Plate concrete dowel system

Abstract

A disc dowel system is interposed between adjacent first and second concrete pours defining a pour joint therebetween. The disc dowel system comprises a pocket former having a rib insert disposable therewithin for engaging the sides of a dowel plate. The pocket former has a vertical base flange with a pair of fastener-receiving bosses for securing the pocket former to a concrete form. The pocket former has a horizontally extending interior compartment with an open straight side that is aligned with the pour joint and is positioned within the first pour. The dowel plate has an orthogonal shape with an embedded portion and a slidable portion. The embedded portion is rigidly encapsulated within the second pour. The slidable portion is slidably disposed within the pocket former such that the dowel plate permits relative horizontal movement of the first and second pours while restricting relative vertical movement thereof.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part application of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 103,863, entitled DISK PLATE CONCRETE DOWEL SYSTEM, filed on Apr. 12, 2005, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 640,556, filed Aug. 13, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,926,463, the entire contents of each being expressly incorporated by reference herein. This application is also related to co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 360,828, filed on Feb. 23, 2006, and to co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 400,006, filed on Apr. 7, 2006, both of which are entitled PLATE CONCRETE DOWEL SYSTEM, the entire contents of both being expressly incorporated by reference herein.STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH / DEVELOPMENT [0002] (Not Applicable) BACKGROUND [0003] The present invention relates generally to concrete forming equipment and, more particularly, to a uniquely configured disc dowel system that is specifically adapted...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0019] The dowel plate has a generally orthogonal (i.e., square, rectangular) shape that is divided into an embedded portion and a slidable portion. The slidable portion is configured to be laterally slidable within the pocket former while the embedded portion is configured to be substantially encapsulated or embedded within the second pour such that it is rigidly affixed therewithin after the concrete cures or hardens. Advantageously, the dowel plate is provided in the generally orthogonal shape in order to minimize laterally sideways movement (i.e., parallel to the joint) of an adjacent pair of slabs during laterally opposing motion of the slabs (i.e., perpendicular to the joint).

[0022] The disc dowel system may include a positioner bracket that is mounted to a removable concrete form. The positioner bracket facilitates positioning the pocket former during pouring of the first pour. In certain methods of concrete pavement construction, pour joints are typically formed by using a wooden stud or a sheet metal form as the removable concrete form. Such concrete form is typically staked to the substrate along a desired location of the pour joint. The pocket former is positioned adjacent the concrete form such that the interior compartment is substantially horizontally outwardly extending away from the concrete form.

[0025] A rib insert may be included with the disc dowel system to facilitate movement of the dowel plate within the pocket former such as may occur during relative movement between the first and second pours. The rib insert may be a separately installed component configured to be insertable into the pocket former and is preferably sized and shaped to fit within the interior compartment along the sides and end thereof. The rib insert may have a plurality of resiliently deflectable biasing members and a deflection member extending laterally outwardly to directly engage the side edges and end edge of the dowel plate. The biasing members and deflection member further facilitate centering of the dowel plate within the pocket former to accommodate movement of the dowel plate in opposing lateral directions and in substantially equal amounts.

Problems solved by technology

Horizontal movement relative to the pour joint may occur due to uncontrolled shrinkage or contraction of the concrete mixture as water is lost during curing.

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