base area of the third layer is even smaller, etc. In this way, a kind of wall with a pyramidal cross-section is created. The area of the stone troughs that is not covered by the layer of stone troughs above is filled with soil and planted.

If you want to raise the noise barrier, the base area must also be increased accordingly if you want to keep the stepped design of the noise barrier. If you deviate from this stepped design, it will no longer be possible to plant greenery.

Even if you want to raise this noise barrier, which is made up of stackable plant troughs, you will have to remove the existing plants on at least one side of the noise barrier, because the space is needed to expand the layer of plant troughs above it.

It should also be noted that these stone troughs are usually cylindrical or cuboid-shaped troughs with smooth and vertical outer walls.

These noise barriers also have problems with watering, so you either have to install a complex drainage system or hope for good weather conditions. Since these noise barriers can sometimes be very long, watering them by hand is often not possible.

Based on this, the object of the present invention is to create plant troughs and noise barriers constructed from them of the type mentioned above, in which the disadvantages mentioned above are avoided. In particular, the height of the noise barrier should be largely independent of the base area. Furthermore, a simple irrigation system should be provided so that the greenery does not dry out regardless of the inclement weather.

In the case of the plant trough mentioned at the beginning, this invention is achieved in that the plant trough has a cross-section that tapers downwards transversely to the longitudinal direction.

In the case of the noise barrier mentioned at the beginning, this task is solved by the fact that it is constructed from plant troughs which have a cross-section that tapers downwards transversely to the longitudinal direction.

The problem underlying the invention is completely solved in this way. Because the plant troughs are now wider at the top than at the bottom, the upper layer only partially rests on the plant troughs of the layer below. The remaining area of the lower layer can now be planted. If such a noise barrier is to be raised by another layer, only the plants on the top layer in the middle support area of the layer still to be installed need to be removed. The external plants on the upper layer can remain.

An increase in the footprint of the noise barrier is not necessary as long as the noise barrier as a whole has a stability that can withstand the maximum wind load

can withstand. However, since the plant troughs are mostly filled with soil, they are so heavy that the stability of the wall itself is already very high.

But with this new design of the plant troughs and the noise barriers constructed from them, the watering problem is also simplified. If the top layer of plant troughs is watered, then with the appropriate water supply, water overflows the top layer and runs down the outside of the downwardly tapering plant troughs into the plant troughs of the layer below. In this way, the noise barrier can be poured in the manner of a "champagne pyramid ^{" 11} , in that only the top layer needs to be sufficiently watered. All of these advantages result from the simple fact that the plant troughs do not have straight or steep outer walls, but rather a cross-section that tapers downwards.

In one embodiment, it is preferred if the mentioned cross-section of the plant troughs is substantially V-shaped.

The advantage here is that, compared to a curved design, there is enough space for the plants to spread out in the lower layer. The watering task is also made easier because the water can easily run down a V-shaped outer surface and reach the plant trough below.

Here, it is preferred if each plant trough has an intermediate web running transversely to the longitudinal direction, which divides the plant trough into two plant chambers that are open at the top and lie one behind the other in the longitudinal direction.

This measure is advantageous for stability reasons, because the intermediate bridge, like the front sides of the plant trough, serves as a support for the plant trough above. In this way, the stacking height of the plant troughs can be easily increased.

Furthermore, it is preferred if a structurally simple water overflow system is provided through which water can escape from the side or downwards of the plant trough.

The advantage of this measure is that the water flows out of the planting trough at the side or downwards into the next lower layer even if only moderate amounts of water are added. It is no longer necessary to water the top layer so much that the water overflows the planting trough. This not only saves water, it is also beneficial for the planting itself, as excessive watering can also damage the plants. Furthermore, the water overflow system prevents large amounts of water from accumulating in the individual planting troughs during very heavy rain, which could lead to the plants rotting.

In this embodiment, it is preferred if the plant trough has an overflow nozzle at its bottom.

The advantage here is that a structurally simple overflow system is created. When the water level in the plant trough has reached the height of the overflow nozzle, the water flows through this overflow nozzle into the plant trough below.

In this case, it is preferable if the overflow nozzle has a height that is less than one third of the height of the plant trough.

