Diamond Load Transfer Plate for Concrete Slab Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing load transferring devices between concrete slabs, such as dowels and dowel receiving sheaths, often misalign, causing unwanted stresses, restricting movement, and creating high loadings per square inch, which can lead to slab failure and air pockets in the concrete.
Innovation Solution
A load transfer plate apparatus comprising a load transfer plate and a load transfer plate pocket that minimizes air pockets and fractures by transferring vertical loads between concrete slabs, with a diamond-shaped load transfer plate and a pocket design that includes a triangular body and securing tabs to secure the load transfer plate pocket to the concrete form, ensuring proper alignment and distribution of loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If dowels and dowel receiving sheaths are used to transfer loads between concrete slabs, then load transfer is achieved, but misalignment occurs causing unwanted stresses and restricting movement
Solution Approach 1:
The load transfer device is divided into separate components: a load transfer plate and a load transfer plate pocket. The pocket is embedded in one slab while the plate is placed in the other slab, allowing independent positioning and reducing misalignment issues between the two slabs.
Solution Approach 2:
The load transfer plate pocket acts as an intermediary component between the two concrete slabs. It provides a standardized interface that receives the load transfer plate, ensuring proper alignment and load distribution while allowing for some movement tolerance.
2Strength
If dowels are used to transfer loads between concrete slabs, then vertical loads are transferred, but high loadings per square inch occur at the edge of slabs leading to failure
Solution Approach 1:
The load transfer plate extends in multiple dimensions beyond a simple dowel. It has a broader surface area that distributes the load over a larger region of the slab, reducing the concentration of stress at any single point or edge.
Solution Approach 2:
The load transfer plate is designed with varying thickness and geometry to optimize local stress distribution. The plate can be thicker at critical areas to handle higher stresses while being thinner where less load is transferred, optimizing material usage and stress distribution.
3Strength
If load transfer devices are installed between concrete slabs, then load transfer is enabled, but air pockets are created in the concrete slabs
Solution Approach 1:
The load transfer plate pocket is embedded in the concrete slab before the concrete is poured. This preliminary placement ensures that the pocket is properly positioned and that air can escape during the concrete pouring process, preventing air pockets from forming around the load transfer device.
4Strength
If circular or rectangular dowels are used for load transfer, then load transfer is achieved, but misaligned dowels lock the joint together causing unwanted stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The joint edge assembly allows for dynamic movement between concrete slabs. The load transfer plate can move within the pocket, and the assembly accommodates expansion and contraction of the slabs, preventing the joint from being locked in a fixed position.
Solution Approach 2:
The load transfer plate and pocket have asymmetric geometries that allow for movement in certain directions while maintaining load transfer capability. The design permits differential movement between slabs without requiring perfect alignment, accommodating thermal expansion and shrinkage.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a load transfer plate and a load transfer plate pocket that co-act to transfer vertical or substantially vertical loads from one concrete slab to an adjacent concrete slab in an enhanced manner by minimizing the air gaps in the concrete slab in which the load transfer plate pocket is positioned.