Patent Application
20240093436
The invention generally relates to road construction and road construction equipment and materials. More particularly, the invention relates to a system and method for providing a taper to one or more edges of a road plate.
The construction, maintenance and repair of roads and infrastructure such as power, gas, water, sewage and communication lines often require making holes and trenches in roads. These holes and trenches are typically covered with steel road plates when the holes and trenches are not in use so as to permit vehicles and pedestrians to safely travel over the holes and trenches.
Known systems and methods for installing steel road plates include placing one or more steel road plates over a hole or trench and placing cold mix asphalt around the edges of the road plate so as to form a taper around the road plate. The taper functions to secure the road plate to the surface upon which the road plate rests, and provides a gradual incline so that the road plate does not produce an abrupt bump when approached by vehicles and cyclists.
The use of cold mix asphalt to form a taper around the road plate has significant drawbacks. First, it is costly. Cold mix asphalt must be removed and replaced each time the road plate is installed. This is particularly problematic because road plates are often removed and installed multiple times for long term work projects and inspections. Moreover, fresh cold mix asphalt is often used each time the road plate is installed. Thus, cold mix asphalt produces significant costs in terms of labor and materials. Second, cold mix asphalt is environmentally problematic. Cold mix asphalt incorporates petroleum products and produces toxic runoff during rain. Additionally, cold mix asphalt is often not reusable and must be discarded after just a single use and must be discarded in an environmentally safe manner. Cold mix asphalt is also environmentally problematic because it depletes petroleum resources. Third, cold mix asphalt is black and is not readily visible by motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. Thus, cold mix asphalt fails to provide an indication of the road hazard presented by the use of steel plates. Fourth, cold mix asphalt is messy and results in loose aggregate, such as gravel and rock. Loose aggregate is problematic because it is damaging to the finishes of vehicles and creates a skid hazard. Thus, the loose aggregate must be cleaned up by road crews increasing the time and labor required for the use of cold mix asphalt in forming tapers around the road plates.
Another means for creating a taper around steel road plates includes Plate Locks™ Plate Locks™ are a modular road plate system comprising sectional pieces that are installed around the periphery of a road plate. The sectional pieces have an opening which is adapted to fasten the pieces to a road surface using anchor bolts. The use of anchor bolts by Plate Locks' produces a significant drawback in that the road surface must be drilled and the anchor bolts driven into the road surface each time the pieces are installed. Thus, Plate Locks™ require additional time, materials, and tools for their use. Moreover, the holes for the anchor bolts can become worn over time leading to the loosening of the anchor bolts which creates the potential for migration of the sectional pieces and the puncturing of tires as the anchor bolts can protrude above the surface of the sectional pieces.
What is needed in the art therefore is a less costly, environmentally safe system and method for forming tapers around road plates that does not involve the installation and use of anchor bolts.
The inventor surprisingly discovered a reusable system for forming tapers around road plates, wherein modular taper members are removably attached to a road plate as the road plate is installed. The modular taper-members are placed on the edges of the road plate and the weight of the road plate against the road surface holds the taper members and road plate in place when installed over holes and trenches. The modular taper members can be made of a friction bearing material so that the taper members cooperate with the weight of the plate to prevent the walking, shifting, and migration of the plate due to vehicle traffic. The taper members are reusable and can be made from a recycled material, therefore eliminating the environmental hazards and costs associated with the use of cold mix asphalt in the formation of tapers around road plates. The taper members are easily installed and removed and do not require the clean-up of the loose aggregate, further contributing to a reduction of the labor and costs associated with the use of cold mix asphalt.
Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide a road plate taper system, comprising at least one taper member having a body portion and a receiving portion, wherein the receiving portion is adapted to receive an edge of a road plate.
In some aspects, the at least one taper member is free of any aperture that is adapted to fasten the at least one taper member to a surface.
In some aspects, the receiving portion is adapted to permit an edge of the road plate to nest within the receiving portion.
In some aspects, the body portion and the receiving portion are made from a single, continuous material or combination of materials.
In some aspects, the road plate taper system comprises a plurality of taper members.
In some aspects, the plurality of taper members are adapted to nest against one another.
In some aspects, the plurality of taper members are adapted to be coupled to a road plate to form a frame around the periphery of the road plate.
In some aspects, the plurality of taper members includes at least one side taper member and at least one end taper member.
In some aspects, the receiving portion of the at least one side taper member is adapted to receive a side of a road plate.
In some aspects, the receiving portion of the at least one end taper member is adapted to receive at least one corner of a road plate.
In some aspects, the at least one end taper member is u-shaped.
In some aspects, the receiving portion comprises a bottom lip and a top lip.
In some aspects, the receiving portion comprises a void between the bottom lip and the top lip.
In some aspects, the bottom lip is longer than the top lip.
In some aspects, the bottom lip and the top lip form an end of the at least one taper member.
In some aspects, the body portion forms an end of the taper member opposite the receiving portion, wherein the height of the receiving portion is greater than the height of the end.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of providing a taper around a road plate, comprising: providing at least one taper member having a body portion and a receiving portion, wherein the receiving portion is adapted to receive a road plate; coupling the at least one taper member to an edge of a road plate by the receiving portion; and placing the road plate with the at least one taper member coupled thereto onto a surface.
In some aspects, the weight of the road plate produces friction between the at least one taper member and the surface thereby securing the road plate to the surface.
In some aspects, the at least one taper member is not fastened to the surface.
