BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first formed cast-in-place concrete slab, having a groove cut therein for practice of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view, diagrammatically illustrating a power driven circular saw in the process of cutting a groove of the type shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the dowel and gasket of the present invention in the process of being assembled for insertion into a groove of the type shown in FIG. 1;
FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views showing the gasket of FIG. 3, without the dowel in place;
FIG. 4C is a side elevational view of the gasket shown in FIG. 3, with a phantom line representation showing the dowel received in the gasket;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1, illustrating the dowel and gasket assembly in place within the groove;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane designated by line 6-6 of FIG. 5, illustrating the gasket assembly received within a groove cut in the edge surface of a first formed slab, with the slab broken away to show the interior of the groove;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the dowel and gasket assembly received within a groove cut in the side edge of a first formed slab, with a second formed slab cast-in-place against the side edge of the first formed slab; and
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane designated by line 8-8 of FIG. 7.
A principal object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus wherein a dowel may be placed between juxtaposed cast-in-place concrete slabs, without the requirement of special forming apparatus to place the dowel.
Another and related object of the invention is to provide such a method and apparatus wherein the dowel is a flat planer configuration to provide a large bearing area.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an assembly comprised of a flat planer dowel with a gasket received therearound to both establish the location of the dowel in the groove of a first formed slab and seal the groove against intrusion by fluid concrete of a second formed slab.
A further and more general object of the invention is to provide a flat planer dowel for maintaining juxtaposed cast-in-place concrete slabs in horizontal alignment, wherein the dowel is embedded directly in one of the slabs and extends slidably into the other.
These and other objects will become more apparent when viewed in light of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 shows a first formed concrete slab C1 having a top surface 10 and a side edge surface 12. A groove 14 is cut through the side edge surface 12 and extends into the body of the slab. The opening of the groove, designated 16, is rectangular.
FIG. 2 illustrates the groove 14 in the process of being cut into the side edge surface 12 by a circular saw 18. The saw 18 is carried by a vertical shaft 20 rotatedly driven by an internal combustion engine 22, supported on the top surface 10 by support plate 24. The support plate maintains the shaft in a condition extending normal to the top surface 10 and, together with the length of the shaft 20, establishes the elevation at which the groove 14 is cut in the edge surface 12. In a typical example, the saw 18 is 8 inches in diameter and slightly more than ⅜ inch thick. The depth of the cut may be limited by a stop carried by the plate 24, or by engagement of the shaft 20 with the side edge surface 12. While only one groove is shown in the drawings, in practice a plurality of such grooves would be cut in the edge surface of the slab, at spaced intervals.
FIG. 3 shows the rectangular dowel B of the present invention in the process of being placed in a gasket G. The dowel may be formed of any suitably strong material, such as steel or fiber reinforced resin. Typical dimensions for use with a groove cut with the exemplary 8 inch saw would be 6 inches long, by 3 inches wide, by ⅜ inch thick.
The gasket G is ideally formed of a relatively soft polymer, so that it effectively seals around the dowel and against the edge surface 12 of the slab C1. The detailed construction of the gasket G is shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C. There it will be seen that the gasket comprises a rectangular face 26 having a slot 28 formed therethrough for snug slidable engagement with the dowel D. Extensions 32 are formed integrally with the face 26 and extend rearwardly therefrom for engagement with opposite sides of the dowel D, as seen in FIG. 3. The extensions have arcuate outer surfaces 34 and planer inner surfaces 36. The inner surfaces terminate with stop elements 38 disposed for engagement with the inner end of the dowel D to limit extension of the dowel into the gasket and assure that space will be provided between the dowel and the groove 14, when the assembled gasket and dowel are received within the groove. This space provides for limited lateral movement of the dowel D within the groove G.
With the dowel and gasket assembled as shown in FIG. 3, the next step is to insert the assembly into the groove 14, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. As there seen the inner end of the dowel is disposed in the groove 14 and the groove is sealed by the flange formed by the face 26. The inner end of the dowel D is spaced from the interior surface of the groove 14 so as to accommodate limited lateral movement of the dowel relative to the groove. The upper and lower surfaces of the dowel D are slidable relative to, and in close proximal contact with, the upper and lower surfaces of the groove 14 to maintain the dowel and horizontal alignment with the groove. The upper and lower surfaces of the groove 12 are seen in FIG. 8 and designated by the numerals 40 and 42, respectively.
In practice, the method of the present invention comprises the following steps:
- 1. The slab C1 is first formed so as to have a flat edge surface 12.
- 2. The semicircular groove 14 is cut through the edge surface 12 and into the body of the slab C1, as seen in FIG. 2;
- 3. The assembly comprised of the dowel D and gasket G is inserted into the groove 14, as seen in FIG. 5, to seat the face 26 against the side edge surface 12, thus covering the opening 16 of the groove 14;
- 4. The slab C2 is poured into place directly against the edge surface 12, as seen in FIG. 7.
The resulting combination of the slab C1 and C2 is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, wherein it will be seen that the slab C2 is juxtaposed to the slab C1 in direct contact with the edge surface 12. The dowel D is embedded in the slab C2 and extends therefrom slidably into the groove 14, with the upper and lower surfaces of the dowel in close proximal contact with the surfaces 40 and 42 of the groove. A space 44 is provided within the groove 14 to the end of the dowel D. This space is determined by the stop elements 30. As the result of the dowel D being embedded in the slab C2 and slidably received within the groove 14, the dowel serves to maintain the slabs C1 and C2 in horizontal alignment, while permitting limited lateral movement therebetween.
CONCLUSION
From the foregoing detailed description, it is believed apparent that the present invention enables the attainment of the objects initially set forth herein. In particular, it provides a method and apparatus for providing a dowel to maintain juxtaposed cast-in-place concrete slabs in horizontal alignment, without the requirement for special forms to place the dowel. The invention is not, however, intended to be limited to the specifics of the illustrated embodiment, but rather is defined by the accompanying claims.
Patent Application
20070269266
