Vertically continuous sinusoidal preformed joint for industrial floor concrete slabs

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field involved in the construction of roads, surfaces for HGV traffic, machines or accessories for construction or repair, specifically of road surfaces, arrangement or structure of junctions. The invention consists of a sinusoidal preformed expansion joint for industrial floor slabs; formed by undulating plates supported on a sheet that also has an undulating shape along the same sinusoidal path as the plates, maintaining the same vertically continuous sinusoidal wave pattern as the plates, forming a single smooth structure, without sub-divisions or perpendicular sections and with splice joints with side overlapping, continuous with the sinusoidal line of the joints assembled with male / female-type smooth dowels without the need for welds; undulating over the entire width of the cast slab which, owing to its shape, provides greater strength without critical areas of shear stress, whether from static or dynamic loading.

Description

[0001] CONTINUOUS VERTICALLY SINUSOIDAL PREFORMED JOINT FOR INDUSTRIAL FLOOR CONCRETE SLABS

[0002] TECHNOLOGY SECTOR

[0003] The present invention belongs to the field of road construction, heavy traffic surfaces, machinery or accessories for the construction or repair specifically of pavements, arrangement or structure of joints; which consists of a preformed sinusoidal joint for expansion in industrial floor slabs; formed by corrugated plates supported on a sheet also corrugated with the same sinusoidal path as the plates, which maintain the same wave pattern of the sinusoidal plates continuous vertically, forming a single smooth structure without subdivisions or perpendicular sections and with splice joints with lateral overlaps to give continuity to the sinusoidal line of the joints assembled by smooth male-female type pins without the need for the use of welding;which undulates throughout the entire thickness of the cast slab, which, due to its shape, provides greater resistance without critical areas of shear stress, whether from static or dynamic loads.

[0004] STATE OF THE ART

[0005] The invention is known from patent GB 2500626 “Zi zag concrete floor joint apparatus” -“Apparato para jointas de suelo de concreto en zigzag” with priority date 2012-03-27 by Shaun Spurrell, which in its solution proposes a trapezoidal upper plate, straight plates in a horizontal position with hexagonal cuts in the center supported on a straight sheet with sheet supports bent at 90° on each of the sides, a straight sheet or form perforated at the top with a U-shaped bend at the bottom or base, smooth anchor bolts with round heads arranged in two positions vertical and horizontal; with load transfer through sleeves and square plates and has no overlap.

[0006] The prior patent WC2017 / 199055 A1 “Free movement, arris protection, construction joint” - “Construction joint with protection for free movement” by Andrew KeenClive James DONOVAN dated May 20, 2016 mentions upper trapezoidal steel plates resting on a straight flange along the joint, has a sheet or formwork with a straight bend on the upper right side and another sheet supplement on the left side with a 90° bend with a U-shaped termination at its base, smooth anchor bolts with inclined round heads, Nylon screws with nuts, and its load transfer is carried out through trapezoidal sleeves and plates without overlap.

[0007] Even closer, there is the Colombian patent of the same applicant with certificate 38162 dated 03 / 19 / 2019 “LOAD TRANSFER JOINT FOR CONCRETE PLATES” which has a sinusoidal upper part supported on a perpendicular flange with notches of a lower straight sheet to which it is attached, where the notches are located on the path of one of the sides of the sinusoidal surface and where said straight sheet has a U-shaped support;and Colombian patent 41563 dated 23 / 02 / 2023 “PREFORMED SINUSOIDAL JOINT FOR EXPANSION IN CONCRETE SLABS” which has a sinusoidal upper part supported on a perpendicular flange of a lower straight sheet, whose flange has a sinusoidal cut on one side that describes the same path as the upper part, but on the opposite side of this flange has perpendicularly the horizontal surface where the sinusoidal upper part is supported and on the lower part of the straight sheet has an “L” shaped support.;

[0008] Unlike prior inventions GB 2500626, WG2017 / 199055 A1, Colombian patent 38162, and patent 41563, the new invention does not have intermediate plates or sheets perpendicular to the joint between the upper sinusoidal portion and the lower straight plate on which it rests. Nor does it have support tabs perpendicular to the upper sinusoidal portion, which has a sinusoidal cross-section, and a straight section supporting it on a straight plate. The new invention has a continuous sinusoidal vertical path without perpendicular support plates or tabs, and its lower section does not describe a straight plate, but rather a sinusoidal plate until the end of its vertical path, where it terminates with a flat surface with a sinusoidal cut on one side and forming an "L" shape on its opposite lower side.All known precedents with intermediate plates or flanges offer a rigid joint solution that allows for the pouring of concrete for floors, but the existence of perpendicular sections such as sheets or plates in the existing joints influences the pouring of the slab and generates a shear stress in the slab and voids that cause the failure of the poured slab or slabs at that point of shear stress once cast; this problem has not been solved in any existing precedent, since the formed slab is solid and the void or shear stress exists in the joint section between the sinusoidal upper part and the straight lower section has not been solved.

