Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02547700 2006-05-24
FIBER REINFORCED POLYMER COMPOSITE DECK OF TUBULAR PROFILE
HAVING VERTICAL SNAP-FIT CONNECTION
Field of the invention
The present invention relates to fiber reinforced polymer composite decks and
precast
deck tubes therefore. Especially, the present invention relates a technique
for constructing decks
such as a mat-type deck for temporary roads, a bridge deck, etc. using precast
deck tubes which are
made of fiber reinforced polymer composite materials, having a polygonal
tubular cross-section,
1 o and having a snap-fit connections.
Background of the Invention
As an example of a deck, there is a mat-type deck for temporary roads, which
is directly
mounted on the surface of the earth. For example, when constructing a
temporary access road so
as to construct a drilling base in an oil field, or when constructing a
temporary road such as
temporary road for felling and emergency operational road for military
operations, an assembly
mat-type deck using woods has been conventionally used. However, in case that
the mat-type
deck is made of the woods, its weight is considerably increased. In addition,
when the woods
absorb the water, its weight is further increased. Accordingly, it is
difficult to install and remove
the mat-type deck. Further, a workability is lowered, and a heavy equipment
should be used to
construct and remove the temporary roads and much time is consumed. Therefore,
the
construction period and the cost of construction are increased. In addition,
in case of the
conventional mat-type deck, it is difficult to construct the deck on the
ground having a longitudinal
gradient or on a cunied area. In paracular, in case of the mat-type deck using
the woods, the decks
are not completely connected to each other in the curved area. Accordingly,
the decks are
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CA 02547700 2006-05-24
disengaged therebetween, thereby causing the serviceability and the smoothness
of the road to be
decreased.
In addition, since its weight is heavy, there is a limitation in the vehicle-
loading capacity
thereof and a carriage rate is high. In particular, when transporting the deck
with a transport
airplane for military, the limitation in the loading capacity and the
excessive carriage rate are very
disadvantageous.
Another ex:ample of the deck, there is a bridge deck. It has been
conventionally used a
reinforced concrete bridge deck. The concrete bridge deck has such
disadvantages that its weight
is very heavy, its durability is decreased due to the corrosion of reinforcing
rod and the
deterioration of the concrete itself and thus the maintenance cost becomes
high.
As an alternative to reinforced concrete bridge deck, fiber reinforced
composite bridge
deck with lightweight, high strength and high durability has been proposed. US
Patents No.
6,467,118 and No. 6,591,567 disclose bridge decks made of such fiber
reinforced polymer
composite materials.
In order to fabricate the deck tubes in the aforementioned prior arts, the
deck tubes should
be pushed into a horizontal direction to assemble. If shear connectors of
vertical direction has
already been provided on the top of the girder prior to the assemblage of the
deck, it is very
difficult to use such deck tubes which should be assembled in a horizontal
direction.
Further, since deck tubes manufactured through a pultrusion method is only for
straight
2o bridge, it has drawback not to be applicable to the curved bridge.
Summary of the Livention
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to overcome the above-mentioned
disadvantages or lirnitations occurring in the conventional deck tubes and in
the deck constructed
using these deck tubes.
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An object of the invention is to provide a novel fiber reinforced polymer
composite deck
tube allowing a temporary road for oil drilling, a temporary road for felling,
a temporary road for
construction work or an emergency operational road for military operations, a
bridge deck and the
like to be easily constructed and capable of being easily disassembled and
reused after the use
thereof, and a deck using the deck tube.
An object of the present invention is to provide a fiber reinforced polymer
composite deck
tube of tubular pro:file having a vertical snap-fit connection and a multi-
usable deck assembled
using these deck tubes. The deck tube in accordance with the present invention
is assembled to
each other in a vertic,al direction through snap-fit connection without
adhesive bonding.
Specifically, an object of the invention is to provide a fiber reinforced
polymer composite
precast deck tube having a hollow cross section and a novel snap-fit
connection deck and a deck
made of the same and capable of being diversely used, which enables the deck
tubes to be
assembled in a vertical direction, rather than a horizontal direction, in a
solid mechanical maimer
without using an adhesive when assembling the deck tubes, prevents a bending
moment rigidity
between the deck tubes from being decreased and is capable of being easily
applied to the
constructions (assembling and dismantling) of a curved road, a bridge deck and
a road constructed
in a place having a longitudinal gradient, while exhibiting many advantages
resulting from the
preliminary constructions with the fiber reinforced composite such as precast
manner.
