Patent Application
20230226717
The present invention generally relates to modular earth retaining walls, and more particularly, to an adjustable mold for producing precast concrete traffic barrier panels having varying geometries, or varying shapes and/or sizes, for use in a modular earth retaining wall, for example but not limited to, a modular mechanically stabilized (MSE) earth retaining wall.
Modular earth retaining walls with concrete panels, or blocks, are commonly used for architectural and site development applications. Such walls are subjected to very high pressures exerted by lateral movements of the soil, temperature and shrinkage effects, and seismic loads. In many commercial applications, for example, along or supporting highways, etc., the concrete panels are huge and heavy. Each concrete panel can weigh between two and five thousand pounds and have a front elevational size of about eight to ten feet in width by about five feet four inches in height.
Most often, the earth retaining walls of this type are reinforced. A conventional mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining wall with steel or polymer belt reinforcement is typically reinforced with steel strips or welded wire meshes that extends backward, or perpendicular, from the rear of a concrete panel to reinforce the backfill soil.
Typically, molds are used to manufacture the modular precast concrete panels for the retaining walls.
When roadways are located above or rest on top of the retaining wall, a traffic barrier is required in order to contain any impact of motor vehicles and prevent them from running over and falling off of the retaining wall. Examples of a conventional traffic barrier include a guard rail or poured-in-place concrete traffic barrier.
Recently, the inventor herein invented a traffic barrier system for a retaining wall in the form of a number of traffic barrier panels, which are essentially independent structures that sit side by side and stack on top of and become an integral part of the retaining wall to provide barrier protection for the roadway traffic. This traffic barrier panel is illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,663,907, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Although a successful design, the traffic barrier panels often need to have different geometries, or shapes and/or sizes in order to accommodate the changing grade at the top of the retaining wall. In most, if not all case, a precast mold is created and used to cast only a single geometry of traffic barrier panel. Furthermore, the manufacture of various molds to accommodate all of the different-geometry traffic barrier panels that are needed for completing an entire retaining wall is cost prohibitive.
Both precast and slip form can be performed to create a traffic barrier made of these panels atop of a retaining wall. These traffic barrier panels have linear squared sides, which requires the contractor to field modify by cutting the concrete or filling in with cast in place concrete or “filler pour” to close gaps and allow transitions or turns along horizontal and vertical curvature of the roadway to have a parallel traffic barrier.
The present disclosure provides various embodiments of an adjustable mold for producing precast concrete traffic barrier panels that have varying geometries, or varying shapes and or sizes, for use in a modular earth retaining wall, for example but not limited to, a modular mechanically stabilized (MSE) earth retaining wall.
The adjustable mold of the present disclosure provides a more economical way to cast traffic barrier panels with different geometries using the same precast concrete mold. The adjustable mold is designed to make the traffic barrier panels in a variety of geometries so that (a) the two-dimensional surfaces at each of the left and right sides can be precisely designed so that adjacent panels abut each other in a more contiguous manner and (b) adjacent panels exhibit an substantially aligned coplanar top surface, when installed atop a retaining wall at grade, resulting in an aesthetically pleasing appearance. The adjustable mold makes use of adjustable and/or interchangeable parts to allow different geometries of traffic barrier panels to be cast.
First, one embodiment, among others, is an adjustable mold for making precast concrete traffic barrier panels with different geometries for creating a continuous traffic barrier by placing the traffic barrier panels in a contiguous side-by-side arrangement adjacent a roadway atop a modular earth retaining wall. Each traffic barrier panel has a body with at least front, back, top, bottom, left, and right sides. The adjustable mold has a mold body having a plurality of walls that define an interior chamber, a door opening to the interior chamber, and a concrete inlet to the interior chamber. A door is designed to be installed on and to be uninstalled from the mold body to respectively close and open the door opening. The door has adjustable forming panels that are designed to define a left side two-dimensional geometry and a right side two-dimensional geometry of the left and right sides respectively of a traffic barrier panel to be made. The two-dimensional geometry is changeable by adjusting the adjustable forming panels among a plurality of possible fixed settings. Each setting defines a particular traffic barrier panel with a particular left side two-dimensional geometry and a particular right side two-dimensional geometry at the left and right sides respectively that are different than other settings. The interior chamber of the mold body in combination with an interior side of the door define an outer surface geometry of the front, back, top, bottom, left, and right sides of the traffic barrier panel to be made.
