US3212267A

US3212267A - Culvert

Info

Publication number: US3212267A
Application number: US221396A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harold B Biehn
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-08-22
Filing date: 1962-08-22
Publication date: 1965-10-19
Anticipated expiration: 1982-10-19

Description

H. B. BIEHN Oct. 19, 1965 CULVERT Original Filed Aug. 6, 1959 l I 1 l i L "Mum/wh m IN V EN TOR. HAEOL D B. B/EH/V ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,212,267 CULVERT Harold B. Bielm, RR. 1, Perry Township, Fayette County, Greenfield, Ohio Continuation of application Ser. No. 832,099, Aug. 6, 1959. This application Aug. 22, 1962, Ser. No. 221,396 2 Claims. (Cl. 6115) This is a continuation of my pending patent application Ser. No. 832,099, filed Aug. 6, 1959, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a culvert construction, and more particularly to a semi-cylindrical culvert construction having means associated therewith for effectively precluding turning or rocking thereof incident to the application of loads to the sides thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide a semi-cylindrical culvert with a grating or load-supporting surface disposed at ground level, and wherein said culvert is provided with anti-rocking, culvert-stabilizing anchor panels or fins.

Another object of the invention is to provide an elongate semi-cylindrical culvert with simple yet highly effective means for securing a grating or load-supporting surface thereto, which surface spans the upper side edges of said culvert.

A further object of the invention is to provide a multisection culvert wherein each of the individual sections which collectively comprise the culvert is securely and rigidly inter-connected by rigid structural members which extend throughout the entire length of the culvert.

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein and as disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side phantom-elevational view illustrating a typical culvert construction embodying the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a culvert embodying the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top elevational view of the culvert construction of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on line 44 of FIG. 1.

With particular reference to FIG. 4, the numeral denotes an elongate semi-cylindrical culvert pipe or conduit fabricated from corrugated material or the like, and the

numerals

12 and 14 denote the parallel, laterally spaced, free upper edges thereof. At this point it should be understood that such a semi-cylindrical culvert may be fabricated from a length of conventional cylindrical culvert pipe by cutting or otherwise severing said pipe along and on opposite ends of a diameter. In FIGS. 2 and 3 the letters A and B represent duplicate semicylindrical sections provided as the result of having diametrically severed a length of cylindrical culvert pipe. The adjacent ends of sections A and B are suitably overlapped as at C for disposing said sections in axially aligned relationship.

The

numerals

16 and 18 denote a pair of rigid, elongate, continuous anchor panels or fins which are securely affixed to and carried by the outer periphery of sections A and B of the culvert to project radially outwardly on opposite sides of horizontal axis XX of the culvert. That is, panel or fin 16 is in the third quadrant, whereas panel or fin 18 is in the second quadrant.

Uniformly satisfactory results have been obtained in those instances wherein anchor panels or

fins

16 and 18 comprise a leg of elongate, continuous angle irons whose

other legs

16 and 18 are rigidly secured to the culvert by means such as bolting, welding, or the like.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention anchor panels or

fins

16 and 18 project radially from the outer surface of the culvert intermediate the quadrants in 3,212,267 Patented Oct. 19, 1965 which they are located; that is, 16 projects outwardly between upper end 12 andthe lowermost portion of the culvert at axis XX; and, by the same token, 18 projects outwardly between upper end 14 and the lowermost portion of the culvert at axis XX.

The numerals 22 denote generally a pair of elongate angles, vertical legs 24 of which are rigidly secured to and carried by the upper portions of the semi-cylindrical culvert sections A and B such as by means of bolts 26, whereby to dispose horizontal legs 20 in substantial spaced parallelism and projecting inwardly toward one another over and immediately above

upper ends

12 and 14 of the culvert.

Horizontal legs 20 define and comprise bearing surfaces for receiving the opposite sides of a grating or supporting surface which spans the upper ends of the culvert.

