Revolutionary traffic hump actuated by valve
A
Norgren product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Feb 19, 2001
A dynamic, revolutionary new sleeping policeman traffic hump actuated by a specialised Norgren valve started road trials in the City of London, on 14 February 2001
A dynamic, revolutionary new sleeping policeman traffic hump actuated by a specialised Norgren valve is set for road trials in the City of London, starting on 14 February.
The new traffic hump, the Dunlop Transcalm, is the brainchild of inventor Graham Heeks, who has been working with Norgren for the past four years to perfect the valve mechanism.
The valve reacts to impact and speed, retracting the hump for emergency vehicles, but staying in place for ordinary traffic.
A mix of circumstances led Graham to come up with the idea.
He was particularly concerned that traffic humps were adding vital minutes to emergency vehicles' response times.
"I just felt something had to be done; people were driving too fast and traffic calming had a role to play; but at the same time the emergency services were simply trying to do their job," said Graham.
So began a seven-year quest to perfect a retractable traffic hump that responded to the type and speed of the vehicle crossing it.
He started with three elements, a hump mould, a valve and a trough to house the unit under the road.
"I had effectively to develop a vehicle recognition valve, which is at the heart of the 'friendly bump'.
It was when I was introduced to Norgren, whose products I'd used in my job, that things gathered pace," said Graham.
"Norgren gave me the valve technology to address the market.
They were always enthusiastic and have never ever lost interest.
The work with the production team over the past three years has been integral to the valve's evolution.
Trials of the hump were carried out on the perimeter road at Norgren's Lichfield headquarters.
One of the main technical obstacles to overcome was to get the valve to react in harmony with the impact on the rubber of the hump.
Painstaking work has resulted in a specialised valve just 40mm by 40mm that controls the rate of deflation of the traffic hump and its deterrent profile.
Once the profile, moulding technique and valve had been perfected, the team encountered another problem.
When the road surface has been dug up and relaid, for example for pipe or cable laying, it affects the operation of the system.
To deal with this variable, the team created its own road surface that is now part of the overall installation.
Highway consultants Pell Frischmann and Dunlop GRG were involved as project sponsors by this stage.
The road trials on Puddle Dock, London near Blackfriars station are the fruition of one man's vision and dedication, and the belief and support of three industrial sponsors.
Ease of installation and maintenance are a further benefit of the system.
Transcalm's manufacturers are hoping the concept will have global appeal and be a major contributor to road safety.
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