[0009] The strength of a concrete slab or plate depends on its toughness. This property indicates a material's ability to absorb energy from deformation or impact. Therefore, when a material is subjected to compressive stress, the stress works in favor of the material's energy absorption capacity. Consequently, the strength of concrete is defined as its ability to withstand applied stresses and forces without breaking. Thus, unconfined compressive strength is measured as the highest load per unit area. In standard joints, the unit area is determined by the upper section of the joint, whether straight or sinusoidal, and this area is defined by the length and height from the upper edge to the perpendicular intermediate plate of the joint.

[0010] In other words, the greater the contact area in relation to an applied force, the lower the stresses exerted on a cross-section of the slab.

[0011] The new invention has a larger contact area because it forms a single element without subdivisions, allowing for the formation of a monolithic slab. The unit area for determining the concrete's resistance, given its capacity to withstand applied stresses and forces without breaking, is determined by the length and height from the upper edge to the base of the lower part, which has no perpendicular divisions. This provides greater resistance to absorb the impact produced by the rigid wheels of forklifts on the joint, as the wave is maintained along the formwork, dissipating the stress throughout the cross-section.The new invention solves this long-standing problem of obtaining cast plates or slabs with shear stress, since in the new invention, both the upper and lower sections describe the same sinusoidal trajectory, offering as a technical contribution a joint of cast plates without generating a shear stress line on the plate at its contact face with the joint, uniformly without steps near the load transfer section, supporting industrial floors with weight-bearing capacity for slabs formed with existing joints; since the new joint eliminates rupture sections or weak points of the slab due to failures from the supported weight or voids that cause structural failure of the plate when transferring the load between the horizontally joined plates or slabs.

[0012] DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Industrial floors have historically suffered from premature wear, failure, or chipping at the joints due to the direct impact of forklift wheels. The joints lack adequate lip protection to minimize this impact. Furthermore, problems arise from unevenness caused by poor load transfer, primarily due to joints with cross-sections that form cast plates with shear stress points vulnerable to the force received in the horizontal load transfer section between plates.

[0014] The new vertically continuous sinusoidal preformed joint for industrial floor concrete slabs changes the traditional straight shape with intermediate sheet partitions of the joints to a vertically continuous sinusoidal shape, joining the upper sinusoidal part and the lower also sinusoidal part with welding points; in addition, in its new overlap it includes a lateral joining mechanism in assembly with Female and Male pin as a simple joining solution.

[0015] The joint controls vertical deformations and allows for longitudinal and transverse displacement of the plates, preventing movement restrictions in the slabs and ensuring the industrial floor can be installed even after a seismic event or differential settlement of the supporting structure. It features an effective load transfer mechanism, consisting of plastic sleeves and metal plates that guarantee their position is always on the neutral axis of the slab, allowing a joint opening greater than 20 mm. This maintains load transfer between adjacent slabs and provides the necessary protection against the most common service, static, and dynamic loads found in large logistics slabs.

[0016] The vertically continuous sinusoidal preformed joint for industrial floor concrete slabs consists of upper preformed sinusoidal plates (1), knurled anchor bolts (2), plastic destructible screws (3), metal nuts (4), galvanized lower sinusoidal sheets (5) with the same trajectory as the upper preformed sinusoidal plates (1) joined to the latter by spot welds (13), a sinusoidal groove (6) holding sinusoidal coupling pockets (8), a lower sinusoidal bend (7) as a base, sinusoidal coupling pockets (8) housing steel plates (9), overlaps (10), a female side-assembly pin (11), and a male side-assembly pin (12) with the female pin (11) as described below:

[0017] DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0018] Figure 1: shows a perspective view of a vertically continuous sinusoidal preformed joint (23) for industrial floor concrete slabs with its main components.

[0019] Figure 2: shows a right side perspective view of a vertically continuous sinusoidal preformed joint (23) for industrial floor concrete slabs.

[0020] Figure 3: shows a right side view of a vertically continuous sinusoidal preformed joint (23) for industrial floor concrete slabs with its female pin (11).