With particular reference now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the grating is illustrated as comprising a plurality of transversely extending relatively wide fiat bar elements 40 which are spaced apart, in the longitudinal direction of the culvert, and bear or rest, on edge, upon the hori zontal legs 20. These fiat bars are interconnected by means of structural elements denoted generally by the numerals 50. These connecting structural elements extend lengthwise of the culvert and comprise smaller bars, here shown as round rods, which are spaced apart in the transverse direction of the culvert and lie, or are disposed in, recesses 50' in the top edges of the cross bars 40. It will be noted that the combination of

elements

40 and 50 collectively constitute a supporting surface, the upper face or plane of which is adapted to be in substantial alignment or in the same plane as the ground level indicated by the letters E and F on opposite sides of the conduit.

The supporting surface or grating may be suitably anchored to the culvert such as by means ofa plurality of L-bolts 40' one leg of each of which is adapted to engage and be secured to an element 40 of the grating, the other leg being secured to and carried by the underlying horizontal leg 20 of the adjacent angle 22.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the adjacent ends of the flat bar elements 40 have side barrier plates 52 secured thereto at and extending across and connecting the ends thereof, said plates 52 being in substantial vertical alignment with the adjacent vertical legs 24 and extending longitudinally of the culvert.

The culvert is adapted to be installed as best illustrated in FIG. 4, in which condition the anchor panels or

fins

16 and 18 are fully embedded in the ground or other ma terial in which the culvert is embedded whereby to effectively anchor the culvert against rotation as the result of the application of a load along one or the other edges of the supporting member. With particular reference to FIG. 4 it will be noted that if a truck is driven across the grating from right to left, the initial application of load adjacent side F would, but for

anchor plates

16 and 18, tend to rotate the culvert causing side F to lower as side E was raised; and as the load progressed toward side E, it would be lowered as side F was raised. These inherent shortcomings and disadvantages of conventional semi-cylindrical culverts have been effectively eliminated by the culvert described herein, since it will be noted that I have provided an elongate, semi-cylindrical, multi-section culvert having associated therewith simple yet highly effective means for precluding accidental or unintentional turning thereof incident to the application of loads to the upper supporting surface thereof.

Uniformly excellent results have been obtained in those instances wherein the diameter of the culvert is three feet and wherein the overall length of the

anchor panels

16 and 18 have approximated four inches; the included angle between said

anchor panels

16 and 18 approximating 90 degrees. These dimensional characteristics have been specified merely by way of example and are not to be considered restrictive in any sense.

In FIG. 1 I have illustrated my unique culvert construction between a pair of fence posts 70 and 72; however, it should be understood that the culvert may be used in open fields, in the floors of industrial installations, and the likein fact, whenever and/or wherever it is desirable or necessary to provide a reliable load-supporting surface across a drainage ditch, utility trough, or the like.

The present culvert is clearly and importantly distinguishable from other types of culverts of which I have knowledge, in that it includes four continuous, elongate,

rigid element

16, 18 and 22, which co-operate with the comparatively light-weight semi-cylindrical culvert for reinforcing same to such a degree as to permit utilization of a semi-cylindrical metallic culvert pipe 10 as the sole means for supporting and sustaining a loadsupporting grating which, when the culvert is in use, will provide a rugged and durable load-supporting surface.

It will likewise be noted that angle members 22, in conjunction with the load-supporting grating that spans them, provide a rigid, box-like structure wherein the forces applied by reason of the application of a load to the grating will be uniformly distributed to the semicylindrical culvert pipe whereby to preclude distortion or deformation of same.

It should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the structural details of the device, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A culvert structure, comprising a semi-cylindrical section of culvert pipe, the section having longitudinal side edges, a rigid angle bar disposed longitudinally of each side of said section and having one leg thereof positioned against the outer side of the section and having the other leg projecting inwardly across the adjacent edge of the section, said inwardly projecting legs lying in a common plane, means rigidly securing the vertical legs of said bars to the pipe section, a grid structure comprising a plurality of flat, upright, relatively wide bars extending transversely of the pipe section and resting at their end portions upon the said inwardly projecting legs of the angle bars, means connecting adjacent ends of said flat bars together and spaced rod members extending longitudinally of the pipe section across said flat bars at locations intermediate the ends of said flat bars and joined to and connecting the latter bars together, and means securing certain of said flat bars to the inwardly projecting legs of said angle bars, said last mentioned means consisting of L-bolts, each of which has one leg thereof extending through the adjacent flat bar and its other leg extending downwardly through the said inwardly projecting leg of the angle bar.

