Form assembly for a jump pit

Abstract

A form assembly and method is provided for use in making a jump pit having a cover. The form assembly comprises at least one frame member structured to form a ledge for receiving the cover and a removable form member removably secured to the frame member. The method comprises providing a frame member and removably securing a removable form member to the frame member.

Description

BACKGROUND[0001]Long jump / triple jump pits (“jump pits”) have been known and used in track and field for some time. The jump pit itself is typically a rectangular sand pit with a runway leading up to one of the short sides of the rectangle. The jump pit must hold sufficient quantities of sand to cushion an athlete's landing following a jump. The sand in the jump pit must be protected from ambient and environmental conditions and contingencies, such as weather elements and animals. The sand must be kept dry and clean to preserve its integrity and to protect the athletes, and it must be free of debris. Therefore, it is preferable to provide a jump pit with a perimeter containment wall that includes reasonably well-fitting cover that minimizes gaps where the cover contacts the containment wall of the jump pit. Such covers can be made of a variety of materials, including wood, fabric (such as a vinyl-coated mesh fabric) or metal, such as aluminum sheeting or panels.[0002]There are a num...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

There are a number of steps involved in building a custom form assembly for creating a jump pit, and there are many difficulties to overcome before achieving the end result of a sand pit of predetermined size that will receive a standard cover without gaps where the cover contacts the periphery of the jump pit.

One difficulty often encountered when building the form is positioning and securing each of the components correctly in place and maintaining such positioning when pouring the moldable forming composition into the form.

As such, onsite forms result in jump pits of varying dimensions, due to slight variations in sizes of custom-built components, shifting of form assembly components during the pouring and curing of the moldable forming composition.

In particular, it can be difficult to form the ledge so that the ledge is level around the entire perimeter.

This difficulty arises in part due to problems associated with positioning and securing the L-shaped channel correctly in place and maintaining such positioning as the moldable forming composition is poured into the form, as the moldable forming composition has a tendency to urge the channel upwards and laterally away from the form.

These variations, among other things, can result in a jump pit of uneven dimensions that requires fitting with a custom cover.

A further challenge to creating a jump pit using a custom built onsite assembly form is the difficulty in removing the form components after the moldable forming composition is poured and cured.

This can be a labor intensive, time consuming process that can result in components being broken in order to dislodge them from the containment wall formed by the moldable forming composition.

Images