Excavation is known to be hazardous and collapses in trench supports take many lives each year. Even though we have made great strides improving trench safety, it remains very dangerous. A trench is defined as a narrow excavation that is deeper than it is wide. Trenching done in an emergency situation can be particularly dangerous because of need to quickly support the trench during search and rescue operations.
There is a need for a simple and easy to use trench wall panel system that allows a user to reinforce and support a trench both for emergency rescues and for routine trench construction.
A wall trench panel and system utilizes extruded aluminum panels having ribs and a socket edge and a ball edge which allows them to slide together and create a continuous trench wall that may be stabilized using traditional jack and wale techniques. To allow the trench to make a corner, a knuckle is provided which accepts both ball and socket edges of the panels to change the direction of the panels. In deep trench situations, panels of different sizes are provide to stager the installation of the panels which provides a continuous trench wall that is very strong and stable which eliminates the necessity of staging the trench in ever smaller portions.
Other features and advantages of the instant invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings.
In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is made to the drawings in which reference numerals refer to like elements, and which are intended to show by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
Referring to figures, a trench wall panel and system 100 is shown having an extruded shoring panel 110 which has a socket 120 along one outer edge and a ball 125 along an opposing end. Each shoring panel 110 slides into a corresponding end to form a continuous wall of shoring panels 110 to support the earth 150 to form a trench 170 lined with shoring panels 110. A plurality of ribs 115 are used to provide structural stability and rigidity to shoring panel 110. Of course, although shoring panel 110 is shown with two ribs 115, any number of ribs 115 may be used. In addition to providing additional strength to shoring panel 110, ribs 115 also act as a guide for construction supports when using a wooden framework for support.
In use, any number of shoring panels 110 may be used to provide a trench wall of a desired length as needed. In a use where it is necessary to form a corner, a knuckle 130 is provided to join two shoring panels 110 to form a corner. Knuckle 130 has a pair of knuckle sockets 135 along opposing edges and a pair of knuckle balls 140 at 900 which allows corresponding joining portions (socket 120 and ball 125) of shore panels 110 to join at an angle to form the corner. Both shoring panels 110 and knuckles 130 are made of extruded aluminum to provide high strength and light weight. Of course other materials may be used such as, but not limited to, sheet metal, zinc coated metal, etc. or even composite materials as long as the material can be formed with the ribs and connecting structures.
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Although the instant invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art.
This application claims priority and herein incorporates by reference U.S. provisional patent application 62/375,073, filed Aug. 15, 2016.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62375073 | Aug 2016 | US |