In some aspects, the receiving portion is adapted to permit the road plate to nest within the receiving portion.
In some aspects, a plurality of the taper members is coupled to the road plate.
In some aspects, the plurality of taper members is nested against one another.
In some aspects, the plurality of taper members forms a frame around a periphery of the road plate.
In some aspects, the plurality of taper members includes at least one side taper member and at least one end taper member, wherein (i) the receiving portion of the at least one side taper member is coupled to a side of the road plate, and (ii) the receiving portion of the at least one end taper member is coupled to least one corner of the road plate.
In some aspects, the plurality of taper members comprise (i) a first end taper member coupled to a first end of the road plate and a second end taper member coupled to a second end of the road plate, and (ii) one or more side taper members coupled to opposing sides of the road plate.
The above and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood from the following description of non-exhaustive embodiments of the invention, provided with reference to the accompanying drawings. Each embodiment is provided to illustrate the invention, not as a limitation of its scope. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the inventive concept embodied therein. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Such variations and modifications are not excluded from forming part of the invention, unless technically senseless, merely because they are not explicitly described.
The figures referred to above are not drawn necessarily to scale and should be understood to present a representation of the invention, illustrative of the principles involved. Some features of the road plate taper system depicted in the drawings have been enlarged or distorted relative to others to facilitate explanation and understanding. The same reference numbers are used in the drawings for similar or identical components and features shown in various alternative embodiments. The road plate taper system, as disclosed herein, will have configurations and components determined, in part, by the intended application and environment in which it is used.
Side taper members 102 are adapted to nest against one another and against end taper members 103 by taper member edges 104. Thus, it will be appreciated that side taper members 102 and end taper members 103 are separate, modular pieces that nest against one another while coupled to road plate 101 such that the taper members can form a frame around road plate 101. Taper member edges 104 can have a shape and profile such that the edges of adjacent taper members are complimentary to one another. In a non-limiting embodiment, taper member edges 104 are straight. In another non-limiting embodiment, adjacent taper members have taper member edges 104 that are complimentary to one another so as to permit adjacent taper members to lock together, such as in a dovetail relationship, for example.
The road plate taper system can be made from any material suitable for receiving and supporting a steel road plate that is to be driven upon by vehicles and cyclists while covering a trench or hole in a road. Suitable materials include, but are not necessarily limited to, rubber (such as rubber used in the manufacture of tires), high density plastics, and the like. The road plate taper system can be made from a recycled material, such as recycled tires. The road plate taper system can be colored so as to provide notice to motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians of the presence of a road hazard. For example, the road plate taper system can be colored orange, yellow, bright green, white, red, or any other color suitable for providing notice of a road hazard. The top and bottom surfaces of the taper members can be treated with anti-skid, anti-slip materials or can feature texturing for increasing the friction produced by the top and bottom surfaces of the taper members. In some embodiments, the taper members are free of any aperture or other feature for receiving a fastener, such as an anchor bolt or stake for fixing the taper member to a surface. Thus, the taper members of the invention can be secured to a road surface to provide a gradual incline to the approach of a road plate without the use of fasteners, such as anchor bolts.
Receiving portion 106 can comprise top lip 107 disposed above bottom lip 108. Top lip 107 and bottom lip 108 define a void therebetween for receiving the edge of road plate 101. The void can have a height that is the same as, less than, or more than, the width of the road plate that is to be coupled to the taper member. In some embodiments, the void has a height that is less than the thickness of road plate 101 so that the taper member couples to plate 101 under tension in order to keep the taper member coupled to road plate 101 during the placement of road plate 101 onto a surface. The void can have a height that is about 1%, about 5%, about 10%, about 15%, or about 20% less than the height of road plate 101. In alternate embodiments, the void can have a height that is about 1%, about 5%, about 10%, about 15%, or about 20% more than the height of road plate 101 so as to make it easier to couple and uncouple the taper member to road plate 101. As used herein, the term “about” means the quantity or value that is referenced, or that varies (plus or minus) by up to 5%, up to 10%, up to 15%, or up to 20% of the quantity or value that is referenced.
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In some embodiments, the invention provides a method for providing a gradual incline to the approach of a road plate. The method can be practiced by providing one or more taper members as disclosed herein, coupling the road plate to the one or more taper members wherein the road plate is placed within the receiving portions of the one or more taper members, and placing the road plate with the one or more taper members coupled thereto onto a road surface, wherein the weight of the road plate forces the bottom of the one or more taper members against the surface under friction thereby securing the road plate taper system to the surface. The road plate with taper members coupled thereto can be placed over a hole or trench in a road. The taper members can include side taper members 102, end taper members 103, joining taper members 105, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the road plate taper system is used to provide a taper to a plurality of road plates, such as over a trench, wherein the road plates with taper members coupled thereto are placed end to end in series over the length of the trench. In such embodiments, it will be understood that the road plates that are in the middle of the series will omit end taper members 103 and joining taper members 105, while the outward ends of the road plates in the series will include end taper members 103 and/or joining taper members 105 such that the collection of the taper members in the series forms a frame around the edges of the road plates in the series.
The road plate taper system can include shims that are placed between the bottom surface of the taper members and the surface on which the road plate rests in order to level the road plate in instances where the road plate is placed on an uneven surface. Shims for use with the invention can be made from high density plastic or rubber, for example. The shims can be made from rubber obtained from recycled tires.
This application claims the benefit of provisional application No. 63/408,658 filed Sep. 21, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63408658 | Sep 2022 | US |
