Flexible Joint for Rectangular Channel

Abstract

To provide a flexible joint for a box culvert allowing installation for a joint between box culverts to be securely and easily carried out without hole-in anchors or with the minimum required number of the hole-in anchors.SOLUTION: A flexible joint comprises: a flexible water cut-off sheet 11 in a sleeve shape provided with a pair of water cut-off parts 11A on both ends in a longitudinal direction and a telescopic deformation part 11B between the pair of water cut-off parts 11A and installed over a seam at inner walls 2 of box culverts 1 jointed in the longitudinal direction; a pressure plate 12 placed on the water cut-off parts 11A and placed adjacent along a width direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction and pressing the water cut-off parts 11A in a direction to the inner wall 2 of the box culvert 1; reaction frames 13 plurally positioned along a width direction and applying pressure on the pressure plate 12; and a joint member 14 jointing the reaction frames 13 placed adjacently in the width direction to each other in a frame shape.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a flexible joint for rectangular culverts that performs watertight sealing at the joints between rectangular concrete culverts that form a waterway. [Background technology]

[0002] In waterways constructed by connecting multiple rectangular concrete culverts, when large ground movements occur due to earthquakes or other reasons, the joints between the rectangular culverts can be significantly displaced, causing problems such as the intrusion of groundwater and soil from the outside through the displaced joints, or the leakage of water from the inside. Therefore, there has been a known method of addressing these problems by covering the joints with flexible joints made of rubber sheets (flexible waterproof sheets) that retain watertight performance (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] The prior art described in Patent Document 1 involves fixing the flexible water-proof sheet 5 by sandwiching one of the first fixing portions 5a of the flexible water-proof sheet 5 between the first bulge-suppression plate-like body 10 and the concrete structure B1 and pressurizing and fixing it using a fastening member (such as a hole-in anchor) 30, and similarly sandwiching the other second fixing portion 5b between the second bulge-suppression plate-like body 20 and the concrete structure B2 and pressurizing and fixing it using a fastening member 31 (such as a hole-in anchor).

[0004] On the other hand, the prior art described in Patent Document 2 comprises an elastic part (rubber sheet) 5 made of a flexible material that is arranged across the joint portion 3 of the concrete structure 2 and has pushing portions 4 on both sides, a contact portion 6 with a U-shaped cross section that is placed over the pushing portion 4 in the longitudinal direction, and a pressure portion 11 that is placed over the abutment portion 6 and has a short leg 11b that is bent downwards and located on the joint portion 3 side and a long leg 11d that is bent downwards and located on the opposite side of the joint portion 3, and the elastic part (rubber sheet) 5 made of a flexible material is fixed by tightening a nut 13 that screws into an anchor bolt (hole-in anchor) 12 and pressing the pushing portion 4 against the concrete structure 2 via the pressure portion 11. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-167126 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2014-234652 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in all of the above methods, the flexible joint (rubber sheet) is fixed using a hole-in anchor, which has the problem that it is necessary to drill a large number of holes using a drill or the like along the joints of the concrete structure.

[0007] Hole-in anchors come in a variety of types, including those that are driven into the structure and those that are fixed with resin. However, both of these methods require drilling holes into the concrete structure using a drill or other tool. It is difficult to carry out the entire series of construction steps, from drilling holes to installing the hole-in anchor and attaching flexible joints to the hole-in anchor and assembling it, in shared water, and it was necessary to turn off the water (bypass) during work.

[0008] The present invention was made to solve the problems in the conventional technology described above, and its object is to create a flexible joint for rectangular culverts that can be installed reliably and easily at the joints between rectangular concrete culverts without using hole-in anchors or with only the minimum number of hole-in anchors required. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] Among the means for solving the above problems, the main means of the present invention is: The device is characterized by having a sleeve-shaped flexible water-proof sheet having a pair of water-stopping sections at both ends in the vertical direction and a stretchable deformable section between the pair of water-stopping sections, and spanning the joints on the inner wall sides of the connected rectangular culverts before and after the pair of water-stopping sections; a pressure plate placed on the water-stopping sections and arranged adjacent to them along the width direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and pressing the water-stopping sections against the inner wall of the rectangular culvert; reaction frames arranged in multiple locations along the width direction to apply a pressure force to the pressure plate; and connecting members that connect the reaction frames arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction in a frame-like shape.