This measure serves to limit the amount of water that must be collected in a plant trough before water is released into the plant trough below. Since the filling with water from top to bottom is repeated in each layer of the noise barrier, it is ensured that even if the top layer is not watered enough, the bottom layer of the noise barrier is still supplied with enough water. In this way, the noise barrier can easily be raised by another layer without additional measures being required for the irrigation system.

In the case of a noise barrier constructed from such plant troughs, it is preferred if it includes tubular posts, which hold the plant troughs stacked on top of each other in the various positions.

This measure increases the stability of the noise barrier, particularly against transverse wind loads, so that a larger number of layers of plant troughs can be provided without increasing the base area of the noise barrier itself. The tubular posts themselves can be provided with a base plate in a conventional manner or anchored in the ground in some other way.

Here it is also advantageous if stabilizing discs are pushed onto the tubular posts, which rest on the two plant troughs of a lower layer and lock the two plant troughs of the next higher layer at the side.

This measure also advantageously increases the maximum possible stacking height of plant troughs in a noise barrier. Because of the lateral locking, not only is the internal stability of the noise barrier increased, the "interlocking ^11" of the individual plant troughs with each other also provides greater support under wind load.

In general, it is preferred for such noise barriers if the overflow nozzles of plant troughs arranged one above the other are connected to one another by a pipe that has water outlet openings on the side.

This measure has the advantage that the stability of the noise barrier is further increased, because the pipe serves as additional support between the upper and lower plant troughs and enables a greater stacking height.

In addition, this measure has the advantage that water can flow from an upper plant trough to a plant trough below it even if the water level in the upper plant trough has not yet reached the height of the overflow nozzle. On the one hand, enough water flows out of the side water outlet openings into the plant trough so that it is sufficiently watered. On the other hand, the pipe also carries enough water into the overflow supports of this plant trough so that water also reaches the lower plant trough.

It is preferable if the overflow nozzles in the topmost layer of the plant troughs are connected to a water hose system via pipes with water outlet openings on the side.

The advantage of this measure is that the top layer of plant troughs is supplied with water via a single water hose or a similar device, which then flows through the pipes with the side water outlet openings not only into the top plant troughs but also into the plant troughs below them via the overflow nozzles.

For the noise barrier described above, only a single water hose is required, from which the individual pipes with the side water outlet openings are fed via T-pieces. If such a noise barrier is to be raised, the water hose system is removed and, after raising the pipe posts (which may be designed to be plugged in), another layer of plant troughs is placed on the noise barrier. The pipes in the previously top layer of plant troughs are connected to the overflow nozzles of the new layer of plant troughs, which in turn are equipped with their own suitable pipes. The existing water hose system is then simply reconnected to these "new" pipes.

This new noise barrier and the plant troughs from which it is constructed are so simple in design that they are not only very inexpensive, but their installation is also extremely simple. This means that the new noise barrier is also suitable for private use, for example to insulate different plots of a terraced house or similar from each other not only visually but also acoustically.

In a further embodiment, it is preferred if the individual plant troughs are connected to one another by a meandering water-conducting system, so that the plant troughs

in one layer with the adjacent plant trough and the end troughs are connected to the end trough of a layer above or below.

The advantage of this design is that water now only needs to be introduced into the first plant trough in this meandering row. This can be done, for example, through one of the pipe posts. The water then spreads not only in the respective layer of plant troughs, but also in all the other plant troughs in this noise barrier through the overflow and the dragging down to the next row. This ensures a very simple irrigation system.

Further advantages arise from the description and the attached drawing.

It is understood that the features mentioned above and those to be explained below can be used not only in the combinations specified, but also in other combinations or alone, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing and is explained in more detail in the following description. They show:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a noise barrier constructed from plant troughs;

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of one of the plant troughs from the noise barrier according to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 in a section along the line III-III from Fig. 1 in the detail the lateral locking of the plant troughs; and

Fig. 4 in a section along the line IV-IV from Fig. 1 the exaggeratedly large water overflow system for irrigating the noise barrier.

In Fig. 1, 10 designates a noise barrier which is constructed from plant troughs 11 which are arranged next to one another in the longitudinal direction 12 of the noise barrier 10 and one above the other in the direction of the height 13 of the noise barrier 10.

Between each of the plant troughs 11 adjacent in the longitudinal direction 12, a tubular post 15 is provided, which ensures the lateral stability of the noise barrier 10.