[0021] Figure 4: shows a left side view of a vertically continuous, preformed sinusoidal joint for industrial floor concrete slabs with its male dowel (12). Figure 5: shows a right side cross-section of a known joint (14) that has perpendicular plates in its intermediate joining section with its straight lower section (19) assembled on-site (15) with its cast slabs (16). This cross-section is made vertically along the crest (17) of the upper sinusoidal portion; showing a shear stress area (20) in the cast slabs (16) with voids between the perpendicular plate (18) and the horizontal load transfer area (21) of the cast slabs (16).

[0022] Figure 6: shows a graph of a right-side cross-section of a known joint (14) that has perpendicular plates in its intermediate section of connection with its straight lower section (19) assembled on the ground (15) with its cast slabs (16). Said cut made vertically along the valley (22) of the sinusoidal upper part; where a shear stress area (20) is shown in the cast slabs (16) with voids between the perpendicular plate (18) and the horizontal load transfer area (21) of the cast slabs (16).

[0023] Figure 7: shows a right-side cross-section of the vertically continuous sinusoidal preformed joint (23) for industrial floor concrete slabs without a perpendicular plate in its intermediate joint section between its preformed sinusoidal plates (1) and its lower sinusoidal sheets (5) that describe the same path and are joined by a weld point (13); assembled on-site (15) with its cast slabs (16). This cross-section is made vertically along the crest (24) of the top of the preformed sinusoidal plates (1), showing a uniform cast slab (16) without shear stresses or voids between the weld point (13) and the horizontal load transfer area (21) of the cast slabs (16).

[0024] Figure 8: shows a right-side cross-section of the vertically continuous sinusoidal preformed joint (23) for industrial floor concrete slabs without a perpendicular plate in its intermediate joint section between its preformed sinusoidal plates (1) and its lower sinusoidal sheets (5) that describe the same path and are joined by a weld point (13); assembled on-site (15) with its cast slabs (16). This cross-section is made vertically along the valley (25) of the upper part of the preformed sinusoidal plates (1), showing a uniform cast slab (16) without shear stresses or voids between the weld point (13) and the horizontal load transfer area (21) of the cast slabs (16).

[0025] Figure 9: shows a top view of two vertically continuous sinusoidal preformed joints (23) for industrial floor concrete slabs with their components; where the top part of the Preformed Sinusoidal Plates (1) is visible.

[0026] Figure 10: shows a bottom view of two vertically continuous sinusoidal preformed joints (23) for industrial floor concrete slabs with their components; where the lower sinusoidal bend (7) is visualized as a base.

[0027] Figure 11: shows a front view of two vertically continuous sinusoidal preformed joints (23) for industrial floor concrete slabs with their components.

[0028] Figure 12: shows a rear view of two vertically continuous sinusoidal preformed joints (23) for industrial floor concrete slabs with their components.

[0029] The vertically continuous sinusoidal preformed joint (23) for industrial floor concrete slabs functions as a formwork embedded within the cast concrete, uniformly joining poured slabs or plates. Its upper portion consists of two preformed sinusoidal plates (1) that protect the joint edges during expansion of the concrete slabs, shielding the joints from impacts and chipping caused by the rigid wheels of moving forklifts, which can damage or deteriorate both sides of the joint edges. Due to their sinusoidal shape, the two preformed sinusoidal plates (1) dissipate the direct impact of the rigid forklift wheels as they pass over the undulating edge of the preformed sinusoidal plate (1).Each of the two preformed sinusoidal plates (1) is tack welded (13) to a lower galvanized sinusoidal sheet (5) that has the same sinusoidal wave pattern as the preformed sinusoidal plate (1) to form a single element, allowing the concrete to fill the entire thickness of the slab without leaving voids or shear stresses in cast slabs. Each of the preformed sinusoidal plates (1) is secured by knurled anchor bolts (2) to the adjacent slab to ensure the expansion joint opening when the concrete begins to contract.

[0030] The two preformed sinusoidal plates (1) are joined horizontally along their opposite faces, along the sinusoidal joint, with plastic breakable screws (3) and metal nuts (4). The function of these plastic breakable screws (3) is to break during the concrete curing process, allowing for the opening and expansion of the cast slab. Round-headed, knurled anchor bolts (2) are welded along the front faces of the preformed sinusoidal plates (1), anchoring the joint to the adjacent concrete slabs.

[0031] The sinusoidal coupling pockets (8) have a sinusoidal contact section (26) with a sinusoidal flange (27) on the mouth (29) of the sinusoidal coupling pockets (8), whose sinusoidal section (26) is in contact with the path of the surface of the lower sinusoidal sheet (5) and the mouth (29) is installed in the sinusoidal slot (6) to receive the steel plate (9) from the opposite face of the lower sinusoidal sheet (5); and by means of screws (28) that pass through the holes (30) on the sides of the sinusoidal coupling pocket (8) and also through the holes (31) of the lower sinusoidal sheet (5), the sinusoidal coupling pockets (8) are secured to the lower sinusoidal sheet (5).