In order to accomplish this object of the present invention, there is a fiber
reinforced
polymer composite deck tube comprising : an upper plate having an upper
extension at its one side,
a lower plate having a lower extension at its one side opposite to the side of
the upper plate, and a
web therebetween, forming therein a plurality of divisional portions of
polygonal tubular cross-
sectional shape, wherein at one side, including a first downward interlocking
piece protruded
downward at the end of the extension of the upper plate and a second downward
interlocking piece
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CA 02547700 2006-05-24
protruded downwar=d at a lower outer surface of the web, and at the other
side, including a first
upward interlocking piece protruded upward at an upper outer surface of the
web and a second
upward interlocking piece protruded upward at the end of the extension of the
lower plate, wherein
upon assembling the deck tubes with each other, the first and the second
downward interlocking
pieces and of one tube are detachably and mechanically snap-fit coupled to the
first and the second
upward interlocking pieces and, respectively, of the other tube, and wherein
the interlocking pieces
coupled to each other have protrusions with a shape corresponding to each
other for mutual
mechanical engagernent so that neighboring deck tubes are detachably and
mechanically snap-fit
coupled in a vertical direction to each other to form a deck.
According to the present invention, there is a fiber reinforced polymer
composite deck
tube, wherein at an inner side of the end of the upper extension, a supporting
portion is protruded to
support the leading end of the first upward interlocking piece from the back
of the first upward
interlocking piece, and at an inner side of the end of the lower extension, a
recess is formed so that
another supporting portion is protruded to support the leading end of the
second downward
interlocking piece from the back of the second downward interlocking piece
when the second
downward interlocking piece and the second upward interlocking piece are
coupled to each other,
whereby the interlocking pieces are more firmly coupled through increasing a
resistance force
against a horizontal direction in a state that the interlocking pieces have
been coupled to each other.
Further, according to the present invention, there is a deck constructed by
assembling such deck
tubes.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention
will be more
apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying
drawings, in which:
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FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic perspective view and sectional view showing that a
fiber
reinforced polymer composite precast deck tube according to an embodiment of
the invention is
connected to the neighboring deck tube to form a mat-type deck for temporary
roads;
FIGs. 3 to 6 are cross-sectional views showing various shapes of deck tubes
according to
other embodiments of the present invention;
FIGS. 7 and 8 are another example of the invention, which are schematic
sectional view
and perspective view of a deck tube capable of being used for a bridge deck;
FIGs. 9 to 11 are enlarged views showing a coupling structure between the
first downward
interlocking piece and the first upward interlocking piece according to an
embodiment of the
lo present invention, respectively;
FIG. 12 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing a horizontal
connection
structure of a mat-type deck according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 13 is a schematic partial perspective view of a horizontal connection
assembly used
for the horizontal connection structure shown in FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is another example of a deck tube of the invention, which is a
schematic sectional
view of a deck tube comprising a contractible member having a contractible
volume which is
respectively provide;d in a hollow interior of the deck tube and a protrusion
connection part;
FIG. 15 is a sectional view of a gradient-correspondence connection assembly
which can
be bent in a predetermined angle correspondingly to a longitudinal gradient of
the ground surface;
FIG. 16 is a sectional view showing that a mat-type deck having the gradient-
correspondence corulection assembly shown in FIG. 15 is laid on the ground
surface having a
gradient;
FIG. 17 is a schematic plan view showing a structure of a curved part capable
of being
applied to a mat-type deck of the invention;
FIG. 18 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along a line E-E of FIG. 17;
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FIG. 19 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along a line G-G of FIG. 17;
FIG. 20 is ,a schematic exploded perspective view of a curved part-connection
assembly
used for a curved structure;
FIG. 21 is a. schematic perspective view of a deck manufactured into an arch
shape; and
FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing an example of a bridge constructed with
a bridge
deck structured by a. deck tube of the invention;
FIGs. 23 and 24 are side views showing an order for constructing a bridge deck
through
installing a deck tube to a steel girder;
FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing a details of connection between deck
tubes and a
steel girder in accordance with the present invention, in a state that the
deck has been constructed
by assembling the deck tube to the girder;
FIG. 26 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along a line C-C of FIG. 25;
FIG. 27 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along a line D-D of FIG. 25;
FIG. 28 is a perspective view showing a details of connection between deck
tubes and a
prestressed concrete girder in accordance with the present invention, in a
state that the deck has
been constructed by assembling the deck tube to the girder;
FIG. 29 is a perspective view showing a details of non-composite type
connection
between the deck and a prestressed concrete girder in accordance with the
present invention;
FIG. 30 is a. perspective view showing a connecting state of the deck and
connector of the
present invention for the construction of curved portion of the deck;
FIG. 31 is a schematic perspective view of a transition curve connector for
the
construction of a curved poraon of the deck;
FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line G-G of FIG. 30; and
FIG. 33 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line H-H of FIG. 30.