Each plant trough 11 has an upwardly open top 17 and is divided by an intermediate web 18 running transversely to the longitudinal direction 12 into two plant chambers 19 and 20 arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction 12.

Transverse to the longitudinal direction 12, the individual plant troughs 11 have a V-shaped cross-section that tapers from top to bottom. Although the plant troughs 11 are supported on the plant troughs 11 below them, a large part 21 of the top 17 of the lower plant trough remains free, so that the individual plant chambers 19, 20 can be filled with soil and then planted. The individual plant troughs 11 have ribbing 23 on their outside 22, which not only improves the visual impression of the noise barrier 10, but also provides support for climbing plants planted in the remaining free part 21.

The individual plant troughs 11 are made of recycled plastic.

In the simplest case, the watering of the noise barrier 10 described above is carried out by watering the plant troughs in the upper layer, with any water that overflows running down the outside 22 and reaching the plant troughs 11 located below. In this way, only the top layer of plant troughs needs to be watered, and the watering of the layers below occurs automatically, so to speak.

As an additional measure, the plant troughs 11 in one layer can be connected to one another by a pipe system, which is not shown in Fig. 1 for the sake of clarity. The outer plant troughs 11 of layers located one above the other are connected to one another by U-shaped connecting pipes 25 in such a way that a meandering irrigation system is created. The water is now fed into the top left plant trough 11' in Fig. 1 and from this plant trough 11' it flows into the plant troughs adjacent in the longitudinal direction 12. From the right plant trough 11 in the upper layer, the water flows via the connecting pipe 25 into the plant trough H'' located below, from which the water spreads out again to the left in Fig. 1. The water finally reaches the bottom layer of the plant troughs 11 through the further connecting pipe 25'.

For clarity, Fig. 2 shows a single plant trough 11 in perspective. It can be seen that the plant trough II has 27

and 28 each have two webs 29, 30 running parallel to each other in the direction of the height 13, which define a channel 31 with a semicircular cross-section between them. The plant trough 11 rests against the respective pipe post 15 using this channel 31. This leads to greater stability of the noise barrier 10.

Fig. 3 shows a partial sectional view along the line III-III from Fig. 1. This sectional view shows that the stability of the noise barrier is further increased by stabilizing disks 33, which are provided between different layers of plant troughs 11. The stabilizing disks 33 are pushed onto the tubular posts 15 and are supported on the webs 29, 30 of the plant trough 11 located below. The stabilizing disks 33 have two arms 34, 35 bent upwards, with which they grip the webs 29, 30 of the plant trough 11 located above. In this way, the individual plant troughs are immovably locked in relation to the tubular posts 15 in the lateral direction in Fig. 3. For this purpose, no screw connections are required, the plant troughs 11 are simply inserted into the stabilizing disks previously pushed onto the tubular posts 15. If a further layer of plant troughs 11 is to be placed on a noise barrier 10, a further stabilizing disk 33 must first be pushed onto each tubular post 15, which can preferably be raised using plug-in elements, before the corresponding plant troughs can then be locked in the stabilizing disks 33 and on the tubular posts 15.

It should also be noted that the plant troughs 11 are locked in the longitudinal direction 13 by the tubular posts 15, to which they - as mentioned - with their outward-facing channels 31 are in contact

The individual plant troughs 11 bear against each other due to their own weight and the weight of the soil filled into the plant troughs 19, 20. This structure means that the noise barrier 10 can also withstand a large lateral wind load. For this purpose, the tubular posts 15 only have to be anchored in the ground in a suitable manner. This can be done, for example, using a base plate or by pouring concrete.

In Fig. 3 it can also be seen that the plant troughs 11 have a V-shaped cross-section 37 which extends from their wider upper side 38 to their narrower lower side 39.

Fig. 4 shows a view along the line IV-IV from Fig. 1. In this view, the irrigation system used to water the noise barrier 10 from Fig. 1 can be seen in an exaggerated size. For this purpose, a water overflow system 41 is provided, which is provided in addition to or as an alternative to the U-connecting pipes 25. As part of the water overflow system 41, each plant trough 11 has an overflow nozzle 44 on its base 43, which extends into the interior of the respective plant trough 11 up to a height indicated at 45. As can be seen in Fig. 4, the height 45 is less than a third of the total height of a plant trough indicated at 46 in the direction of the height 13. Since the overflow nozzle 44 is essentially a pipe attached to the base 43 and is open at the bottom, the height 45 also defines a water level 47 up to which a plant trough 11 can be filled with water. If more water gets into a plant trough 11, it flows through the overflow nozzle 44 into the plant trough 11 below. In the same way, the water flows out of the lowest plant trough 11, so that the amount of water that can be present in a plant trough 11 in the worst case scenario is limited by the water level 47.