[0010] Another means of the present invention is to add to the above-mentioned main means that a bolt is screwed onto the reaction frame to pressurize the pressure plate and compress the water-stopping portion by pressing it against the inner wall of the rectangular culvert with the pressurized pressure plate.

[0011] Another aspect of the present invention is to add to any one of the above aspects a protective cover that covers the reaction frame, the connecting member and the flexible waterproof sheet.

[0012] Another means of the present invention is any of the above means, further comprising the addition of a gap for assembly between adjacent reaction frames arranged in the width direction, and a thin auxiliary plate being arranged at the portion where each pressing portion and water-stopping portion of the pressure plates facing each other in the width direction across the gap.

[0013] Another means of the present invention is any of the above means, further comprising the addition of a means in which uneven portions are formed on the opposing surfaces of the reaction frame and the connecting member, and the reaction frame and the connecting member are connected in a state in which the uneven portions mesh with each other.

[0014] Further, another aspect of the present invention is to add a wedge-shaped spacer to any one of the above-mentioned aspects, the spacer being sandwiched between the reaction frames adjacently arranged in the width direction.

[0015] Another aspect of the present invention is to add to any of the above aspects that a fixing portion having a through hole formed therein is extended from the connecting member, and the flexible joint is fixed by attaching an anchor bolt to the through hole and to a mounting hole formed in the inner wall of the rectangular culvert. Effect of the Invention

[0016] In the present invention, the reaction frame, which is connected integrally in a frame-like shape, pressurizes the pressure plate to strongly compress the water-stopping portion of the flexible water-proof sheet, thereby effectively preventing water leakage from the water-stopping portion. Furthermore, since construction can be performed reliably and easily without using hole-in anchors or with only the minimum necessary hole-in anchors, flexible joints can also be constructed while using waterways in combination. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a flexible joint for a rectangular culvert as an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1A is a cross-sectional view of the rubber sheet taken along line A-A in FIG. 1, (b) is a cross-sectional view of the pressure plate taken along line B-B in FIG. 1, (c) is a cross-sectional view of the reaction frame taken along line C-C in FIG. 1, and (d) is a cross-sectional view of the connecting member taken along line D-D in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a flexible joint installed in a rectangular culvert, where (a) is a cross-sectional view of the connection part where the reaction frames are connected by a connecting member, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the part other than the connection part. [Figure 4] This shows an example of the assembly procedure for constructing a flexible joint inside a rectangular culvert, where (a) is the pre-assembly stage, (b) is the assembly stage of the flexible waterproof sheet, (c) is the intermediate stage of assembly of the lower side, (d) is the completed stage of assembly of the lower side, (e) is the intermediate stage of assembly of the upper side, and (f) is the completed stage of assembly. [Diagram 5] 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views showing the function of a flexible joint, in which (a) shows the state before the bolts are tightened, and (b) shows the state after the bolts are tightened. [Figure 6]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an overview of a protective cover. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B are cross-sectional views in the width direction of a flexible joint for a rectangular culvert with a protective cover attached, in which (a) shows the state before displacement and (b) shows the state after displacement. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view in the vertical direction of the flexible joints showing a state in which an auxiliary plate is attached. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a perspective cross-sectional view showing an example of fixing a flexible joint to a rectangular culvert. [Figure 10] 1A and 1B are cross-sectional views showing a first embodiment of installing a reaction frame in an appropriate position, where (a) shows the state before installation and (b) shows the state after installation. [Figure 11] 13A and 13B are plan views showing a second embodiment in which a reaction frame is installed in an appropriate position, where (a) shows the state before installation and (b) shows the state after installation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the schematic configuration of a flexible joint for rectangular culverts as an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2(a) is a cross-sectional view of a rubber sheet taken along line AA in Fig. 1, Fig. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view of a pressure plate taken along line BB in Fig. 1, Fig. 2(c) is a cross-sectional view of a reaction frame taken along line CC in Fig. 1, and Fig. 2(d) is a cross-sectional view of a connecting member taken along line DD in Fig. 1. Fig. 3(a) is a cross-sectional view of the flexible joint for rectangular culverts in the width direction, and Fig. 3(b) is a cross-sectional view of the flexible joint for rectangular culverts in the column direction. Note that a protective cover is omitted in Fig. 1. In the following explanation, the vertical direction means the horizontal direction in which multiple rectangular culverts are connected and the waterway flows, and the width direction means the horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction (which is also the circumferential direction).