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Detailed Description of the Invention
Hereinafterõ a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described
with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, it is described a mat-type deck for temporary roads which is directly
mounted on the
ground surface so as to form an access road for a drilling base in an oil
field, an access road for
felling and a temporary road for military operations.
FIGs. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a fiber reinforced composite deck tube
1 for a mat-
type deck of the present invention and a cross-sectional view showing an
assembly status that the
deck tube 1 being assembled with another neighboring deck tube 1',
respectively.
As shown 'v1 FIGs. 1 and 2, the deck tube 1 comprises an upper plate 2, a
lower plate 3 and
a web 4 therebetween, thus forming a plurality of polygonal hollow (or
tubular) cross-sectional
shape. FIGs. 3 to 6 are cross-sectional views showing various shapes of deck
tubes according to
other embodiments of the present invention. FIGs. 7 and 8 are perspective
views of a fiber
reinforced composite deck tube 1 for a bridge deck according to other
embodiments of the present
invention and a cross-sectional view showing an assembly status that the deck
tube 1 being
assembled with another neighboring deck tube, respectively.
The hollow portion of the deck tube may have a shape of a trapezoid shown in
FIG. 3, and
a triangle shown in FIG. 4. Further, the number of the hollow portion of the
deck tube may be
changed variously as shown in FIG. 5. hi addition, a deck tube 1 may be
modified into a curved
shape as shown in Fig. 6 for forming an arch shape or modified to be adapted
to a bridge deck as
shown in Figs. 7 anci 8.
The deck tube of the fiber reinforced polymer composite materials is composed
of
reinforcing fibers and resin. The deck tube is manufactured by a pultrusion
method. The
reinforcing fibers may be selected from a group including glass fibers, carbon
fibers, aramid fibers
and so on, to which the reinforcing fibers are not essentially limited.
Various fibers and a
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combination of the fibers described above can be used as the reinforcing
fibers. The resin may be
selected from a group including polyester, polyurethane, vinylester, phenol or
epoxy.
The deck tubes 1 having such cross-sectional structure are arranged parallelly
in a
longitudinal direction (a direction marked as arrow A in FIG. 1) at their side
portions and integrally
assembled, fomiing; a deck. In the present invention, the deck tube 1
approaches the neighboring
deck tube 1' vertically (in a direction marked as arrow B in FIG. 1) and is
thereto coupled by a
simple and firm mechanical coupling method of snap-fit type. To this end, at
one side of the deck
tube 1, a first downward interlocking piece 15a and a second downward
interlocking piece 15b are
provided. At the other side of the deck tube 1, a first upward interlocking
piece 15a' and a second
to upward interlocking piece 15b' are provided. The first downward
interlocking piece 15a of the
deck tube 1 is to be detachably and mechanically coupled in snap-fit type to
the first upward
interlocking piece 15a' of the neighboring deck tube 1'. The second downward
interlocking piece
15b of the deck tube 1 is to be detachably and mechanically coupled in snap-
fit type to the second
upward interlocking piece 15b' of the neighboring deck tube 1'.
Specifically, in an embodiment illustrated in the drawings, at one side of the
deck tube 1,
an upper extension 5 is formed to extend from the upper plate 2, the first
downward interlocking
piece 15a is protruded downward at the end of the extension 5 of the upper
plate 2 (FIG. 2). The
second downward interlocking piece 15b is protruded downward at a lower outer
surface of the
web 4. Meanwhileõ at the other side of the deck tube 1, the first upward
interlocking piece 15a' is
protruded upward at an upper outer surface of the web 4, a lower extension 5'
is formed to extend
from the lower plate 3, and the second upward interlocking piece l5b' is
protruded upward at the
end of the extension 5' of the lower plate 3, wherein upon assembling the deck
tubes with each
other, the first and second downward interlocking pieces 15a and 15b of one
deck tube are
detachably and mechanically snap-fit coupled to the first and second upward
interlocking pieces
15a' and 15b', respectively, of the other tube.
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FIGs. 9 to fl 1 are enlarged views showing a coupling structure between the
first downward
interlocking piece 15a and the first upward interlocking piece 15a' according
to an embodiment of
the present invention, respectively. Fig. 9 is a state before assembling, Fig.
10 shows a state in
which a first upward interlocking piece 15a' is set back when assembling, and
Fig. 11 shows a
state in which the first upward interlocking piece 15a' is elastically
restored due to an elastic
property of a fiber reinforr,ed composite material and completely engaged.
