The building method described was developed to build structures where water is present, such as docks, bridges and roads over streams.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,011,726 (Cooper Jr.) entitled “Delta Culvert” describes a three sided culvert, with sides connected with interlocking joints. The Cooper Jr. reference also describes background prior art on triangular culvert structures, used when roads must cross streams or drainage ditches.
There is provided a method of building a structure in the presence of water that includes providing two or more three-sided elongated triangular bodies that have a first end, a second end, and an internal flow passage that extends between the first end and the second end. Each of the triangular bodies has an apex with a base opposed to the apex. Triangular bodies are positioned in side by side relation with the flow passage of one or more of the triangular bodies serving as a flow path for water. A road, a bridge or a dock is positioning transversely across the triangular bodies.
Each of the triangular bodies may rest on the base with the apex of each of the triangular bodies extending upwardly. It is also possible that the orientation of the triangular bodies may alternate with the apex of one triangular body extending upwardly and the apex of an adjacent triangular body extending downwardly. Each of the triangular bodies has a longitudinal axis and positioning of the triangular bodies is closely spaced with the longitudinal axis of each of the triangular bodies in parallel spaced relation.
For ease of shipping, movement and set up, each triangular body may be comprised of three discrete slabs that have side edges with interlocking profiles and a step is taken of interlocking the interlocking profiles of the side edges to form the triangular bodies. Each of interlocking profiles is preferably a dog-clutch engagement with teeth which engage slots. A further step may be taken of extending fasteners transversely through the teeth of one slab and into a bottom of a slot of another slab to maintain the teeth engaged with the slots. The interlocking profiles ensure that the discrete slabs maintain their position when connected to form the triangular bodies and subjected to loads caused by a road, bridge or dock.
In order to achieve a desired length, each of the slabs may include more than one slab segment and a step is taken of positioning the slab segments in end to end relation to create the slab. A joint is created whenever one slab segment abuts another slab segment in end to end relation, and a step is taken of offsetting the joints connecting the slab segments of one of the three discrete slabs relative to the joints connecting the slab segments on other of the three discrete slabs. This helps to increase the strength and stability of the structure, as it prevents a common peripheral joint which could become a weak point.
With prior art construction using circular culverts, the road had to traverse the culvert at 90 degrees. With the method described, the road, bridge or dock may traverse the triangular bodies at any angle, including an angle of less than 90 degrees or an angle of more than 90 degrees.
These and other features will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to be in any way limiting, wherein:
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1. Water flow is at maximum flow availability at the start of flow rather than at 50% as in a round pipe.
2. The interlocking system in this triangular configuration will sustain the greater forces required for road compaction to support the heavy loads of today's traffic unlike that of previous designs.
3. The flat base of the triangle can be installed to mimic the water flow bed thus limiting the adverse effect on wildlife as in any flat base culvert.
4. By placing multiple Triangle Culverts together, a bridge effect can be achieved without having to align the road grade to the riverbed, as in a normal bridge.
5. By using a larger number of triangular culverts linked together, a lower elevation of road grade can be achieved. This is achieved because of the structural strength of the Castle lock system in a triangular form.
6. The dog-clutch (also referred to as castle lock) interlocking system allows for a substantial decrease in the installation time as compared to a round multi-plate type culvert or an onsite structural cement poured culvert.
7. The Triangle Culverts can be removed and reused at a later date as required, or extended in length with minimum disruption to the road grade.
8. A variety of materials can be used in this design to give a longer culvert life than the traditional round metal pipe systems.
It will be appreciated that the teachings set forth above are equally applicable to partially submerged buoyant structures. In such installations, flow passages 18 accommodate water flow through a lower portion of the partially submerged buoyant structure. For example, a dock or floating bridge may be a partially submerged buoyant structure.
It will also be appreciated that there may be multiple vertical layers of triangular bodies 12 to suit installation requirements. For example, multiple vertical layers may be required for deep bodies of water to provide a sufficient flow area through flow passages to accommodate the depth and volume of water. It may also be advisable in areas that are subject to flash floods, where a great volume of water may periodically flow through a normally dry gully in a short period of time.
In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements.
The scope of the claims should not be limited by the illustrated embodiments set forth as examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2751052 | Aug 2011 | CA | national |