[0019] The flexible joint for rectangular culverts (hereinafter referred to as "flexible joint") 10 of the present invention connects rectangular culverts (box culverts, etc.) 1 consisting of multiple concrete structures along the vertical direction in which the waterway extends, and is constructed so as to cover the joints 4 between the end faces of adjacent rectangular culverts 1 in the front-to-back vertical direction from the inside of the rectangular culvert 1.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the rectangular culvert 1 shown in this embodiment is a box-shaped concrete structure extending in the vertical direction and having inclined portions 3 at the four corners of an inner wall 2 formed with an opening having a closed quadrangular (square or rectangular) cross section.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1 and 2(a)-(d), the flexible joint 10 is formed by: a flexible waterproof sheet 11; a pressure plate 12 that pressurizes and fixes the flexible waterproof sheet 11 to the inner wall of the rectangular culvert 1; a reaction frame 13 that applies pressure to the pressure plate 12; connecting members 14 that connect the reaction frames 13 together in the width direction; bolts 15 that connect the reaction frame 13 and the connecting members 14; and a protective cover 17 that covers these (see Figure 6).

[0022] The flexible waterproof sheet 11 is a rubber sheet member formed into a sleeve shape (also called a ring shape or annular shape) with a predetermined width dimension in the vertical direction. A pair of thick waterproof sections 11A are formed on the outer surface of the flexible waterproof sheet 11 at both ends in the vertical direction, and a deformable section 11B that is thinner than the pair of waterproof sections 11A and can expand and contract in the vertical direction is provided between the pair of waterproof sections 11A.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 2(b), the pressure plate 12 is formed from a long metal plate and is a member having a pair of side plates 12B that are bent on both sides of the pressing portion 12A into a U-shaped cross section. When viewed from the side, the pressure plate 12 has a corresponding inclined portion 12C that corresponds to the inclined portion 3 of the inner wall 2 of the rectangular culvert 1 and is bent into a substantially L shape (see Fig. 1). If the rectangular culvert 1 does not have the inclined portion 3 on the inner wall 2, the corresponding inclined portion 12C can be configured to be at a right angle. The inner surface of the pressing portion 12A, which has the pair of side plates 12B, functions as the surface to be pressed, and the outer surface functions as the pressing surface.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 2(c), the reaction frame 13 is also made of a long metal plate and is a member having a pair of side plates 13B bent on both sides of the main surface 13A into a U-shaped cross section. When viewed from the side, the reaction frame 13 is bent in a substantially L-shape with a corresponding inclined portion 13C corresponding to the inclined portion 3 of the inner wall 2 of the rectangular culvert 1, just like the pressure plate 12 (see Fig. 1). If the rectangular culvert 1 does not have the inclined portion 3 on the inner wall 2, the corresponding inclined portion 13C can be at a right angle. A plurality of screw holes 13a for screwing in bolts 15 are formed at predetermined intervals in the width direction in the main surface 13A. The screw holes 13a may be directly formed in the main surface 13A, or may be formed by nuts 16 fixed by means of welding or the like to the back side of the main surface 13A in line with the through holes 13a1 as shown in Fig. 2(c). The opposing dimension between the pair of side plates 13B is formed to be wider than the dimension between the pair of side plates 12B of the pressure plate 12.

