Triangular Culvert Bodies for Angled Road Crossings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for building structures over water, such as culverts, often require higher road grades and alignment with stream or river beds, limiting flexibility and structural integrity, especially when roads or bridges need to cross at angles other than 90 degrees.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using three-sided elongated triangular bodies with interlocking slabs and a dog-clutch engagement system, allowing for flexible angling and increased structural strength, with the ability to be easily assembled and disassembled, and reused, while accommodating water flow effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If circular culverts are used with roads traversing at 90 degrees, then structural alignment is simplified, but flexibility in road angling is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The structure is divided into multiple triangular bodies arranged in series, each capable of being oriented at different angles. This segmentation allows the road to traverse at various angles while maintaining structural integrity, as each triangular body can be independently positioned to accommodate the desired road alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses triangular bodies instead of circular culverts, introducing asymmetric geometry that enables flexible angling. The triangular shape with its three sides and vertices provides natural angular variations, allowing the structure to adapt to roads crossing at angles other than 90 degrees while maintaining structural stability.
2Ease of manufacture
If discrete slabs are used to form triangular bodies, then ease of shipping and assembly is improved, but structural integrity under load may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple discrete slabs are merged together to form complete triangular bodies. The slabs are connected through interlocking profiles that create a unified structural unit, combining the ease of transport of individual slabs with the structural integrity of assembled triangular bodies capable of supporting road loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The interlocking profiles are designed in advance with complementary geometries (protrusions and recesses) that ensure proper alignment and load distribution when slabs are assembled. This preliminary design of connection mechanisms ensures that the discrete slabs maintain structural integrity under load while remaining easy to assemble.
3Strength
If joints are offset between slab segments, then structural strength is increased by preventing common weak points, but assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The triangular bodies are segmented into multiple slab sections with joints positioned at different locations along each slab. This segmentation offsets the joints between adjacent slabs, preventing continuous joint lines that would create weak points, while the modular nature of the segments maintains assembly simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of building a structure in the presence of water includes providing two or more three-sided elongated triangular bodies that has a first end, a second end, and an internal flow passage that extends between the first end and the second end. Each of the triangular bodies has an apex with a base opposed to the apex. Each of the triangular bodies is positioned in side by side relation, with the flow passage of one or more of the triangular bodies serving as a flow path for water. A road, a bridge or a dock is positioned transversely across the triangular bodies.