The individual plant troughs 11 are now also watered via the plant trough 11 in the uppermost layer. The water level in this plant trough 11 rises to the height of the water level 47 before the water then flows through the overflow nozzle 44 into the plant trough 11 below. It should also be noted here that gravel or similar substrate can be provided on the bottom 43 of the individual plant troughs 11, so that the amount of water is reduced again.

In addition, pipes 49 with lateral water outlet openings 50 can be provided, which connect the overflow nozzles 44 in plant troughs 11 arranged one above the other. Since the water does not fall vertically through the pipes 49, but flows downwards along the inner walls of the pipes 49, it partially passes through the water outlet openings 50 into the plant trough 11 in which the pipe 49 is arranged. In this way, part of the water flowing in the pipe 49 is discharged into the respective plant trough 11, while the remaining part of the water reaches the plant trough 11 arranged below and irrigates it.

The topmost pipe 49 is connected to a water hose system 51, through which the entire watering of the noise barrier 10 takes place. This water hose system runs in the longitudinal direction 12 with corresponding T-branches at the points where pipes 49 are to be connected to the water hose system 51. With a single water hose and corresponding T-branches, all plant troughs 11 in the topmost layer of a noise barrier 10 can thus be watered. The water passes through the pipes 49 partly into the associated plant trough and the rest into the pipe 49 of the plant trough below, which is also watered in this way.

If the height of the noise barrier 10 is to be increased, the water hose system is removed, a new layer of plant troughs 11 is placed on the noise barrier 10, and then the water hose system 51 is reinstalled.

It should also be noted that the individual plant troughs 11 are supported not only on the stabilizing discs 43 indicated in Fig. 4, but also on the intermediate webs 18.

Claims (12)

Protection claims 1. Plant trough (11) for a noise barrier (10), which is constructed from at least two layers of plant troughs (11) arranged next to one another in the longitudinal direction (12) of the noise barrier (10) and one above the other in the direction of the height (13) of the noise barrier (10), characterized in that the plant trough (11) has a cross-section (37) tapering downwards transversely to the longitudinal direction (12). 2. Plant trough according to claim 1, characterized in that the cross section (37) is substantially V-shaped. 3. Plant trough according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an intermediate web (18) is provided which divides the plant trough (11) into two upwardly open plant chambers (19, 20) lying one behind the other in the longitudinal direction (12). 4. Plant trough according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a water overflow system (41) is provided, through which water can exit laterally or downwards from the plant trough (11). 5. Plant trough according to claim 4, characterized in that it has an overflow nozzle (44) on its bottom (43). 6. Plant trough according to claim 5, characterized in that the overflow nozzle (44) has a height (45) which is less than a third of the height (46) of the plant trough (11). 7. Noise barrier, which is constructed from at least two layers of plant troughs (11) arranged next to one another in the longitudinal direction (12) of the noise barrier (10) and one above the other in the direction of the height (13) of the noise barrier (10), characterized in that it is constructed from plant troughs (11) according to one of claims 1 to 6. 8. Noise barrier according to claim 7, characterized in that it comprises tubular posts (15) by which the plant troughs (11) stacked on top of one another are held in different positions. 9. Noise barrier according to claim 8, characterized in that stabilizing discs (33) are pushed onto the tubular posts (15), which are each supported on the two plant troughs (11) of a lower layer and laterally lock the two plant troughs of the next higher layer. 10. Noise barrier according to one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the overflow nozzles (44) of plant troughs (11) arranged one above the other are connected to one another by a pipe (49) which has lateral water outlet openings (50). 11. Noise barrier according to one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that in the uppermost layer of the plant troughs (11) the overflow nozzles (44) are connected to a water hose system (51) by pipes (49) with lateral water outlet openings (50). 12. Noise barrier according to one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that the plant troughs (11) are connected to one another in a meandering manner such that the adjacent plant troughs (11) are connected to one another in one layer, and the end troughs in layers located one above the other are also connected to one another.