[0025] 2(d), the connecting member 14 is also formed of a long metal plate and is a member having a pair of side plates 14B formed by bending both sides of a main surface 14A into a U-shaped cross section, and a plurality of connecting holes 14a for passing bolts 15 are formed at predetermined intervals along the width direction in the main surface 14A. In addition, the opposing dimension between the pair of side plates 14B is formed to be wider than the dimension between the pair of side plates 13B of the reaction frame 13.

[0026] Next, the structure of the flexible joint installed in the rectangular culvert will be described. 3(a)(b), the flexible joint 10 is installed across the joint 4 between one rectangular culvert 1A and the other rectangular culvert 1B which are arranged in a vertical row with their end faces disposed close to each other. That is, the flexible waterproof sheet 11 is installed in an annular shape across one rectangular culvert 1A and the other rectangular culvert 1B by arranging one waterproof part 11A around the periphery of the inner wall 2 near the end of one rectangular culvert 1A along the width direction, and similarly arranging the other waterproof part 11A around the width direction of the inner wall 2 near the end of the other rectangular culvert 1B. The deformable part 11B is set to a pre-stretched state, such as a bellows shape. The pressure plate 12 has a pair of inner side plates 12B facing toward the center of the rectangular culverts 1A, 1B (upward in FIG. 3), and the outer pressing surface is placed on the water stop portion 11A.

[0027] The reaction frame 13 is disposed so as to cover the pressure plate 12, and in the connection portion shown in Fig. 3(a), a connecting member 14 is installed so as to straddle between the reaction frames 13 disposed adjacently in the width direction. The reaction frame 13 and the connecting member 14 are connected to each other using bolts 15 and nuts 16. That is, the connecting member 14 is disposed between the reaction frames 13 adjacent in the width direction, and the bolt 15 is connected to the screw hole 13a of the reaction frame 13 and the connecting hole 14a of the connecting member 14, and then the bolt 15 is screwed into the nut 16 to be fixed.

[0028] Next, the procedure for assembling the flexible joint will be described using an example in which the pressure plate 12 and the reaction frame 13 are divided into four. As shown in Fig. 4(b), first, the flexible waterproof sheet 11 is placed on the inner wall 2 of the rectangular culvert 1, that is, between one rectangular culvert 1A and the other rectangular culvert 1B. Next, as shown in Fig. 4(c), a member with a pressure plate 12 pre-assembled in a reaction frame 13 is temporarily placed at the left side of the lower part of the rectangular culvert 1. Next, as shown in Fig. 4(d), a member with a pressure plate 12 pre-assembled in a reaction frame 13 is temporarily placed at the right side of the lower part of the rectangular culvert 1, and then a connecting member 14 is temporarily placed between the left and right reaction frames 13 on the lower part. Next, as shown in Fig. 4(e), a member with a pressure plate 12 pre-assembled in a reaction frame 13 is temporarily placed at the left side of the upper part of the rectangular culvert 1, and a connecting member 14 is temporarily placed between the upper and lower left reaction frames 13. 4(f), a member in which the pressure plate 12 has been previously incorporated into the reaction frame 13 is temporarily installed at the right side of the upper side of the rectangular culvert 1 in the same manner as above, and connecting members 14 are temporarily installed between the left and right reaction frames 13 on the upper side and between the upper and lower right reaction frames 13. Finally, the bolts 15 installed on each reaction frame 13 are tightened, and the water-stopping part 11A of the flexible water-proof sheet 11 is pressed against the inner wall 2 of the rectangular culvert 1, compressing it.