Second, another embodiment, among others, is a method for making a precast concrete traffic barrier panel. In this regard, the method can be broadly summarized by the following steps: providing an adjustable mold as defined in the previous paragraph; uninstalling the door from the mold body if not already uninstalled; changing the first forming panel and the second forming panel to reflect respectively a desired left side two-dimensional geometry and a desired right side two-dimensional geometry for respectively the left side and right side of the traffic barrier panel to be made; installing the door on the mold body; introducing liquified concrete into the concrete inlet of the mold body; permitting the concrete to solidify in order to make the traffic barrier panel; uninstalling the selected one of the interchangeable doors; and removing the solidified traffic barrier panel from the mold body.
Third, another embodiment, among others, is an adjustable mold system for making precast concrete traffic barrier panels with different geometries for creating a continuous traffic barrier by placing the traffic barrier panels in a contiguous side-by-side arrangement adjacent a roadway atop a modular earth retaining wall. Each traffic barrier panel has a body with at least front, back, top, bottom, left, and right sides. The adjustable mold system has a mold body and a plurality, or set, of available interchangeable doors. More specifically, the mold body has a plurality of walls that define an interior chamber, a door opening to the interior chamber, and a concrete inlet to the interior chamber. Each of the available interchangeable doors is designed to be installed on and uninstalled from the mold body to respectively close and open the door opening. Each door has forming panels, and the forming panels are designed to define a two-dimensional geometry at each of the left and right sides. Each door is designed to define a traffic barrier panel that is different than other doors. The interior chamber of the mold body in combination with a particular interchangeable door from the plurality installed on the mold body defines an outer surface of the front, back, top, bottom, and left and right sides of the particular traffic barrier panel to be made.
Fourth, another embodiment, among others, is a method for making a precast concrete traffic barrier panel. In this regards, the method can be broadly summarized by the following steps: providing an adjustable mold system as defined in the previous paragraph; selecting and installing one of the plurality of interchangeable doors on the mold body to manufacture one of the traffic barrier panels with a desired two-dimensional geometry on the left and right sides; introducing liquified concrete into the concrete inlet of the mold body; permitting the concrete to solidify in order to make the traffic barrier panel; uninstalling the selected one of the interchangeable doors; and removing the solidified traffic barrier panel from the mold body.
Fifth, another embodiment, among others, is an adjustable mold for making precast concrete traffic barrier panels with different geometries for creating a continuous traffic barrier by placing the traffic barrier panels in a contiguous side-by-side arrangement adjacent a roadway atop a modular earth retaining wall. Each traffic barrier panel has a body with at least front, back, top, bottom, left, and right sides. The adjustable mold has a mold body and a door with adjustable forming panels. More specifically, the mold body has a plurality of walls that define an interior chamber, a door opening to the interior chamber, and a concrete inlet to the interior chamber. The door is designed to be installed on and to be uninstalled from the mold body to respectively close and open the door opening. The door has adjustable left side and right side forming panels that are designed to define respectively a left side two-dimensional geometry and a right side two-dimensional geometry of the left and right sides respectively of a traffic barrier panel to be made. The left side and right side two-dimensional geometries are changeable by adjusting two-dimensional orientations of each of the adjustable left side and right side forming panels. The interior chamber of the mold body in combination with an interior side of the door define an outer surface geometry of the front, back, top, bottom, left, and right sides of the traffic barrier panel to be made.
Sixth, another embodiment, among others, is a method for making a precast concrete traffic barrier panel. In this regard, the method can be broadly summarized by the following steps: providing an adjustable mold as defined in the previous paragraph; uninstalling the door from the mold body; changing the first forming panel and the second forming panel to reflect respectively a desired left side two-dimensional geometry and a desired right side two-dimensional geometry for respectively the left side and right side of the traffic barrier panel to be made; installing the door on the mold body; introducing liquified concrete into the concrete inlet of the mold body; permitting the concrete to solidify in order to make the traffic barrier panel; uninstalling the selected one of the interchangeable doors; and removing the solidified traffic barrier panel from the mold body.
Other embodiments of molds and methods, apparatus, systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional embodiments, apparatus, systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims.
Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
The adjustable mold 5 is also designed to produce panels 3 with varying front heights so that adjacent panels 3 exhibit a substantially aligned coplanar top surface when installed atop a retaining wall at grade, resulting in an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
In terms of construction, the adjustable mold 5 has a removable and/or interchangeable door 6 that is designed to be installed on and to be uninstalled from a larger mold body 10. The mold body 10 has a plurality of walls that define an interior chamber, a door opening to the interior chamber that is closed and opened by use of the door 6, and a concrete inlet at the top leading to the interior chamber for receiving liquified concrete. In general, the interior chamber of the mold body 10 in combination with an interior side of the door 6 define an outer surface geometry of the front, back, top, bottom, left, and right sides of the traffic barrier panel 3 to be made.
The door 6 has a plurality of forming panels. In the preferred embodiment, the door 6 is designed with adjustable left side and right side forming panels 7a, 7b, shown in
Thus, the forming panels 7a, 7b define the two-dimensional orientation of respectively the left and right sides 11 of the panels 3, i.e., to vary the angles 12 and tilt 13 of the sides of a precast traffic barrier panels 3. The tilt is the vertical angle with the rotation the horizontal angle of the actual end or side of the traffic barrier panel that abuts the next adjacent traffic barrier panel. The adjacent joints custom cast paralleling each other provides a uniform joint between adjacent modular traffic barrier panels 3.
In alternative embodiments, a plurality of interchangeable forming panels 7 can be provided, each having a different fixed setting on the door 6 to enable different two-dimensional geometries to be defined at the left and right sides of the panel 3. In these embodiments, a set of forming panels 7 are selected from an available set and then the forming panels 7 are installed on the door 6, which in turn is installed on the mold body 10.
In other alternative embodiments, a plurality of interchangeable doors 6 can be provided, each having forming panels 7 with different fixed settings. In these embodiments, a door 6 is selected from an available set and then installed on the mold body 10.
In the preferred embodiment, the mold body 10 has a removable and interchangeable floor forming panel 4 situated at or near the bottom of the interior chamber. The floor forming panel 4 is designed to be installed on and to be uninstalled from the mold body 10. The floor forming panel 4 is designed to define a geometry of the top side of the panel 3 to be made (because the panel 3 is poured and cast upside down).
Generally, the door 6 with changeable forming panels 7 along with the changeable floor forming panel 4 provide a custom precast traffic barrier panel 3 with various geometries 8 (
As shown in
The operation of the adjustable mold 5 will now be generally described for the purpose of making a precast concrete traffic barrier panel 3.
First, an embodiment of an adjustable mold 5 as described previously and shown in
The door 6 is uninstalled, or opened, if not already uninstalled from the mold body 10.
The left side forming panel 7a and the right side forming panels are adjusted to reflect respectively a desired left side two-dimensional geometry and a desired right side two-dimensional geometry for respectively the left side and right side of the traffic barrier panel 3 to be made. This can be accomplished by adjusting or replacing the forming panels 7 on an existing door 6, replacing the door 6 with another interchangeable door 6 that has desired fixed configurations for the forming panels 7, or a combination of the foregoing.
The door 6 with desired configuration of the forming panels 7 is closed, or installed, on the mold body 10.
Next, liquified concrete is poured into the concrete inlet situated at the top of the mold body 10. In the preferred embodiment, the liquified concrete is poured into the triangular open cavity 14, which creates the rearwardly-extending, horizontal, triangular stem, or protrusion, associated with the preferred embodiment of the panel 3.
The concrete is then permitted to solidify in order to make the traffic barrier panel 3.
Finally, the door 6 is uninstalled, or opened, and the solidified traffic barrier panel 3 is removed from the mold body.
It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the present invention, particularly, any “preferred” embodiments, are merely possible nonlimiting examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the invention. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) of the invention without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the invention. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and the present invention.
As an example of a variation, the adjustable mold 5 of the present disclosure can be utilized to make a variety of different shapes and sizes of concrete panels and not limited to the panel configuration associated with the preferred embodiment that is shown in
Furthermore, although not desirable in the preferred embodiment of the adjustable mold 5, a traffic barrier panel without the rearwardly extending horizontal triangular stem, or protrusion (that serves as a counterweight in the soil backfill) can be made with the adjustable mold 5 by eliminating the forming panels associated with this feature.
