U.S. patent application number 14/909989 was filed with the patent office on 2016-06-23 for scaffold.
The applicant listed for this patent is FAST BEAM OY. Invention is credited to Antti Hyvonen, Timo Siltala.
Application Number | 20160177584 14/909989 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52460714 |
Filed Date | 2016-06-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160177584 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hyvonen; Antti ; et
al. |
June 23, 2016 |
Scaffold
Abstract
Scaffolding unit to be attached to the deck structure of a
bridge or similar comprises a set of arms for carrying working
levels and the support structures needed in work and an attachment
frame for attaching the set of arms to the upper surface of the
deck structure. The set of arms is connected to the attachment
frame by means of a pivoted parallelogram.
Inventors: |
Hyvonen; Antti; (Klaukkala,
FI) ; Siltala; Timo; (Jyvaskyla, FI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
FAST BEAM OY |
Klaukkala |
|
FI |
|
|
Family ID: |
52460714 |
Appl. No.: |
14/909989 |
Filed: |
August 6, 2014 |
PCT Filed: |
August 6, 2014 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/FI2014/050610 |
371 Date: |
February 4, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
182/141 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04G 3/24 20130101; E04G
7/34 20130101; E01D 19/106 20130101; E04G 5/007 20130101; E04G
7/303 20130101; E04G 3/34 20130101; E04G 2003/286 20130101; E04G
5/064 20130101; E01D 22/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
E04G 3/24 20060101
E04G003/24; E04G 5/00 20060101 E04G005/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 6, 2013 |
FI |
20135815 |
Claims
1. A scaffolding unit to be attached to a bridge or similar deck
structure, comprising: a set of arms for carrying the working
levels and support structures needed in work, and an attachment
framed for attaching the set of arms to the upper surface of the
bridge or similar deck structure, wherein the set of arms is
connected to the attachment frame by means of a pivoted
rectangle.
2. The scaffolding unit according to claim 1, wherein the pivoted
rectangle is a pivoted parallelogram.
3. The scaffolding unit according to claim 1, wherein the pivoted
rectangle comprises an upper and a lower beam and pivot points for
connecting the beams to the attachment frame and the set of
arms.
4. The scaffolding unit according to 3, wherein the pivot points of
the attachment frame are on a straight line parallel to the pivot
points of the set of arms, according to the definition of a pivoted
parallelogram, and the straight lines are preferably vertical.
5. The scaffolding unit according to claim 2, wherein the lower
beam of the pivoted parallelogram is a triangular beam.
6. The scaffolding unit according to claim 1, further comprising at
least one operating device for adjusting the position of the
pivoted rectangle and the set of arms attached to it.
7. The scaffolding unit according to claim 1, wherein at least the
joints between the set of arms, the attachment frame, and the
pivoted rectangle are implemented with detachable attachment
elements.
8. The scaffolding unit according to claim 7, wherein the
attachment elements are pivot pins.
9. The scaffolding unit according to claim 1, further comprising a
vertical arm and a carrier beam attached transversely to one end of
the scaffolding, wherein the lower and upper beams are attached to
the vertical arm by means of lugs, the lugs further comprising one
row of holes wherein there is a first distance between the holes,
and in which the vertical arm there is a row of holes, in which
there is a different between the holes than between the lugs'
holes.
10. The scaffolding unit according to claim 9, wherein the
distances between the holes in the vertical arm are greater than
the distances between the holes in the lugs.
11. The scaffolding unit according to claim 8, wherein the vertical
arm and the carrier beam are attached to each other by means of
lugs at the end of the vertical arm, the lugs further comprising a
row of holes, in which there is a first distance between the holes
and in which the carrier beam there is a row of holes, in which
there is a different distance between the holes than between the
lugs' holes.
12. The scaffolding unit according to claim 11, wherein the
distances between the holes in the carrier beam are greater than
the distances between the vertical arm's lugs.
13. The scaffolding unit according to claim 1, wherein at least one
of the upper or lower beams extends to the opposite side of the
pivot point between the attachment frame and the lower beam
relative to the vertical arm in such a way that the lower beam
forms a lever on both sides of the lower pivot point of the
attachment frame.
14. The scaffolding unit according to claim 6, wherein at least one
operating device from a group hydraulic jack and screw jack is
arranged at the end of the lever formed by at least one of the
lower or upper beams on the opposite side of the pivot point
between the attachment frame and the lower beam relative to the
vertical arm.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to scaffolding unit intended
to form working stages and the support structures required in work
for use in connection with repair, installation, and maintenance
work on bridges and other structures with a deck.