As shown in the drawings, the first downward interlocking piece 15a and the
first upward
interlocking piece 15a' have protrusions 15c and 15c', respectively having a
shape corresponding
to each other, so tlaat the protrusions 15c and 15c' are engaged with each
other to form a finn
1 o mechanical coupling. Meanwhile, in order to increase a resistance against
a horizontal direction in
a state that the protrusions have been coupled to each other, at an inner side
of the end of the upper
extension 5, a supportinng portion 51 is preferably protruded to support the
end of the first upward
interlocking piece 15a' from the back of the first upward interlocking piece
15a'. The structure
explained above can be similarly adapted to a coupling structure between the
second downward
interlocking piece 15b and the second upward interlocking piece 15b'.
Meanwhile, in FIGs. 9 to
11, an example of a shape of transverse fiber arrangement in the interlocking
pieces 15a and 15a' is
illustrated in dotted Lines. In the present invention, fibers can be arranged
in the interlocking pieces
15a, 15a', 15b and 15b' as illustrated in dotted lines, so that even if a
shear force is exerted to the
protrusions betweeri the deck tubes 1 and 1' a sufficient strength is provided
through such fiber
arrangement.
In the present invention, the deck tube 1 is engaged side by side and coupled
with the
neighboring deck tube 1' having the corresponding shape, forming a panel
structure, i.e., a deck.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the deck tube I is pressed downwardly toward
the neighboring
deck tube 1'. Theitfore, the first and the second downward interlocking pieces
15a and 15b of the
deck tube 1 are engaged from upside with the first and second upward
interlocking pieces 15a' and
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15b' of the neighboring deck tube 1'. Thus, both deck tubes 1 and 1' are fumly
and mechanically
coupled with each other.
Herein, the first downward interlocking piece 15a and the first upward
interlocking piece
15a' are elastic, and thus, if downward force exceeding a certain level is
exerted to the deck tube 1,
the protrusion.s 15c and 15c' are slid to each other, and slightly push the
first upward interlocking
piece 15a', facilitating an easy mechanical coupling between the two
protrusions 15c and 15c'.
After the slip of protrusions, the first downward interlocking piece 15a and
the first upward
interlocking piece 15a' are elastically restored to their original positions
so that the protrusions 15c
and 15c' are firmly engaged each other. Parricularly, the deck tube of the
present invention
i o includes the supportlnng portion 51 supporting the ends of the first
upward interlocking piece 15a'
at its back side so as to exert a horizontal resistance force.
On the contrary, if the deck tube 1 is pulled up with an upward force
exceeding a certain
level, similar to the above, the protrusions 15c and 15c' are slid to each
other, and slightly push the
first upward interlocking piece 15a' toward its back side, facilitating an
easy disengagement
between the two pieces. Accordingly, the deck tube can be easily disassembled
after the use and
repetitively reused due to its high durability. ln addition, the deck tube can
be easily disassembled
when maintaining and/or replacing it. In addition to the above method, the
deck tube 1 can be also
disassembled by pushing out it in a horizontal direction (i.e., a hollow
direction of the deck tube
perpendicular to an arrow A in Fig. 1).
As shown in Fig. 1, after assembling the deck tubes 1 to construct the mat-
type deck, a
closure deck tube 1- 1 can be equipped in a last stage. The closure deck tube
1-1 has a bent shape
such as reversed L-shape
At one side of the closure deck tube 1-1, the first downward interlocking
piece 15a is
protruded downward at the end of the horizontal plate of the closure deck tube
1-1. The first
downward interlocking piece 15a will be detachably and mechanically snap-fit
coupled to the first
CA 02547700 2006-05-24
upward interlocking piece 15a' provided at the deck tube 1. The second
downward interlocking
piece 15b is protruded downward at the side of the verbical web of the closure
deck tube 1-1. The
second downward interlocking piece 15b will be detachably and mechanically
snap-fit coupled to
the second upward interlocking piece 15b' provided at the deck tube 1. The
closure deck tube 1-1
is respectively connected to the outermost deck tube 1, thereby finishing ends
of the mat-type deck.
Like this, when the deck tubes 1 of the invention are continuously connected
in a
longitudinal direction of the anow A in Fig. 1, an access road through which
various vehicles and
equipments pass can be conveniently and firmly constructed on the ground
surface. In particular,
since the deck tube 1 of the invention consists of the composite material and
thus has a light
weight, the assembly and establishment thereof can be quickly carried out.
Accordingly, it is
possible to quickly and conveniently construct the temporary roads for oil
drilling, felling or
military operations. In addition, according to the deck tube 1 of the
invention, as described above,
since the deck tubes can be easily disassembled, it can be easily dismantled
after the use. Further,
since it has a high diuubility, the deck tube can be continuously reused.