2. A culvert structure, comprising a semi-cylindrical section of culvert pipe, the section having longitudinal side edges, a rigid angle bar disposed longitudinally of each side of said section and having one leg thereof positioned against the outer side of the section and having the other leg projecting inwardly across the adjacent edge of the section, said inwardly projecting legs lying in a common plane, means rigidly securing the vertical legs of said bars to the pipe section, a grid structure comprising a plurality of fiat, upright, relatively wide bars extending transversely of the pipe section and resting at their end portions upon the said inwardly projecting legs of the angle bars, means connecting adjacent ends of said flat bars together and spaced rod members extending longitudinally of thepipe section across said flat bars at locations intermediate the ends of said flat bars and joined to and connecting the latter bars together, rigid fin members having L-shaped cross sections being disposed longitudinally of said section of culvert pipe on opposite portions thereof, said members being secured by one of their legs to the outer surface of said section of culvert pipe with their other legs disposed radially thereof, and means securing certain of said flat bars to the inwardly projecting legs of said angle bars.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 212,645 2/79 Baumann.

355,185 12/86 Locke. 1,483,095 2/24 Kain. 1,569,777 1/26 Muehleisen 61-15 1,886,041 11/32 Frey 9433 2,153,790 4/39 Carswell et al. 61-10 2,259,335 .10/41 Carswell et a1. 61l1 2,674,857 4/54 Fortes 6116 X 2,701,027 2/55 Scoville 94-33 X FOREIGN PATENTS 20,789 1903 Great Britain.

184,002 8/22 Great Britain.

731,745 6/55 Great Britain.

EARL I. WITMER, Primary Examiner.

BENJAMIN BENDETI, Examiner.

Claims

1. A CULVERT STRUCTURE, COMPRISING A SEMI-CYLINDRICAL SECTION OF CULVERT PIPE, THE SECTION HAVING LONGITUDINAL SIDE EDGES, A RIGID ANGLE BAR DISPOSED LONGITUDINALLY OF EACH SIDE OF SAID SECTION AND HAVING ONE LEG THEREOF POSITIONED AGAINS THE OUTER SIDE OF THE SECTION AND HAVING THE OTHER LEG PROJECTING INWARDLY ACROSS THE ADJACENT EDGE OF THE SECTION, SAID INWARDLY PROJECTING LEGS LYING IN A COMMON PLANE, MEANS RIGIDLY SECURING THE VERTICAL LEGS OF SAID BARS TO THE PIPE SECTION, A GRID STRUCTURE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF FLAT, UPRIGHT, RELATIVELY WIDE BARS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE PIPE SECTION AND RESTING AT THEIR END PORTIONS UPON THE SAID INWARDLY PROJECTING LEGS OF THE ANGLE BARS, MEANS CONNECTING ADJACENT ENDS OF SAID FLAT BARS TOGETHER AND SPACED ROD MEMBERS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE PIPE SECTION ACROSS SAID FALT BARS AT LOCATIONS INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF SAID FLAT BARS AND JOINED TO AND CONNECTING THE LATTER BARS TOGETHER, AND MEANS SECURING CERTAIN OF SAID FLAT BARS TO THE INWARDLY PROJECTING LEGS OF SAID ANGLE BARS, SAID LAST MENTIONED MEANS CONSISTING OF L-BOLTS, EACH OF WHICH HAS ONE LEG THEREOF EXTENDING THROUGH THE ADJACENT FLAT BAR AND ITS OTHER LEG EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE SAID INWARDLY PROJECTING LEG OF THE ANGLE BAR.