Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FLOOR DFCK STRUCTURE
_CKGROUND OF THE INV~;~N'l'.lON
This invention re].atcs ~enerally -to floor deck
structures and, more particularly, to a floor assembled from
a plurality of similar interlocking floor sections having
ventilation openin~s ~orrned therein. '~
~ ile it is intellded that the floor de,c~ structure
described herein be employed in ~rain bin6 and t,he like, the
~loor deck structure is not limited to ut;,li~ati,on in such an
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environment. A floor of the general type shown herein is
assembled from a series of elongate sections which are locked
edge to edge to form a complete floor. Each section is
usually formed entirely from a single sheet or plate of metal.
The floor structures in the prior art have a
variety of means for joining interconnecting floor sections
together in edge-to-edge relationship. In one construction,
the adjacent floor sections each have male and female J-shaped
flanges, one of the flanges depending from each longitudinal
edge of a flat floor plate. The male flange being slightly
smaller fits within the female flange of an adjacent section
to lock the sections together, the joint thereby having a
J-shaped cross section. In another design, a floor section
has a rectilinear male flange of unitary thickness depending
from one longitudinal edge and a relatively narrow U-shaped
or folded female flange depending ~rom the other longitudinal
edge which defines a narrow channel. The channel receives
the male rlange or an adjacent floor section so that there is
a triple layer of vertically oriented material at each joint.
Yet another construction employs floor sections with oppositely
oriented Z-shaped flanges, the female flange having an upright
free end. The male flange is received by the female flange
t'o form a joint between adjacent sections having a triangular
cross section. Unless provided with an undue number of
supports, the aforementioned floor structures generally lack
sufficient strength to support extremely large loads without
deforming and causing separation of the joints between the
floor sections.
In order to provide additional structural stiffness
and strength to an otherwise bendable flat plate without
increasing the amount or weight of the plate, corrugations
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or embossments are usually formed in the plate. These
corrugations or embossments tend to resist nonparallel bending
moments so as to prevent the plate from collapsing along a
line transverse to the corrugations or embossments. Various
types are known. The plate may be sinuously formed so that
the plate has a wavy cross section. Alternatively, emboss-
ments can be raised from the plate and arranged in parallel
rows or columns. The embossments may even be "randomly"
distributed in many different directions to resist bending
to some extent in substantially all directions.
In one prior art floor, a series of spaced
embossments are arranged in a laterally extending row. A
plurality of such rows are formed in parallel fashion in
the plate with every other row being offset, the embossments
thereby laterally spanning the plate to prevent bending along
a longitudinal line. However, the plate is still subject to
bending under load along a diagonal line between the rows
through the spaces between the embossments in each row.
~n applications where ventilation is required,
such as grain bins where air flow prevents spoilage of stored
grain, ventilation is provided through the floor structure by
perforating the plate. However, if the perforations are not
properly located, the strength of the plate will be lessened.
Obviously, it is desirable to form perforations of sufficient
number and size, but not to an extent which would substantially
reduce the strength of the plate. The perforations may be
formed by punching apertures in the plate. In one prior art
construction, embossments are raised from the plate in a
manner which will cause the surface to separate under tension,
thereby generating openings through the plate at the top of
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each embossment. ~lowever, these methods render the floor
"rough" so that the floor is not easily swept clean. In
addition, if an auger is used to remove grain from a bin
having such floors, the auger blade often catches in the
perforations thereby damaging the auger or the floor or both.
Further, if the perEorations in the plate open upwardly,
grain has a tendency to come to rest vertically over these
openings to prevent proper air flow.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the principal object of the invention to
provide a fabricated floor section in which adjacent floor
sections may be locked together so that under full loading
the joints between floor sections do not separate and to
provide a floor section with a contour rib structure providing
greater strength and having ventilation openings which do
not reduce structural strength and which are not subject to
clogging.
In accordance with the invention, a floor section
is formed generally from a flat plate and has a pair of
u-shaped flanges depending downwardly from opposite longi-
tudinal edges of the plate, one flange extending outwardly
from the plate, the other flange extending inwardly under
the plate. A series of parallel transverse embossments or
ribs raised from the plate extend continuously across the
plate, the embossments having openings formed in the sides
thereof to permit ventilation between the sides of the plate.
When a floor section formed in accord with the
invention is put under a load, the interlocking flanges
hold the joint together to prevent grain from falling into
the joint. Under load the top surface may sag slightly but
the joint remains under tension and the flange walls interact
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with one another to maintain a close joint and resist the
moment forcing the joint apart. As a result, there is less
rocking and better bearing on the floor supports.
The interlocking U-shaped flanges provide sub~
stantial strength, since a square box~ e joint is formed
having four distinct vertically supporting legs. The legs
act as a built-in rafter to resist lateral bending and absorb
the load on the surface of the plate. The free ends of the
flanges fit into a longitudinal groove formed in the bottom
surface of the plate when the flanges are engaged so that
the ends are held against lateral movement under load.
The interlocking flanges may have a height and a
width which is less than that of J-shaped flanges and yet
have greater strength. consequently, when the flanges are
formed prior to roll forming the embossments, the embossments
can be impressed nearer the edges of the plate. In addition,
when the sections are in inserted nested relation for shipping,
less space is occupied thereby reducing shipping costs.
The continuous lateral embossments resist longi-
tudinal bending and render the floor section stronger thanthe prior art sections having laterally spaced embossments.
The joint provides support against bending along a lateral
line while the embossments preventing bending along a
longitudinal line so that a floor deck assembled from a
number of separate sections has sufficient strength to
support a large load.
