BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross section detail view of the assembly;
FIG. 1A is a perspective detail view of the assembly;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional detail view of the assembly at midspan;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional detail view of an alternative embodiment of the assembly at midspan;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional detail view of an alternative embodiment of the assembly at midspan;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional detail view of an alternative embodiment of the assembly at midspan;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional detail view of an alternative embodiment of the assembly at midspan;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the inflatable form liner in an uninstalled position;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the inflatable form liner in an installed position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The general concept is to provide a set of utility manhole installation formwork assembly which provides an efficient installation process to fix or install the top rim and manhole cover for utility and storm water sewer manholes and inlets. The concept aids in the alignment of the manhole cover with the existing and/or proposed slope of the roadway. The contractor has a higher level of confidence that the top portion of the manhole is being installed in line with the proposed roadway longitudinal and cross transverse roadway slope or grade. This proper installation with the roadway slope mitigates wear and tear on the manholes as they are subjected to traffic and provides for a longer lifespan of the manhole cover reducing municipal replacement costs.
Referring to FIG. 1, a discussion of the utility formwork apparatus 10 will be provided followed by a discussion of the method of installation.
The discussed embodiment materials and arrangement are just one embodiment of the concept and should in no way limit the overall scope of coverage of the claims as directed to the embodiments. For example, in lieu of aluminum, steel, composite carbon, wood, or other material which has the structural properties to support the functionality of the assembly as it repairs or installs the manhole cover can easily be provided.
Furthermore, the cross-sectional properties of the arms can either be rectangular, circular, or square, either a hollow tube or solid material throughout, and may be a combination of all the above as long as the functionality and strength-carrying characteristics of the arms are not compromised.
The utility formwork apparatus 10 has two main cross-section elements. The first element is a longitudinal aluminum arm 12 which in the present embodiment is a ¾ inch by 3 inch aluminum bar. At either end of the longitudinal aluminum arm 12 are handles 14 which may be extended in the longitudinal direction of each arm.
In the transverse direction, a nearly identical transversely aligned aluminum arm 15 is provided with a nearly continuous cross-section 19 at the mid-span where the two arms cross over one another while holding the manhole cover and iron rim 24 to be either repaired or installed.
The first longitudinal arm 12 has in this particular embodiment, a consistently rectilinear cross-section until it reaches the mid-span where a mid-span notch 21 has a seat for the transverse arm to fit. When the transverse arm 15 is seated within the mid-span notch 21, and the two arms are attached to one another, the entire utility form work assembly 10 can carry the iron rim and manhole cover in a suspended insulation/repair state. Furthermore, the longitudinal arm 12 and the transverse arm 15 are both arranged within the horizontal plane defined by the longitudinally transverse axis. Because both the longitudinal arm 12 and the transverse arm 15 can extend across the entire excavated region 46 (FIG. 1), proper alignment is achieved with the cover plate of the manhole more accurately aligned with the top surface of the roadway 28. The transverse arm 15 transfers the compressive capacity load within the compression zone of the longitudinal arm 12 at the mid-span location where the moment is the greatest.
In the present embodiment, while the notch is arranged in a substantially rectilinear cross-section, other configurations are easily conceived especially considering the varying configurations of the cross-section of the arms 12 and 15. For example, the longitudinal arm 12 may be a structural tube-type number either in a cross-sectional cylindrical shape or in a rectilinear structural tube shape. The longitudinal arm 12 can have a circular opening at the mid-span location, the circular opening acting as the mid-span notch 21, the circular opening receiving the appropriately sized transverse arm 15 which can be slidably inserted through the opening 21.
As can be seen in FIG. 1, the aluminum arms 12 and 15 span across an excavated portion 21 of the asphalt 28. The excavated portion has been provided so that access to the top edge 41 of the existing or new precast reinforced concrete manhole cone 40 can be provided. The utility formwork apparatus 10 has on both the longitudinal and transverse bar sliding retainer sleeves 16 which have top screws 18 and side set screws 20. These set screws enable the contractor to adjust the sliding retainer sleeves 16 into an engagement position with the outer face of the iron rim 24 of the manhole cover.
A discussion of the various embodiments of the midspan crossing section of the longitudinal 12 and transverse 15 arms will be provided.
