U.S. patent number 3,899,261 [Application Number 05/344,437] was granted by the patent office on 1975-08-12 for expansion joint batten or packing of dilation joint.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Helka S.A.. Invention is credited to Andre Mieville.
United States Patent |
3,899,261 |
Mieville |
August 12, 1975 |
Expansion joint batten or packing of dilation joint
Abstract
A roadway expansion joint including an elongated elastomeric
member having a plurality of transverse cylindrical cavities
therein and a metal bar movably positioned in each cavity and
spanning the roadway gap.
Inventors: |
Mieville; Andre (Lausanne,
CH) |
Assignee: |
Helka S.A. (CH)
|
Family
ID: |
4277371 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/344,437 |
Filed: |
March 23, 1973 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 27, 1972 [CH] |
|
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4506/72 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
404/68;
14/73.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E01D
19/06 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E01D
19/06 (20060101); E01D 19/00 (20060101); E01c
011/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;404/60,47,67,52,59,68,53,54,51 ;14/16 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Byers, Jr.; Nile C.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Burns; Robert E. Lobato; Emmanuel
J. Adams; Bruce L.
Claims
I claim:
1. An expansion joint for a roadway, comprising:
a. an elastic member insertable between first and second roadway
sections spaced apart widely in a direction along the roadway, the
member having first and second portions, adjacent respectively said
first and second roadway sections when in use, extending
therebetween and being expandable and contractible in response to
contraction and expansion, respectively of the roadway to reach
from one of said roadway sections to the other, in said
direction;
b. said member having a plurality of cavities, also extending
substantially from one road section to the other, in said
direction, and laterally spaced in said member, said elastic member
and said cavities having a greater dimension in said direction
along the roadway than said member is thick;
c. for each cavity a rigid bar positioned therein, each extending
over a major portion of the length of the corresponding cavity and
longitudinally movable relative thereto; and
d. a plurality of metal plates imbedded in said elastic member
adjacent said end portions thereof, said plates including means,
adjacent respective ends of said bars, for anchoring said elastic
member to the roadway;
whereby said elastic member is elastically expandable and
contractible over a considerable distance and is at the same time
enabled by said bars to support considerable loads bearing down on
said member.
2. The expansion joint according to claim 1 wherein the ends of
said bars are rounded.
3. The expansion joint according to claim 1 wherein an upper
surface of said member includes a plurality of grooves transverse
of the roadway.
4. The expansion joint according to claim 1 wherein a lower surface
of said member includes a plurality of grooves transverse of the
roadway.
5. The expansion joint according to claim 1 wherein a lower surface
of said member includes a plurality of grooves longitudinal of the
roadway.
6. The expansion joint according to claim 1 wherein said anchoring
means are directly attached to said metallic plates.
7. The expansion joint according to claim 1 wherein said member
includes a substantially flat top surface and wherein said bars and
cavities are parallel to said top surface.
8. The expansion joint according to claim 1 wherein said cavities
are cylindrical.
9. The expansion joint according to claim 1 wherein said bars are
of metal.
Description
The present invention relates to a joint packing or joint batten
(batt plate or covering plate), consisting basically of an elastic
material band, such as synthetic rubber or other appropriate
material, such as synthetic elastomers, placed into the junctions
of the joint proper of civil engineering works, such as bridges,
roads, etc. It is particularly adapted to be used, when the joints
of the works have a high coefficient of dilatation which is
actually the case of bridges of great lengths; while previously
dilatation (expansion) joints were provided in numerous places of
the bridge, their number is actually strongly reduced which causes
the use of packings of great widths.
The known solutions used in the case of bands of elastic material
of a great width, which have the tendency to bulge or to collapse
under the action of strong service stresses, have provided
strengthening pieces, supporting strips, etc., placed and attached
under the band of elastic material; these different additions
increase the costs of these packings as well as the difficulty of
their placing.
The present invention remedies these inconveniences by suggesting a
joint of a concept and of an emplacement which is much simpler and
which prevents simultaneously the whole danger of bulging and all
the danger of collapsing.
The suggested expansion joint batten consists basically of a band
of compressible material, as synthetic rubber, and other suitable
elastic materials, as synthetic elastomers, in which a certain
number of cavities (recesses) is provided, generally of round
shape, crossing laterally the band of elastic material on its whole
width.
These cavities are provided with irons or steel bars, generally of
round shape, and the length of which is at most equal to the width
of the band of plastic material of a maximum compression stress to
which it has to respond; the width of the band of elastic material
is, on the other hand chosen so as to be able to introduce into the
cavities irons or steel bars, the length of which exceeds the width
of the joint of dilatation (expansion) of the work in maximum
contraction, so that these irons or steel bars form always a bridge
on the joint of dilatation of the work.
The attachment to the work of a band of elastic material, conceived
in this way, will be preferably effected at some distance from each
lateral end of the band of elastic material, by metallic plates
immersed into its end placed at a short distance in the
prolongation of each other; these plates, comprising at least three
perforations, a central one to which a screw head is welded and
through which the fixation of the elastic band to the work will be
realized. The two lateral perforations are of a sufficient
dimension for allowing the introduction of irons or for steel bars
of reinforcement of the band of elastic material.
Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will
appear from the following description which is given as a non
limitative example in reference to the attached drawings which
represent in:
FIG. 1 a view in cross-section of an expansion joint batten at the
spot where a strengthening iron was placed,
FIG. 2 shows a sectional view in the length of an expansion joint
batten along the line I/II of FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal sectional view of a joint batten along
the line III/IV of FIG. 2,
FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a joint batten comprising a
variant of fixation to the work, and
FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the joint batten comprising
a variant of fixation to the work.