In the mean time, when constructing the mat-type deck of the invention, it may
be
necessary to connect the deck in a transverse direction (i.e., a direction
perpendicular to the arrow
A in Fig. 1). To this end, according to the invention, a horizontal connection
structure is provided
as follows.
Fig. 12 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing a horizontal
connection
structure of a mat-type deck according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig.
13 is a schematic
partial perspective view of a horizontal connection assembly 300 used for the
horizontal
connection structure shown in Fig. 12. The connection assembly 300 comprises a
vertical center
wal1301 and a pair of connection plates 302 veracally mounted to both sides of
the center wal1301
and having web plates 4 of the deck tube 1 interposed therebetween and through
holes 305 into
which a connection rod 303 is inserted. As shown, when the deck tube 1 is
respectively connected
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to both sides of the connection assembly 300, the web plates 4 of the deck
tube 1 are fitted between
the connection plates 302. At this time, the connection rod 303 is inserted to
pass through the
connection plate 302 and the web plates 4 with the web plates 4 being fitted.
In a posifion in which
the protrusion conriection part exists in the deck tube 1, as shown, either
one or both of the
connection plates 302 has a reduced height. With the horizontal connection
structure, the mat-type
deck of the invention can be finnly connected in even the transverse
direction.
The mat-type deck may be i.nstalled on the ground surface having much water.
In this
case, if the water is frozen with being introduced in the protnasions, the
protrusions may be
damaged due to the volume expansion of the water. In addition, the deck tube 1
itself may be
damaged due to the freeze expansion of the water introduced in the hollow
space of the deck tube
1. In order to prevent this, according to the invention, as shown in Fig. 14,
a contractible member
304 having a contractible volume is respectively provided to the hollow inside
of the deck tube I
and the inside of the protrusion connection part. For example, urethane foam
may be used as the
contractible member. By providing the contractible member 304, even when the
water is frozen
and the volume is thius expanded, it is possible to compensate for the volume
expansion due to the
contraction of the contractible member 304. As a consequence, it is possible
to prevent the
protrusion connection part and the deck tube itself from being damaged due to
the volume
expansion.
There may be a situation where the mat-type deck is equipped on an irregular
ground
surface. In this caseõ if the mat-type deck is excessively curved, the
protnzion connection part may
be damaged. In order to prevent this, a following connection structure may be
further provided.
Fig. 15 is a sectional view of a gradient-correspondence connection assembly
400 which
can be bent in a predetermined angle correspondingly to a longitudinal
gradient of the ground
surface. The gradient-correspondence connection assembly 400 comprises closure
deck tubes 1-1
whi.ch are arranged in an opposite direction and an elastic member 401
integrated between them.
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In other words, as shown in Fig. 15, the gradient-correspondence connection
assembly 400 has
such structure that the elastic member 401 having a predetermined thickness is
integrated between
the web plates 4 of the closure deck tubes 1-1 arranged in an opposite
direction. The elastic
member 401 may be integrated with the closure deck tubes 1-1 using the
adhesive, etc. Fig. 16 is a
sectional view showing that the mat-type deck having the gradient-
correspondence connection
assembly 400 is laid on the ground surface having a gradient. As shown in Fig.
16, in case that the
mat-type deck is downwardly inclined due to the gradient of the ground
surface, the elastic
member 401 is correspondingly deformed, so that the gradient-correspondence
connection
assembly 400 is bent. As a consequence, the mat-type deck can be arranged to
correspond to the
gradient of the ground surface. In addition, even when the mat-type deck is
upwardly inclined, the
gradient-correspondence connection assembly 400 is likewise bent, so that the
mat-type deck can
be arranged to con-espond to the gradient of the ground surface. Accordingly,
it is possible to
prevent the protrusion connection part of the deck tube from being damaged due
to the gradient of
the ground surface.
In the mean time, the mat-type deck of the invention can easily fonn a curved
part using a
following structure. Fig. 17 is a plan view showing a structure of a curved
part capable of being
applied to a mat-type deck of the invention. Fig. 20 is a schematic exploded
perspective view of a
curved part-connection assembly 500 used for the curved structure.
When the rnat-type deck should be arranged in a curved shape, the curved part-
connection
assembly 500 as shown in Fig. 20 is used for the curved part. The curved part-
connection
assembly 500 comprises the closure deck tubes 1-1 arranged in an opposite
direction and a box-
shaped connection tube 501 arranged between the closure deck tubes 1-1 and
having a tapered
shape. The box-shaped connection tube 501 may be arranged in a single or
plural type and is
integrated with the closure deck tubes 1-1 using a connecting tie 502, with
being arranged between
the closure deck tubes 1-1 so that it can be later disassembled.