[0029] By performing this assembly work on both the rectangular culvert 1A and the rectangular culvert 1B, the flexible joint 10 can be integrated into a frame shape by connecting members 14 provided at four points between the four reaction frames 13. Then, this integrally connected frame-like reaction frame 13 compresses the rubber water stopper part 11A.

[0030] As shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b), when the bolt 15 is tightened, the tip of the bolt 15 presses the inner surface (pressurized surface) of the pressing part 12A of the pressure plate 12, so that the outer surface (pressurizing surface) presses the water stop part 11A against the inner wall 2 of the rectangular culvert 1. At this time, the tightening force F1 of the bottle 15 acts on the pressing part 12A of the pressure plate 12 toward the outside, so that the pressing part 12A can press the water stop part 11A provided at the position corresponding to the bolt 15 against the inner wall 2 of the rectangular culvert 1, compressing it. At the same time, the reaction force F2 from the rubber water stop part 11A is transmitted to the bolt 15 provided at the opposite position symmetrical to the tightened bottle 15, and presses the water stop part 11A against the inner wall 2 of the rectangular culvert 1 via the pressure plate 12, compressing it.

[0031] Therefore, by appropriately tightening each bolt 15, the degree of adhesion between the water stop part 11A and the inner wall 2 of the rectangular culvert 1 can be increased over the entire circumference in the width direction where the water stop part 11A and the inner wall 2 of the rectangular culvert 1 come into contact, thereby effectively preventing water leakage. Moreover, the balance between the tightening force F1 by the bolts 15 and the reaction force F2 by the water stop part 11A is maintained over the entire circumference of the inner wall 2 of the rectangular culvert 1, so that the flexible joint 10 having the frame-shaped reaction frame 13 connected integrally therewith can be firmly held within the rectangular culvert 1.

[0032] In addition, it is preferable that a plurality of sawtooth concave and convex parts are formed on the opposing surfaces where the reaction frame 13 and the connecting member 14 come into contact with each other, and the reaction frame 13 and the connecting member 14 are connected in a state where the concave and convex parts mesh with each other. In this configuration, the concave and convex parts mesh with each other, making it possible to suppress slippage in the width direction between the reaction frame 13 and the connecting member 14, thereby preventing changes in the side length of the reaction frame 13 (displacement in the width direction (circumferential direction)) and allowing the reaction frame 13 to be fixed at an appropriate position (adjustment of the fixing position) by the meshing.

[0033] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an outline of the protective cover, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a flexible joint for a rectangular culvert with a protective cover attached, where (a) shows the state before displacement and (b) shows the state after displacement. As shown in FIG. 6, protective cover 17 is a metal (e.g., stainless steel) member having a main surface 17A extending in the width direction and a pair of inclined surfaces 17B bent obliquely from both ends of main surface 17A toward the vertical direction, and main surface 17A has a pair of long holes 17a that open along the vertical direction and are arranged at a predetermined interval along the width direction.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 7(a), to install the protective cover 17 in the rectangular culvert 1, the protective cover 17 is placed on the reaction frame 13 (the protective cover 17 is placed on the connecting member 14 at the connection part (not shown)), and the bolt 15 is passed through the long hole 17a of the protective cover 17 and the screw hole 13a of the reaction frame 13, and further through the connecting hole 14a of the connecting member 14 at the connection part, and fixed by screwing it into the nut 16.

[0035] The protective cover 17 covers the entire flexible joint 10 provided underneath, and has the function of smoothing the flow of running water in the rectangular culvert 1. As shown in FIG. 7(b), for example, if the joint 4 between the end faces of the rectangular culvert 1 is displaced in a direction widening, the deformed portion 11B of the flexible waterproof sheet 11 will attempt to expand in response to the displacement. At this time, the bolt 15 is allowed to move in the width direction within the long hole 17a of the protective cover 17 along the shape of the hole, so that the function of the protective cover 17 can be maintained even after the displacement, so long as the amount of displacement is within the allowable range. Furthermore, it becomes possible to prevent the flexible waterproof sheet 11 from expanding excessively toward the inner wall 2 due to, for example, external water pressure.