[0032] The sinusoidal coupling pockets (8) are installed in the sinusoidal slots (6) that house steel plates (9), and are located in the lower galvanized sinusoidal sheets (5). The sinusoidal coupling pockets (8) and the steel plates (9) are responsible for load transfer when one half of the plate (9) is housed within the sinusoidal coupling pocket (8) embedded in the concrete slab and the other half of the plate (9) is embedded in the adjacent slab, allowing longitudinal and transverse displacement of the slabs while avoiding movement restrictions and controlling vertical deformations or warping in the slabs.

[0033] The overlap (10) located at the ends of the two preformed sinusoidal plates (1) continuously joins several joint sections without interrupting the continuity of the sinusoidal line in the concrete slabs. This overlap (10) has a quick lateral joint assembly mechanism consisting of a male pin (12) that fits into the hole of a female pin (11) of another joint laterally. These pins are located at the ends of the preformed sinusoidal plates (1). The quick splice without the use of welding, provided by the smooth male-female lateral quick assembly mechanism at the ends of the overlaps (10) of the preformed sinusoidal plates (1), avoids on-site welding during installation and eliminates the risk of welding the two corrugated plates together, which would restrict the joint opening and create cracks or fissures at the edges of the concrete slabs.

[0034] The vertically continuous sinusoidal preformed joint (23) for industrial floor concrete slabs has a lower vertical sinusoidal sheet (5) which at its base has a sinusoidal flange (32) with a lower sinusoidal fold (7) for contact with the ground (15) which stiffens the entire joint (23); at the top of said sinusoidal sheet (5) it has in its same sinusoidal plane a Preformed Sinusoidal Plate (1) which describes the same continuous vertical path joined vertically with welding points (13); and in the central part of the sinusoidal sheet (5) it has a sinusoidal groove (6) that holds sinusoidal coupling pockets (8);whose sinusoidal coupling pockets (8) have a sinusoidal section (26) with a sinusoidal flange (27) over the mouth (29), where the sinusoidal section (26) is in contact with the surface path of the lower sinusoidal sheet (5) and the mouth (29) is installed in the segment-carrying sinusoidal groove (6) to receive the steel plate (9) from the opposite face of the lower sinusoidal sheet (5).

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Vertically continuous sinusoidal preformed joint (23) for concrete slabs of industrial floors as an element without subdivisions or steps for filling the entire thickness of the slab without leaving voids or spaces, CHARACTERIZED by a lower vertical sinusoidal sheet (5) which at its base has a sinusoidal flange (32) with a lower sinusoidal fold (7) in contact with the ground (15) which stiffens the entire joint (23); on the upper part of said sinusoidal sheet (5) it has in its same sinusoidal plane a Preformed Sinusoidal Plate (1) which describes the same continuous vertical path joined vertically with welding points (13) and which at its ends for lateral joining has a Male Pin (12) and a Female Pin (11); in the central part of the sinusoidal sheet (5) it has a sinusoidal groove (6) holding sinusoidal coupling pockets (8); whose sinusoidal coupling pockets (8) have a sinusoidal section (26) with a flange (27) also sinusoidal over the mouth (29), where the sinusoidal section (26) is in contact with the path of the surface of the lower sinusoidal sheet (5) and the mouth (29) is installed in the sinusoidal slot (6) to receive the steel plate (9) from the opposite face of the lower sinusoidal sheet (5).

2. Vertically continuous sinusoidal preformed joint (23) for industrial floor concrete slabs according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the sinusoidal coupling pockets (8) have holes (30) through which screws pass. (28) on its sides; where said screws (28) also pass through the holes (31) of the lower sinusoidal sheet (5) that secure the sinusoidal coupling pockets (8) to the lower sinusoidal sheet (5).

3. A vertically continuous sinusoidal preformed joint (23) for industrial floor concrete slabs according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the preformed sinusoidal plate (1) joined vertically by spot welds (13) to the lower sinusoidal sheet (5) has another preformed sinusoidal plate (1) attached to its opposite face along the sinusoidal joint with plastic destructible screws (3) and metal nuts (4); along its front faces along the joint it has knurled anchor bolts (2); and at its lateral ends a male pin (12) that fits into the hole of a pin Female (11) of another joint laterally in an overlap (10) that continuously joins several joint sections without interrupting the continuity of the sinusoidal line in the concrete slabs.

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