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When the curved part-connection assembly 500 is connected between the deck
tubes 1-1
as shown in Fig. 20, a curved part can be easily formed. If a curved degree is
changed depending
on the construction fields, it is possible to cope with the situations by
adjusting the number of box-
shaped connection tubes 501.
In addition, the mat-type deck of the invention may be easily assembled into
an arch
shape. For example, there may be a situation where the mat-type deck is
assembled to a small
brook or creek. In this case, the mat-type deck of the invention can be
manufactured into an arch
shape using a following structure to easily cope with the situation. Fig. 21
is a schematic
perspective view of'the mat-type deck assembled into an arch shape. As shown
in Fig. 21, it is
1 o possible to easily assemble a mat-type deck having an arch shape as shown
by lengthening and
forming one of an upper plate and a lower plate of the deck tube 1 into an
arch shape (Fig. 6).
Hereinafter, an example of construction method for a girder bridge of
composite deck
fabricated by use of the deck tubes of the present invention will be described
with reference to
FIGs. 8, and 22 through 24, and 25 through 27. Figs. 22 to 24 and 25 to 27
show examples of
construction of a cornposite girder bridge structured with a bridge deck which
is manufactured by a
deck tube of the irivention. Fig. 22 is a perspective view showing an example
of a bridge
constructed with a bridge deck structured by a deck tube of the invention.
FIGs. 23 and 24 are side views showing an order for constructing a bridge deck
through
installing a deck tuibe to a steel girder. FIG. 25 is a perspective view
showing a details of
connection between deck tubes and a steel girder in accordance with the
present invention, in a
state that the deck has been constructed by assembling the deck tube to the
girder, and FIG. 26 is a
partial cross-sectional view taken along a line C-C of FIG. 25. FIG. 27 is a
partial cross-sectional
view taken along a line D-D of FIG. 25.
Fiust, a leveling element 45 is installed on the upper flange of the girder 10
on which shear
connectors 31 are provided. Two foml dams 50 are provided with the inside of
the deck tube 1.
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The deck tube 1 is placed on the leveling element 45. Subsequently, the
neighboring deck tube 1'
is arranged at the side of the deck tube 1(FIG. 23). Herein, the neighboring
deck tube 1 is
arranged adjacent to the deck tube 1' from upside, and then pressed to
mechanically couple the two
deck tubes 1 and 1' each other (FIG. 23).
If a deck is completely constructed through the coupling of the deck tubes,
filler materials
33, such as non-shrinkage mortar and so on, are poured in an installing
portion of the shear
connectors 31 through the hole 35, and then cured (FIG. 24).
Since the deck tubes of the prior art should be assembled horizontally, the
shear
connectors cannot be installed beforehand on the girder. Thus, as seen in the
description of the
1 o prior art, many problems and defects would be caused on installing the
shear connector after
complete placement of deck panel. However, in the present invention, the deck
tube is to be
placed vertically and pressed from upside, there is no problem even if the
shear connectors have
already been installed on the girder. Thus, it is not necessary to weld and
assemble the shear
connectors later through a narrow space, so that an installing work of the
shear connectors
becomes easy, and lime and efforts consumed for the work are reduced.
Particularly, a checking of
weld state of the she;ar connectors and a quality control are facilitated.
In the present invention, the girder is not limited to the steel girder, but
includes various
kinds of girders such as reinforced concrete girder, prestressed concrete
girder, steel box girder and
so on. FIG. 28 is a schematic perspective view of a connection structure
between the deck tube 1
2o and the prestressed concrete girder 10'. In FIG. 28, the deck tube 1 has
been installed on the
prestressed concrete girder 10'. As shown in FIG. 28, in case of the
prestressed concrete girder,
shear reinforcing bar 52 has already been placed during the construction of
the prestressed girder.
In the present invention, only a small hole in the upper plate instead of a
large hole is
enough to pour concrete for girder connection. Therefore, damaged portion of
the deck and
closing work for the hole can be minimized. In the present invention, the deck
tube 1 can be
CA 02547700 2006-05-24
assembled on the construction site without assembling the deck panel
beforehand in a plant. Thus,
transporta.tion work in the present invention is easier than that of the prior
art, to that the cost for
t.ransportation can be reduced. Particularly, the adjustment of leveling space
between the upper
surface of the girder and the lower portion of the module is easy during the
installation of the deck
tubes since the wid[th of the deck to be assembled in a time is small.
Checking the quality of
inserking filler mateiial into the leveling space is also easy. Of course, if
necessary, the modules are
pre-assembled into panels at the site and the panels are finally assembled
upon the girder.