Referring to FIG. 2, a midspan notch with rectilinear arms 98 is provided where the transverse arm 15 is in a rectilinear configuration along with the longitudinal arm 12. Here a rectilinear notch 19 is placed within the midspan location of the longitudinal arm, and effectively removes the top half or so of the material area of the longitudinal arm to make room for the transverse arm 15 to be seated. Similarly, the transverse arm has a notch in the bottom half of its cross-sectional area to seat within the longitudinal arms upper notch half. The cross-sectional body of the transverse arm 15 of the upper portion of the transverse arm acts as the material to transfer the compression forces 100 which occur at the midspan of the longitudinal arm 12. Also, at the bottom area of the longitudinal and transverse arms as the tension zone since the longitudinal arm 12 has a continuous material cross-section the tension forces are transferred along the bottom half of the longitudinal arm. On the bottom half of the transverse arm, the tension forces are not transferred because of the lower seated gap. Therefore, a tension plate 106 is provided to connect the bottom fibers of the transverse arm and the tension zone 102. Two bolts are provided at either end of the tension plate 106 to transfer the tension forces into the transverse arm.
In the above configuration, as seen in FIG. 2, both the longitudinal arm 12 and the transverse arm 15 are maintained within the same horizontal plane thus providing for accurate alignment of the iron rim and cover plate with the profile of the roadway.
An additional alternative embodiment as seen in FIG. 3, the longitudinal arm 12 is set lower than the transverse arm 15. A seat differential 116 must be made up through ground engaging stands at the ends of the transverse arm 15. The seat differential is the distance between the seat elevation of the transverse arm as it sits in the midspan notch 19 of the longitudinal arm 12 and the bottom cord of the longitudinal arm. Because the transverse arm 15 does not have a notch in the bottom portion of the cross-section, a tension plate 106 is not required. In this particular embodiment, the longitudinal arm 15 is secured to the transverse arm through the use of arm connection clip angles 118, which have been welded onto the transverse arm and in this particular embodiment can be bolted to the longitudinal arm.
While it may be advantageous to maintain each of the arms in the same horizontal plane to provide the same elevation as well as the same strength carrying characteristics, the arms may be of different proportionate sizes with the smaller arm or larger arm providing the majority of the weight carrying capacity depending on the connection.
Referring to FIG. 4, the arms are provided in a circumferential tube steel configuration 120 with the midspan notch 19 acting as a circular through hole in the larger longitudinal arm having the greater diameter 12. The transverse arm in this particular embodiment has a smaller diameter and can be threaded through the circular notch 19. Ground engaging seats at either end of the transverse arm make up for the seat differential 116. A set screw 122 can be turned to clamp the transverse arm into place with the longitudinal arm.
An alternative embodiment of the arm carrying members is provided as seen in FIG. 5. Here the arms are constructed as previously seen in FIG. 4 of circumferential tube steel. The arms in this particular embodiment are of the same outer diameter 138. Here the longitudinal arm 12 has an upper notch 19 while the transverse arm 15 has a lower notch. To transfer the compression forces in the longitudinal arm, a compression transfer clamping plate 132 is provided. The clamping plate has an inner radius which matches the outer diameter 138 of the tube steel pipe. Furthermore, the clamping plate in the compression zone has two threaded bolts which secure the clamping plate 132 to the top edge of the longitudinal arm 12. On the bottom surface of the transverse arm 15, a bottom tension transfer plate 134 is provided to transfer the tension forces across the bottom notch of the transverse arm at the midspan. Two equal but opposite set screws connect the bottom tension transfer plate 134 to the bottom surface of the transverse arm 15.
A further alternative embodiment as seen in FIG. 6 is a rectilinear tube steel arm configuration 150 with midspan notches to maintain the tube steel arms within the same horizontal plane. The configuration is similar to that as seen in FIG. 2 with the main difference being the tube steel members have a hollow inner region whereas the longitudinal and transverse arms of the embodiment as seen in FIG. 2 are solid aluminum members. Again a tension transfer plate 152 is provided at the bottom fiber of the longitudinal rectilinear tube steel arm 12, while another connection plate is needed at the top to transfer the compression zone because the rectilinear members seat adequately within one another to transfer the compression forces between the top fibers of the longitudinal and transverse arms.