At FIG. 1, a member or band of elastic material 1 is represented in
which one of several parallel recesses or cavities 2 of a round
shape is shown, extending along the roadway and along the direction
of dilatation of the expansion joint. As illustrated, the extension
of member 1, longitudinally of the roadway and of cavities 2, is
greater than the thickness or height of the member. In the cavity
2, an iron or steel bar 3 is slidably inserted, being of a length
which is seen limited at a part of the length of the cavity 2,
respecting the above indicated minimal and maximal conditions.
These irons or steel bars can move in the cavities 2 and are not
centered in them, but springs 5 are provided at each end, tending
to center these irons or steel bars, or to keep account of the
minimal length with a maximum displacement of these irons, when
compressing the band of elastic material 1.
In the realizations shown in the drawings, particularly on FIGS. 2
and 3, cavities 2 are provided at each side of a point of
attachment, but it is well assured that this number be not
limitating, neither the respective shape of the cavities 2 and of
the irons or steel bars, but the other further indicated
constitutive elements of the joint batten have to be adapted in
function of the number of retained cavities.
The band of elastic material 1 is provided in a known way at its
upper face with longitudinal grooves 5 which decrease the force
upon the anchorages, when it is set under traction. Equally, when
this band of elastic material is put under pressure, the grooves 5
make the upper part of the band of elastic material 1 less
resistant and a downward pull is necessarily created.
On the other hand, in order to permit this compression of this band
of elastic material, cuts 6 longitudinal of band 1 are recessed
into the lower part of the band which are of variable shapes and
dimensions and are for example of one quarter of the dimensions of
the uncut parts 7 of the band of elastic material 1. They are
obtained at the moment of realization of the elastic material band
1; in effect, it proves to be indispensable to sustain during the
casting of the material tubes permitting to realize the cavities
2.
Lower cuttings or grooves 8 (FIG. 2) have equally been provided in
the lateral sense of the band of elastic material, nevertheless,
these cuttings 8 are not provided on the whole width of the band of
elastic material 1, but on a part of it only, for example a three
quarters of the central part. A cutting 8 in a half circle has been
adopted, but other shapes can also be used.
In order to permit the anchorage of the band of elastic material 1,
a first series of metallic plates 9 has been immersed into it
laterally at some distances from each end, placed at a short
distance in the prolongation from one to the other and provided
with three perforations (FIG. 2), a central one 10, mounted by a
screw head 11, a part of which at least is inserted into the
perforation 10, two other lateral 12, 13, of equal dimension as the
outer diameter of the tubes provided to realize the cavities 2, and
therefore, due to this fact itself, larger than the diameter of the
irons or steel bars 3, and allowing their displacement.
The diameter of these perforations 12, 13 will preferably be even
larger than the outer diameter of the said tubes, in order to
permit, at the moment of casting of the band of the elastic
material, that this material covers the inner circumference of
these perforations 12, 13.
The band of elastic material 1, as it has been indicated above, is
laterally squeezed, on the other side, by a second series of
metallic plates 4, each forming (FIGS. 1 and 3) a side of a caisson
(case) 14, or (FIG. 5) a side of a half-caisson or square 15, or
(FIG. 4) being limited to the metallic plates 4. These metallic
plates will be provided with perforations 16a, permitting (FIG. 4)
the threaded end of anchoring bolts 16 to pass so that a bolt head
11, on one side and a nut 17 on the other side secure metallic
plate 4 to the expansion joint.
In FIG. 5, the anchoring ironwork 18 is bolted on the horizontal
part 4' of the square 15 and blocked by a bolt 19. Equally, in
FIGS. 1 and 3, the anchoring irons 18 are blocked on the horizontal
part 4' of the caissons 14 by means of the same bolt 19. The lower
part 4' of the caisson 14 will be advantageously cut (punched) and
a metallic plate (not represented) will then be placed astride upon
the lower part 4' of the caisson 14, below the bolt 19, to correct
a possible bad emplacement of the anchoring ironwork 18 or of the
metallic plates 9.
In case of FIGS. 1, 3, the metallic plates 4 will be bolted to the
metallic plates 9 by means of a threaded rod 20 and a bolt 21. In a
variant of a not represented embodiment, the caissons 14 will be
replaced by blocks of synthetic rubber, for example, provided with
the perforations which are necessary for the passage of the bolts
19 and 21 as well as of the compressing (squeezing) tool.
In order to facilitate the introduction as well as the displacement
of the irons or of the steel bars 3, their ends 3' will be rounded.
Since due to shrinkage after the molding process the cavities 2
tend to close-up, they will not be perfectly rectilinear as shown
on the drawings. Their form is also affected by stresses caused by
compression or traction or changes of temperature. It has to be
noted that the irons or the steel bars 3, which can be grooved or
twisted in order to limit the force to which the anchorages will be
submitted, allow displacements in opposite directions of the
caisson parts of a roadbed, separated by the joint of
dilatation.
The relatively short length of the metallic plates 9 permits to the
joint batten (covering plate) to adapt itself to the profile of the
work, such as a gutter or a sidewalk.
The present invention has been described above in detail with
respect to the preferred embodiment thereof, however, it is to be
understood that the present invention is not limited thereto.
Various changes and modifications can be made without departing
from the invention, for example, the bars 3 need not be steel or
iron, other suitable material can be used. The bars 3 and the
recesses or cavities 2 need not by cylindrical, they can have other
shapes, such as other crosssections than circles. The bars 3 need
not be straight and transverse; they can be crooked or curved and
can be at an angle to the transverse direction. The bars need not
be separate, they can be connected if desired. The recesses or
cavities 2 need not have the same diameter as the bars 3; the
cavity diameter can be formed larger or smaller than the bar
diameter. The cavities need not extend completely through the
elastomeric material 1, but can, for example, be closed at each end
with elastomeric material.
* * * * *