[0036] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view in the vertical direction of the flexible joint showing a state in which an auxiliary plate is attached. As shown in Fig. 8, it is necessary to provide a clearance S for assembly between the left and right pressure plates 12 adjacent in the width direction (also between the reaction frames 13), but the pressing portion 12A of the pressure plate 12 cannot directly pressurize the water stop portion 11A in the portion having the clearance S. This makes it impossible to compress the water stop portion 11A evenly over the entire periphery in the width direction, so water leakage may easily occur in the portion where compression is weak (the portion corresponding to the clearance S). Therefore, by arranging a thin auxiliary plate 18 at a position corresponding to the gap space S between the pressing portion 12A of the pressure plate 12 and the water-stopping portion 11A, even in a configuration having a gap space S, it is possible to uniformly apply the tightening force F1 of the bolt 15 around the entire width direction of the water-stopping portion 11A, including the gap space S portion, which is preferable in that it makes it less likely for water to leak.

[0037] Next, a method for constructing the reaction frame 13 at an appropriate position on the rectangular culvert 1 in the above-mentioned assembly work will be described. In order to install the reaction frame 13 in the correct position on the rectangular culvert 1, it is preferable to first use an expandable assembly jig.

[0038] Fig. 9 is a perspective cross-sectional view showing an example of fixing a flexible joint to a rectangular culvert. As shown in Fig. 9, one lower end of the side plate 14B of the connecting member 14 is extended horizontally to provide a fixing part 14C, a through hole 14b is formed in this fixing part 14C, and a mounting hole 2a is formed in an appropriate position on the inner wall 2 on the rectangular culvert 1 side, and an anchor bolt 19 is attached and fixed in the through hole 14b and the mounting hole 2a, so that the flexible joint 10 can be reliably installed in an appropriate position.

[0039] In the configuration of this embodiment in which four reaction frames 13 are arranged in a frame shape, four connecting members 14 are required, and four anchor bolts 19 are sufficient to secure the connecting members 14. This makes it possible to simplify assembly work compared to the conventional method which required a large number of anchor bolts. Furthermore, since it is necessary to use only a fraction of the number of anchor bolts compared to the conventional method, it is possible to significantly reduce the time required for turning and to make partial turning possible.

[0040] Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of an adjustment means for installing a reaction frame in an appropriate position, (a) showing the state before installation and (b) showing the state after installation, and Fig. 11 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of an adjustment means for installing a reaction frame in an appropriate position, (a) showing the state before installation and (b) showing the state after installation. Immediately after the construction of the reaction frame 13, if the adjacent left and right reaction frames 13 are positioned too close to each other in the width direction (the gap S is narrow), the overall circumferential length of the reaction frame 13 will be shortened, and the pressure applied to the pressure plate 12 will be weakened, which may lead to water leakage.

[0041] Therefore, in the first embodiment shown in Figures 10(a) and (b), a wedge-shaped spacer 20 is driven perpendicular to the inner wall 2 into the gap S between the left and right reaction frames 13 adjacent in the width direction, thereby expanding the gap S. As another method, in the second embodiment shown in Figures 11(a) and 11(b), a pair of wedge-shaped spacers 20 are driven horizontally into the inner wall 2 from both sides in the vertical direction into the gap S between the left and right reaction frames 13 adjacent in the width direction, thereby expanding the gap S.

[0042] In any of the above embodiments, adjacent reaction frames 13 can be moved apart in the width direction, and each reaction frame 13 can be installed in an appropriate position. As a result, the reaction frames 13 can apply a strong pressure to the pressure plate 12, and the flexible waterproof sheet 11 can be strongly pressed against the inner wall 2 to suppress water leakage.