[0002] In particular, the invention relates to the creation of
repair scaffolding for bridges.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
[0003] Publication WO 2008132277 discloses one scaffolding
arrangement suitable for repair work on a bridge deck. The
arrangement consists of a number of scaffolding supports to be
installed on the deck of the bridge, which are supported from the
bridge by bolting the support to the upper surface of the deck of
the bridge and then carrying the support on rotatable support
elements on the undersurface of the deck.
[0004] Publication WO 2012062968 discloses an attachment element
for attaching a scaffolding support to the deck of a bridge. The
scaffolding support to be attached is arranged to be carried on two
support points to the upper side of the deck of the bridge. At
least one of the support points is arranged to take the compressive
force of the attachment elements attached to the deck of the bridge
and at least one is arranged to take the tensile force. The
attachment element is arranged to be detachably attached to the
deck of the bridge with at least two attachment means and comprises
at least one attachment means for attaching the attachment element
to the support point taking the tensile force of the scaffolding
support.
[0005] Because scaffolding supports must be able to carry quite a
large load of repair tools, repair workers, and possibly casting
formwork and similar, the supports easily become quite massive.
Thus, lifting means are needed to handle them and heavy vehicles to
transport them. In addition, the installation of the supports
usually requires several people. All these factors increase the
repair costs.
[0006] Another factor slowing repair work and increasing costs is
that the vertical adjustment margin of the supports relative to the
bridge deck is quite small. In addition, in some cases the lifting
of the support level relative to the bridge deck causes it to tilt,
which either makes the work difficult or must be compensated for in
some way. Due to the large loads, all the adjustment elements and
operating devices must be dimensioned to be heavy, which increases
the weight and costs of the structure.
[0007] The scaffolding also requires special attachment devices,
such as bolts running through the bridge deck and possibly a flat
surface in the deck for attachment. The formwork required for
repairing and casting the edge of the bridge must be moved with
jacks and continuous casting in the longitudinal direction of the
bridge or deck is not possible. Work is also hindered by the
support required by the scaffolding against the undersurface of the
bridge.
[0008] The present invention is intended to create a solution, in
which the position of the support level formed by the scaffolding
can be easily altered in the height direction.
[0009] The invention is also intended to create a solution, in
which adjustment of the height direction does not alter the lateral
positioning.
[0010] Further, the invention's embodiments are intended to create
scaffolding, which can, when desired, be transported in parts and
assembled at the point of use.
[0011] Further, the invention's embodiments are intended to create
scaffolding, the structure of which is simple and easily
manufactured.
[0012] The invention's embodiments are also intended to permit the
adjustment within wide limits of the location of the scaffolding's
work stages, formwork, and other structures at least in the height
direction of the bridge deck, preferably also in the transverse
direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the deck
level.
[0013] The invention's embodiments are also intended to permit
adjustment of the scaffolding's height-direction position relative
to the deck of the bridge or other level at least partly from the
top of the deck of the bridge or similar, most preferably from the
side of the attachment frame of the scaffolding opposite to the
edge of the deck.
[0014] The invention is based on the attachment elements connecting
the scaffolding to the bridge deck being attached to the set of
carrier arms by means of a pivoted rectangle, preferably a pivoted
parallelogram.
[0015] According to one embodiment of the invention, the
scaffolding can be dismantled into parts and assembled at the point
of use.
[0016] According to one embodiment of the invention, one
scaffolding unit comprises only one operating device for altering
the vertical position of the set of carrier arms.
[0017] Several advantages are gained with the aid of the
invention.
[0018] The structure of the scaffolding unit according to the
invention is light, but can nevertheless be dimensioned to carry a
large load, which is required for carrying the devices and
materials to be used in bridge repair work. The scaffolding unit
can be easily dismantled into parts for transportation and
assembled at the point of use. Heavy lifting devices are not needed
to move the parts and installation of the scaffolding can be done
even by one workman. One of the most important advantages of the
invention is that the location of the carrier level formed with the
aid of the scaffolding, relative to the undersurface of the bridge,
can be easily altered within a large adjustment range without the
angle of the carrier level or the distance from the edge of the
deck essentially changing. The components of the scaffolding are
plate and beam structures, so that it is cheap to manufacture. In
principle, the assembly of the scaffolding unit requires only the
pivot pins to be set in place, so that installation work is easy
and special tools are not required.
[0019] In the following, the invention is described in greater
detail with the aid of the accompanying drawings.
[0020] FIG. 1 shows a side view of the scaffolding unit according
to the invention.
[0021] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the scaffolding unit of FIG.
1.
[0022] FIG. 3 shows the scaffolding unit of FIGS. 1 and 2 in a
first adjustment position.
[0023] FIG. 4 shows the scaffolding unit of FIGS. 1 and 2 in a
second adjustment position.
[0024] FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the invention.
[0025] In the following, the downward direction is the direction
from on top of the deck structure pointing towards its upper
surface and the direction pointing upwards is the direction
opposite to that.