In the mean time, the bridge deck structured with the deck tube 1 of the
invention may be
equipped in a non-composite type. Fig. 29 is a schematic sectional view of a
connection structure
of a bridge deck and a girder when the deck is constructed in a non-composite
type. As shown in
Fig. 29, a bolt member 60 is fixedly provided on an upper surface of a girder
10 and an elastic plate
61 is mounted. A through-hole is formed in a corresponding part of the deck
tube 1, through
which the bolt mernber 60 is inserted into the deck tube 1. A nut member 63 is
inserted through
another through-hole 62 formed in the upper surface of the deck tube 1 and
fitted with the bolt
member 60, so that 1he bridge deck can be equipped to the girder 1 in a non-
composite type.
The deck of the present invention can be easily disassembled for the partial
repair or reuse.
The disassembling method thereof is as follows. Fiust, if the whole deck is
disassembled, the
connection portion of the shear connector of the girder is disassembled, and
the respective deck
tubes are successively pulled up vertically from the outermost side deck tube
thus to be
disassembled. If a part of the middle of the deck is intended to be
disassembled, the corresponding
deck tube can be disassembled by pushing it in a longitudinal direction.
It has been described the structure of the deck of the invention equipped in a
curved type,
with reference to Figs. 17 to 20. The deck may be further constructed into a
following type.
Hereinafter, a structure of a deck tube for constructing a curved deck and a
method for
constructing the curved deck will be described with reference to FIGs. 30 to
33. FIG. 30 is a
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CA 02547700 2006-05-24
perspective view showing an assembly of a curved deck using a deck tube of the
present invention.
FIG. 31 is a schematic perspective view of a transition connector for the
curved deck. FIG. 32 is
an end view taken along a line G-G of FIG. 30. FIG. 33 is an end view taken
along a line H-H of
FIG. 30.
As illustrated in the drawings, in order to construct the curved deck,
transition connectors
40 and 40' are provided between both deck tubes 11 and 11'. The two transition
connectors 40
and 40' have the same shape. The transition connectors 40 and 40' are coupled
to both deck tubes
11 and 11', respectively, in a state that they tum upside down to each other,
and are directly
coupled to each other at one of their sides.
As illustrated in FIG. 32, a first transition connector 40' has coupling
prohusions at both
sides of a vertical web 41. Another transition connector is to be coupled to
the first side of the web
41. A first transition interlocking piece 17c is provided to be protruded
upward at the upper part of
a first side of the web 41. Gap with a certain width is formed between the
transition interlocking
piece 17c and the web 41. At the lower part of the first side of the web 41, a
lower horizontal
extension 42' is extended horizontally. The lower horizontal extension 42' has
a second transition
interlocking piece 17d protruded upward at its end. The deck tube 11' is
coupled to the second
side of the web 41. At the second side of the web 41, the first and the second
downward
interlocking pieces ]l 5a and 15b to be respectively coupled to the coupling
protnasions of the deck
tube 11' are provided. The first and the second downward interlocking pieces
15a and 15b have
the same structure as that of the deck tube mentioned previously.
The other transition connector, i.e., a second transition connector 40 to be
coupled to the
neighboring deck tube 11 has the same construction as that of the first
transition connector 40'
except that it is coupled to the deck tube 11 in a state of being turned
upside down in comparison
with the first transition connector 40'. That is, in the second transition
connector 40 as illustrated
in the drawing, the first and the second transition interlocking pieces 17c
and 17d thereof are
17
CA 02547700 2006-05-24
protruded downward.
A curved deck is constructed by coupling the first and the second transition
connectors 40'
and 40 to each other between the deck tubes 11 and 11'. The first transition
connector 40' is
coupled with the deck tube 11', and the second transition connector 40 is also
coupled with another
deck tube 11. The first and the second downward interlocking pieces 15a and
15b of the first
transition connector 40' are respectively coupled to the corresponding first
and the second upward
interlocking pieces of the left side deck tube 11'. When the transition
connectors 40' and 40 are
coupled to the declc tubes 11' and 11, respectively, the deck tubes 11' and 11
form a slightly
curved shape. On coupling the transition connectors 40' and 40, at an inner
side of a curved deck
as shown in FIGs. 30 and 32, the second transition interlocking piece 17d of
the second transition
connector 40 is coupled to the first transition interlocking piece 17c of the
first transition connector
40'. Simultaneously, the second transition interlocking piece 17d of the
second transition
connector 40 contacts with the first side of the web 41 of the first
transition connector 40'. Thus,
there is an inner space S 1 between the second transition interlocking piece
17d of the second
transition connector 40 and the first transition interlocking piece 17c of the
first transition connector
40'.