The utilization of continuous embossments and
vertical ventilating openings renders the floor easier to
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sweep and allows use of an auger so that it does not catch
in the openings. The openings do not reduce the strength
of the embossments or the plate.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a
floor deck structure having interlocked floor sections and
supporting legs;
Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view
of the floor structure of Fig. 1 illustrating the arrangement
of the parallel laterally extending raised embossments;
Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken
along line 3-3 of Fig. 2 illustrating the locking structure
and the orientation of the openings in the embossments;
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along
line 4-4 of Fig. 3 illustrating the construction of an
embossment at a point at which an opening is formed; and
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line
5-5 of Fig. 3 illustrating the construction of an embossment
at a point at which no opening is formed.
DESCRIPTIO~ OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
~ . . .
Referring to Fig. 1, a portion of a fabricated
rigid floor deck structure is seen to include a plurality of
adjacently disposed floor sections 10 and a plurality of
support legs 11. Each of the floor sections 10 is formed
from a plate 14, preferably, 20 gauge galvanized steel. The
plate 14 has a generally planar top surface 15 and a
generally planar bottom surface 16.
Raised from the top surface 15 of the plate 14
are a plurality of parallel ribs or embossments 18 extending
laterally across the plate 14 between opposite longitudinal
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lOS~
edges 20 and 21. The embossments 18 have a length which is
slightly less than the width of the top surface 15 of the
plate 14. The embossments 18 provide structural strength
for the otherwise flat plate 14 and tend to resist any aown-
ward force which would cause the plate 14 to bend along alongitudinal line.
Depending from the edge 20 is a U-shaped, female,
receiving flange, generally designated 24, and depending from
the edge 21 is a U-shaped, male, inserting flange, generally
designated 25. The flanges 24 and 25 extend the length of
the plate 14 and may be formed by appropriate bending of the
edge portions of the plate. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the
flanges 24 and 25 are joined together to interlock the ad]acent
floor sections 10 and act as built-in rafters to resist a
downward force which tends to bend the plate 14 along a
lateral line.
Referring specifically to Fig. 3, the female
flange 24 is seen to include an inner leg portion 27, and
outer leg portion 28 and an interconnecting bight portion 30,
all of which define an upwardly opening channel 31. The top
of the inner leg portion 27 depends from the edge 20 of the
plate 14 and is generally perpendicular to the top surface
15 and the bottom surface 16 of the plate 14. Li~ewise, the
outer leg portion-28 is perpendicular to the plate 14 and :
has a free upper end 32 spaced from the edge 20 but lying
generally in the plane of the plate 14. The bight portion 30
extends between the lower ends of the leg portions 34 and 35
and is parallel to the plane of the plate 14.
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Similarly, the male flange 25 includes an outer
leg portion 34, and inner leg portion 35 and an interconnecting
bight portion 37. The outer leg portion 34 depends from the
edge 21 of the plate 14 and is generally perpendicular to
the top surface 15 and bottom surface 16 of the plate 14.
The inner leg portion 35 is also perpendicular to the plate 14
and has a free upper end 38 which is disposed within a
groove 40 in the bottom surface 16 of the plate 14 which has
been formed in the plate 14. The bight portion 37 extends
between the lower ends of the leg portions 34 and 35 and is
generally parallel to the plane of the plate 14.
As evident by examination of Fig. 3, the lateral
width of the male flange 25 is less than the inner width
of the female flange 24 so that the male flange 25 is
engageable within the channel 31 defined by the female flange
24 between the leg 27 and 280 It should be apparent that
the leg portions 34 and 35 are shorter than the legs 27 and
28 by the thickness of the sheet metal so that when the flanges
24 and 25 are engaged, the upper surfaces 15 of the plates
14 are properly aligned. When adjacent flanges 24 and 25
are engaged to define a joint having a box-like cross section,
the free ends 32 and 38 are both positioned within the groove
40 so that they are held against lateral movement.
Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, it is seen that the
embossments 18 are formed in the plate 14 by forcing the
bottom surface 16 upwardly to form an arcuate undersurface 44
and an arcuate top surface 45. The undersurface 44 has a
height which extends beyond the plane of the top surface 15.
As seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the embossments 18 are provided with
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a plurality of openings 47. The openings 47 are formed by
separating one side of the embossment 18 from the plate 14
and raising it to the height of the center of the emboss-
ment 18 so as to expose an edge 49 of the embossment 18 and
an edge 50 of the plate 14. Thus, the openings 47 are formed
through the side of the embossment 18 and lie in a plane
generally perpendicular to the top surface 15 of the plate 14
to permit air flow from one side of the plate 14 to the other.
As indicated in phantom in Fig. 2, the legs 11
are generally U-slaped with outwardly diverging sides 54
and 55. The legs 11 are provided with a plurality of
structural bends extending from an upper edge 57 to a
bottom edge 58 to provide structural strength preventing the
legs 11 from bending along a line generally parallel to the
ground. As best seen in Fig. 1, a recess 60 is cut in the
upper edge 57 of the sides 54 so that the engaged flanges
24 and 25 may be received therein. A similar recess (not
shown) is cut in the other side 55. As a result, almost
every point on the upper edge 57 of each leg 11 is in contact
and supports the floor above it. The legs 11 support not
only the built-in rafters (the engaged flanges 24 and 25)
but also the bottom surface 16 of the plate 14 which extends
between the ~langes 24 and 25. The U-shaped configuration
of the legs 11 permits the legs 11 to be placed upright on
the ground without support to hold the floor structure at
a short distance off the ground. To provide better support
the legs 11 are placed with alternating orientations as
seen in Fig. 1.