[0043] Although the configuration and the effects of the present invention have been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

[0044] For example, in the above embodiment, the rectangular culvert 1 has a square closed cross-sectional shape, and the pressure plate 12 and reaction frame 13, which are bent in an approximately L-shape, are divided into four. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the rectangular culvert 1 may have a closed cross-sectional shape of other shapes, such as a rectangle, or the pressure plate 12 and reaction frame 13 may be divided into four or more parts. In particular, when a rectangular culvert 1 is used, pressure plates 12 and reaction frames 13 divided into four parts with an approximately L-shaped bend can be used at the corners, and the long side between the two corners can be supplemented with straight pressure plates 12 and reaction frames 13, and these can be integrated into a frame by connecting them with connecting members 14 in the same manner as above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1, 1A, 1B: Rectangular culvert (box culvert) 2: Inner wall 2a: Mounting hole 3 : Inclined part 4: Seam 10: Flexible joint 11: Flexible waterproof sheet 11A: Water stop part 11B: Deformation section 12: Pressure plate 12A: Pressing part 12B: Side plate 12C: Corresponding inclined section 13: Reaction frame 13A: Main surface 13B: Side plate 13C: Corresponding inclined section 13a: screw hole 13a1: Through hole (screw hole) 14: Connecting member 14A: Main surface 14B: Side plate 14C: Fixed part 14a: Connection hole 14b: Through hole 15: Bolt 16: Nut (screw hole) 17: Protective cover 17A: Main surface 17B: Slope 17a: Long hole 18: Auxiliary plate 19: Anchor bolt 20: Spacer F1: Tightening force F2: Reaction force S: Gap allowance

Claims

1. A flexible joint for rectangular culverts is provided at the joint between front and rear rectangular culverts connected along the vertical direction, said flexible joint for a rectangular culvert, characterized in having: a sleeve-shaped flexible waterproof sheet (11) having a pair of water-stopping sections (11A) at both ends in the vertical direction and a deformable section (11B) that can expand and contract between the pair of water-stopping sections (11A), and spanning the joints on the inner wall (2) side of the front and rear rectangular culverts (1) to be connected; a pressure plate (12) placed on the water-stopping sections (11A) and arranged adjacent to the water-stopping sections along a width direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and pressing the water-stopping sections (11A) against the inner wall (2) of the rectangular culvert (1); reaction frames (13) arranged in multiple locations along the width direction to apply a pressure force to the pressure plates (12); and a connecting member (14) that connects adjacent reaction frames (13) arranged in the width direction in a frame-like shape.

2. 2. A flexible joint for a rectangular culvert as claimed in claim 1, wherein a bolt (15) is screwed into the reaction frame (13) to pressurize the pressure plate (12) and compress the water-stopping portion (11A) against the inner wall (2) of the rectangular culvert (1) by the pressurized pressure plate (12).

3. 3. A flexible joint for a rectangular culvert according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a protective cover (17) for covering the reaction frame (13), the connecting member (14) and the flexible waterproof sheet (11) which are connected in a frame-like shape.

4. 4. A flexible joint for a rectangular culvert as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a clearance (S) for assembly is provided between adjacent reaction frames (13) arranged in the width direction, and a thin auxiliary plate (18) is arranged at the portion where each pressing portion (12A) of the pressure plates (12) facing each other in the width direction across the clearance (S) faces the water-stopping portion (11A).

5. A flexible joint for a rectangular culvert as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein uneven portions are formed on the opposing surfaces of the reaction frame (13) and the connecting member (14), and the reaction frame (13) and the connecting member (14) are connected in a state in which the uneven portions mesh with each other.

6. 6. A flexible joint for a rectangular culvert according to claim 1, wherein a wedge-shaped spacer is inserted between adjacent reaction frames (13) arranged in the width direction.

7. 7. A flexible joint for a rectangular culvert as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a fixing portion (14C) having a through hole (14b) is extended from the connecting member (14), and the flexible joint (10) is fixed by attaching an anchor bolt (19) to the through hole (14b) and to an attachment hole (2a) formed in the inner wall (2) of the rectangular culvert (1).

Images