[0026] In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the scaffolding unit consists
of a set of carrier arms 2 for forming work levels and for carrying
the work machines and formwork required in the work and connecting
the set of arms of the attachment frame 1 to the upper surface of
the bridge or other deck structure 15 and for adjusting the
attitude and location of the scaffolding. The set of arms 2
comprises a vertical arm 4, at the lower end of which is a
transverse carrier beam 5, which forms a T-shaped structure at the
end of the vertical arm. A second branch of the T is installed to
point towards the bridge deck 15, so that the opposite branch
points away from the deck. Walkways for the workers and the
installations required for the work machines and formwork on the
deck side of the bridge can be set on these branches.
[0027] At the opposite end of the vertical arm 4 there is a pivoted
parallelogram formed by two beams, the upper beam 11 of which is a
straight box-section beam and is attached at its end to the end of
the vertical arm 4 at the pivot point 16 and extends from it in the
direction of the attachment unit. Under the upper beam 11 is
situated a lower parallel beam 3. In this case, the lower beam 3 is
a triangular beam or one that is otherwise reinforced at the
location of the jack, which, when triangular, comprises a straight
lower beam and a triangle formed on top of the lower beam, which
consists of two sloping beams and a vertical support connecting the
point of the triangle and the lower beam. The advantage of this
beam construction is lightness and a good load-bearing
capacity.
[0028] The upper and lower beams 3, 11 are attached to the
attachment frame 1 by means of pivot pins 6 to pivot point 12 and
17 located at a distance from each other vertically, in such a way
that the upper beam 11 is attached to pivot point 12 in the upper
part of the attachment frame 1 and the lower beam 3 to pivot point
17 beneath it in the lower part of the attachment frame 1. In this
example, the pivot points 12 and 17 of the attachment frame are on
the same vertical straight line, but by altering the locations of
the pivot points the paths of motion of the set of arms can, if
necessary, be altered. At the opposite end, the upper and lower
beam 3, 11 are attached by pivot pins 6 to lugs 13 in the end of
the vertical arm 4, in which are also formed on top of each other
on the same straight line in the vertical direction the pivot
points 16, 18 to the upper beam 11 and the lower beam 3. Thus, the
pivot points 12, 16, 17, and 18 form, together with the upper and
lower beams 3, 11 a pivoted parallelogram, with the aid of which
the vertical arm 4 and the transverse carrier beam 5 at its lower
end can be moved vertically. The transverse carrier beam 5 is
attached by pivot pins 6 to lugs 14 at the lower end of the
vertical arm 14. In this attachment method, the transverse carrier
beam 5 is locked to the horizontal attitude and the pin attachment
is intended to create an easily assembled joint.
[0029] The attachment frame 1 can comprise attachment plates, which
form a stand arrangement, which preferably includes attachment
bolts that can be adjusted vertically, to attach the scaffolding to
the bridge deck. The attachment bolts can be fitted into holes
drilled in the bridge deck and secured with a chemical binding
agent, thus making the attachment strong and reliable.
[0030] With the aid of the pivoted parallelogram, the vertical arm
4 and the transverse carrier beam 5 attached to it can be raised
and lowered. In this embodiment, the operating device is a jack 9,
which is installed on top of the attachment frame 1 between the
attachment frame 1 and the pivoted parallelogram's triangularly
shaped lower beam 3. The jack 9 is located at the vertical support
under the point of the beam triangle, so that a strong working
point is obtained for the jack 9. The jack 9 can be a simple screw
jack, a hydraulic jack, or some similar lifting device. Because
continuous adjustment of the vertical position is not needed, the
jack can be a simple and strong device.
[0031] In FIG. 3, the scaffolding is in the upper position and in
FIG. 4 in the lower position. As can be seen from the FIGS., even
in the extreme positions the vertical arm 4 of the scaffolding
remains precisely vertical and the carrier beam 5 horizontal. In
addition, it can be seen that the margin of movement of the height
adjustment is quite large. This is an extremely important advantage
compared to previously known solutions, because in these the
adjustment margins have been quite limited and the adjustments
difficult to make.