Discussion of the installation of the iron rim and manhole cover over an existing or new precast concrete manhole cone utilizing the installation and repair assembly will now be provided. Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 1A, the manhole cover is placed in its position on the iron rim 24 and the sliding retainer sleeves 16 are tightened about the rim 24. The entire utility formwork apparatus 10 is then moved from a staging location to its position above the opening of the manhole cone 40. Because there is a vertical gap between the bottom face of the iron rim 24 and the top edge 41 of the manhole cone 40, formwork is needed to provide a temporary wall to seal off the concrete aggregate mix with super plasticizer 48 which is to be poured into the excavated region 46 of the area surrounding the top edge of the manhole cone 40. In order to provide an adequate sealing wall, an adjustable form liner 32 is provided on the inside face of the iron rim 24 extending down into the top portion of the manhole cone 40. An inflatable form liner bladder 30 is provided on the inside portion of the adjustable form liner 32 to provide for lateral stability and keep the wet aggregate mix 48 from pressing into the form liner and dropping down into the manhole barrel 42.
In an alternative embodiment, the inflatable form liner bladder 30 is arranged such that when inflated, it can act as the form liner itself to seal the vertical 35 prior to pouring of the concrete aggregate to fill in the excavation 46 and concurrently set the manhole iron rim 24 into place.
The inflatable form liner bladder 30 in the alternative embodiment when it is used solely as the form liner, in one arrangements is provided as seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, is a flat tube inflatable form liner configuration 180. In this particular embodiment, the inflatable tube has a generally rectilinear cross sectional shape but with a tapered front end 186 and a tapered back end 188. In its uninstalled state, the inflatable form liner 180 stands as a rectilinear wall, with the sidewalls 191 acting as the inner and outer walls of the form liner itself. The form liner when it is installed on the inside face of the iron rim 24 as seen in FIGS. 1 and 1A, laps the tapered ends 186 and 188 respectively, and enables the coiled and inflated form liner to exert an uncoiling force 202 against the inner walls of the iron rim 24 and the manhole cone 40. The uncoiling force helps maintain the form liner in position. The liner wall height 190 is tall enough to fill the vertical gap distance 35 as well as provide overlap with the iron rim with an overlap iron rim distance 208 as well as an overlap cone distance 206 for the precast cone 40. The outer wall surface 204 of the inflatable form liner acts as a mud engagement side where the aggregate mix 48 bears up against the outer wall surface 204 of the form liner. The outer wall surface 204 in one embodiment may have a thicker wall lining to resist puncture from materials within the aggregate such as miscellaneous nails, sharp edges from rocks etc.
Optional reinforcing 34 is extended from the top edge of the manhole cone 40 into the aggregate mix 48 for a more complete connection between the manhole cone and the manhole cover itself.
Once the adjustable form liner 32 has been positioned adequately through the lateral inflatable form liner bladder 30, the concrete aggregate mix 48 is placed inside of the excavated portion 46 of the area about the top edge of the manhole cone 40. Approximately 2 inches of vertical gap is left between the top edge of the aggregate 48 and the top vertical edge of the asphalt 28. Asphalt after the utility formwork apparatus has been removed from the now cast in place iron rim 24 and the manhole cover can be provided.
Therefore further discussing the method of utilizing the utility formwork apparatus 10 and replacing for example a defective or damaged manhole cover would be first to excavate around the existing concrete manhole cone 40 grading and excavation 46, remove the ring and the cover from the top of the manhole cone 40. The next step would be then to position the ring and cover within the utility formwork assembly 10. After doing so, the next step includes installing the adjustable form liner 32 and the inflatable form liner bladder 30 or in the alternative, the inflatable form liner 180, for installation within the existing manhole cone opening 40. The contractors then set the assembly 10 over the manhole. The inflatable bladder is then inflated by the contractors to seal the inside wall of the formwork. The concrete or mud is then poured by the contractors. The concrete then cures, the assembly 10 is then removed and the asphalt is installed.
While the present invention is illustrated by description of several embodiments and while the illustrative embodiments are described in detail, it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications within the scope of the appended claims will readily appear to those sufficed in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicant's general concept.
Patent Application
20080044225