Similarly, the first transition interlocking piece 17c of the second
transition connector 40 is
coupled to the second transition interlocking piece 17d of the first
transition connector 40'.
Simultaneously, the second transition interlocking piece 17d of the first
transition connector 40'
contacts with the second side of the web 41 of the second transition connector
40. Thus, there is an
inner space S2 between the first transition interlocking piece 17c of the
second transition connector
40 and the second interlocking piece 17d of the first transition connector
40'.
On the contrary, on the outer side of the curved deck as illustrated in FIG.
33, the second
transition interlocking piece 17d of the second transition connector 40 and
the first transition
interlocking piece 17c of the first transition connector 40' are coupled to
each other. Thus, there is
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CA 02547700 2006-05-24
an open space S3 between the second transition interlocking piece 17d of the
second transition
connector 40 and the web 41 of the first transition connector 40'. The first
transition interlocking
piece 17c of the second transition connector 40 and the second transition
interlocking piece 17d of
the first transition connector 40' are coupled to each other. Thus, there is
an open space S4
between the second transition interlocking piece 17d of the first transition
connector 40' and the
web 41 of the second transition connector 40. As shown in FIG. 30, fixing
wedge members 12
have shapes corresponding to those of the open spaces S3 and S4, and they
extend laterally. The
fixing wedge members 12 are inserted into the open spaces S3 and S4,
respectively, and thus
firmly maintain the coupling of the interlocking pieces 17c and 17d. Of
course, fixing wedge
members 12' are respectively inserted into the spaces S 1 and S2. Meanwhile,
the fixing wedge
members 12 to be inserted into the spaces S3 and S4 can be a tapered shape
section in which an
upper portion thereof is narrower than a lower portion thereof. Such tapered
shape section
prevents the fixing wedge members from being separated upward and downward. If
the deck
tubes are successively coupled as described above, the curved deck can be
constructed.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described
for
illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various
modifications, additions
and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of
the invention as
disclosed in the accompanying claims. The bridge deck described in the
specification including
claims does not essentially mean only a deck installed in a bridge, but it
should be understood to
include all of decks adapted to civil and architectural constructions, which
are supported by a
girder or beam. Also, the deck tubes of the present invention are coupled to
each other to form a
wall type construction, so that its use cannot be limited to the above deck.
That is, the deck tubes
of the present invenlion can be adapted to various constructions such as
reservoir, tank, platform,
footway, box culvert and so on. Accordingly, in the specification including
claims, the deck
should be understood to mean a wall type construction.
19
CA 02547700 2006-05-24
As described above, according to the invention, it is possible to interconnect
the fiber
reinforced composite material deck tubes to manufacture a mat-type deck for
temporary roads for
constructing an access road, etc.
The mat-type deck of the invention is very useful for constructing an access
road for
various sites and purposes, for example an access road for oil drilling or
felling, a temporary road
for military operations and an access road for diverse construction sites.
According to the
invention, since the deck tube is made of fiber reinforced polymer composite
with high corrosion
resistance and high durability, it can be usefully used under severe condition
such as cold area.
In addition, according to the invention, the mat-type deck can be easily
assembled,
disassembled and constructed into a curved shape and properly equipped to
correspond to the
gradient of the ground surface.
In particular, the deck of the invention can be also used as a bridge deck
forming the upper
structure of the bridge. Further, the invention can be used to improve the old
bridge and to
construct the decks of a new bridge and a temporary bridge.
According to the present invention, since a deck tube is made of fiber
reinforced polymer
composite with high corrosion resistance and high durability, life span of the
bridge deck can be
increased. Also, s'n:ice composite deck is durable, it may be expected that
maintenance costs are
considerably reduced in comparison with the conventional reinforced concrete
deck.
According to the present invention, dead load of the deck can be reduced by
more than
80% because heavy concrete decks are substituted with lightweight composite
decks. This
facilitates upgrade of the bridge because the bridge becomes to have an
increased load canying
capability by the amiount corresponding to the reduced dead load.
Further, it is viable to economically construct a new bridge since slender
superstructure
and substructure are possible due to lightweight composite decks.
CA 02547700 2006-05-24
Particularly, according to the invention, since the deck is pressed and left
from the top, it
does not matter even when the shear connector has been already equipped on the
upper surface of
the girder. Accordingly, contrary to the prior art, it is not necessary to
later weld the shear
connector through the narrow space, so that it is possible to easily mount the
shear connector and
thus to save the time and the labors required for the works. In addition, it
is easy to verify and
quality-manage the welded state of the shear connector. Further, in case of
the concrete girder, it is
possible to manufacture the concrete girder with the reinforcing rod for the
shear connector being
arranged in advance.
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