[0032] The scaffolding of FIG. 5 differs slightly from that
described above. First of all, the scaffolding's lower beam 3 is
unified, not necessarily straight, and continues to the opposite
side of the pivot point between the attachment frame 1 and the
lower beam 3 relative to the vertical arm 4. The lower beam 3 thus
forms a lever extending to both sides of the lower pivot point 17
of the attachment frame 1. A hydraulic jack 21 and a screw jack 22
is fitted to the end of this lever, also on the opposite side of
the pivot point between the attachment frame 1 and the lower beam
3, relative to the vertical arm 4. The shafts of the jacks 21, 22
are supported on the stand 20 of the attachment frame 1. Both jacks
can be used independently to adjust the position of the vertical
arm 4 and the carrier beam 5 with the arm of the lever formed by
the lower beam 3, but the adjustment is preferably made with the
aid of the hydraulic jack while the position of the scaffolding is
locked with the screw jack 22. Here, the terms hydraulic jack and
screw jack refer to any hydraulic or screw-operated operating
device whatever, by changing the length of which compression, or
tractive force, or locking in position are achieved. The adjustment
of position and locking can be done with only a screw jack if
desired, but a hydraulic jack can be used as an aid in adjusting
the height, or in parallel with the screw jack. Other operating
devices or power tools are not required here. The adjustment can be
made easily and safely on the opposite side of the attachment frame
to the bridge deck. The lever can also be formed in a corresponding
manner in the upper beam 11 or in both beams 3, 11. It is then
possible to optionally fit either of the jacks to the upper beam
and the other to the lower beam or both in connection with either
the lower beam or upper beam.
[0033] The scaffolding unit (attachment frame 1) is preferably
attached to the deck of the bridge or other structure with the aid
of screwed bolts 23 from the stand 20. Attachment to the deck takes
place by gluing or casting the bolts into blind holes made in the
deck. The attachment is made from two stands 20 at a distance from
each other and with the aid of the screwed bolts the scaffolding
can be raised from the deck, so that a gap 24 forms between the
scaffolding and the deck. The deck surface can then be worked on
and the surface cast with the scaffolding attached. There can be a
spirit level or spirit levels ready in the attachment frame to
facilitate the adjustment of its position.
[0034] In this embodiment, the positioning of the scaffolding unit
in the height direction relative to the deck of the bridge or other
structure takes place by altering, in addition to the pivoted
parallelogram, the locations of the attachment points (pivot
points) 16 and 18 between the vertical arm 4 and the pivoted
parallelogram 12, 16, 17, 18. In the vertical arm 4 there are
attachment holes 25 on top of each other, which have a predefined
distance between them. At the ends of the upper and lower beams 11,
3 there are lugs 26, which are arranged on both sides of the
vertical arm and in which there are also attachment holes 27 on top
of each other, which have a predefined distance between them. The
distances between the vertical arm's attachment holes 25 are
greater than the distances between the lugs' 26 attachment holes
27. In this way, a large adjustment margin is obtained with the aid
of the vertical arm's 4 attachment holes 25 and a smaller
adjustment margin with the aid of the lugs' 26 attachment holes 27.
When this manner of adjustment is combined with the adjustment
taking place with the aid of the pivoted parallelogram, the
position of the scaffolding unit can be set precisely as desired
within quite large limits. This permits, among other things, easy
and accurate placing of the bridge's edge casting 19.
[0035] The adjustment of the position of the carrier beam 5
relative to the edge of the bridge deck or other structure can be
carried out with a corresponding hole distribution.
[0036] FIG. 5 shows a dense hole distribution in the carrier beam 5
and four holes in the attachment lugs of the vertical arm. This
hole distribution is also flexible and the number and distribution
of the holes can be altered to create an adequate adjustment
precision. Though a dense hole distribution can also be made in the
long load-bearing components such as the vertical arm or the
carrier beam, in these it is preferable to use a larger hole
distribution, to minimize the number of holes and preserve
strength.
[0037] In the invention, a pivoted parallelogram is preferably
used, but the lengths of the sides and the location of the pivots
can be altered as required, making it a pivoted rectangle.
[0038] The features of the embodiment described above can easily be
combined and the corresponding components replaced with each other
in order to create a structure more suitable for its purpose.
[0039] In the scaffolding, there can be integrated working stages
and these can include rails or attachments for formwork, tools such
as abrasive water jets, or handrails. The scaffolding can be
attached to a rail in the bridge deck, so that it can be moved as
work progresses parallel to the deck. In the attachment components
there can be toolboxes for the safe storage of tools and other
materials and lifting hooks or similar can be installed in the
scaffolding so that it can be moved as an entire system.
[0040] The scaffolding unit according to the invention can be
transported to the work site ready assembled or dismantled into its
principal components. Assembly of the scaffolding unit takes place
simply by installing the pivot pins 6 in place and locking them
with cotters. Thus in principle, the assembly of the scaffolding
unit requires no tools at all. The scaffolding unit is easily
dismantled into relatively light parts and can be moved to a new
location after use. Because several scaffolding units are required
for a bridge deck or similar work site, significant advantages are
achieved with the aid of easy assembly, disassembly, and
transportation. In place of pivot pins and cotters it is possible,
of course, to use other corresponding attachment elements such as
bolts and nuts.
[0041] It is obvious that the various parts of the example
described above can be replaced with functional and structural
equivalents within the scope defined by the Claims.
* * * * *