Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Underlying compressible layer or pad
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-05
2001-04-24
Kent, Christopher T. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Underlying compressible layer or pad
C052S309110, C052S480000, C052S793100, C052S794100, C105S396000, C244S137100, C244S118600, C296S191000, C410S104000, C410S115000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06219983
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a covering plate intended to form, together with a number of likewise formed and adjacent covering plates, a covering structure, which is designed for mounting on a carrying structure in conveyances, preferably railway cars, wherein the covering plate is formed by a sandwich structure having a central core, which is contained between two outer plates, said covering plate comprising:
a side facing the inside of the conveyances,
support members facing the carrying structure of the conveyances, and
at least one securing track formed in a profile in the sandwich structure and ending at the inwardly oriented side of the carrying plate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention was developed in the context of floor structures for railway cars and will be particularly suited for this purpose. However, the invention will also be applicable in the context of covering plates for walls and ceilings when they are provided with securing tracks for securing shelves, tables, seats and similar furnishing elements, which are secured to the carrying structure by the covering plate. The invention is not only applicable in combination with railway cars. Thus, the covering plate may also be used in other conveyances for transport by sea, on land and in the air, such as ships, busses and aeroplanes.
Thus, the present invention may be used advantageously in substantially any conveyances in which the construction of the conveyances, including erection of covering plates, has been completed before a mounting of the furnishing elements is started. The invention may also advantageously be used in conveyances in which the securing tracks are used for securing luggage, cargo and the like, such as in the cargo compartment of an aeroplane.
When a railway car is built, mounting the train frame takes place first. Then the carrying structure and the outside enclosure in the form of outer walls are mounted. Subsequently the inside covering structure and furnishings are mounted.
The bottom of the railway car has hitherto been built up by laying rails provided with the securing tracks for seats. These rails extend throughout the length of the railway cars. Then the floor plates are placed between the rails. Thus, via supporting members the floor rails are brought into contact with the carrying structure of the conveyance. The supporting members are provided in the form of vibration-dampening spacing blocks, which are fastened to the carrying structure and to the rails.
This has had the disadvantage that positioning of the rails in a railway car has been dependent on the positioning of the fastening members of the carrying structure. Thus, it has been impossible to position the rails and, consequently, the securing track in a position independent of the design of the supporting structure. An example of a floor structure for a railway car is known e.g. from the description of German patent No. 3,115,699. Subsequently the actual car bottom is formed after the rails have been laid by cutting plates, which are positioned on either side of the floor rails.
This mounting is further disadvantageous in that any delays will have significant consequences for the total construction time of the railway car.
It is the object of the present invention to remedy the disadvantages of the known structures and to make it possible in an easy and simple manner to produce a covering plate, preferably for a floor structure supplied with a securing track in an optional position relative to the covering plate and relative to the supporting structure for the covering plate.
This is achieved according to the present invention by a covering plate of the type mentioned in the introduction being characterised in that a first one of said outer plates has a size corresponding to the size of the covering plate, and a second one of said outer plates is constituted by a number of plate sections, that the securing track is formed in a profile, which is cast in a random position in the sandwich structure, that the profile extends at a right angle between two opposed parallel lateral edges of the covering plate, which are intended to be placed opposite each other in use, and that at each end of the profile there are provided positioning members.
When producing the covering plate as a sandwich structure with an enclosed profile it is possible to obtain sufficient strength of the structure for the profile to be positioned in a random position in the sandwich structure. Thus, it is possible to make a covering plate having a width that corresponds to the intended use, e.g. the width of a railway car, and having the securing tracks extending transversely. Thus, a number of aligned tracks in separate covering plates will form a floor rail that extends throughout the length of the railway car when the covering plates are positioned side by side for the formation of a floor covering. The floor structure formed by a number of covering plates may be mounted with the first outer plate, facing away from the inside of the craft, in contact with supporting members, e.g. vibration-dampening rubber blocks secured to the supporting structure, irrespective whether said supporting members/rubber blocks are placed underneath a profile or in a position between the profiles.
Thus, with a covering plate according to the invention it will be possible in a simple manner to prefabricate the covering plates with the profiles arranged in a random desired position. This is done simply by amending the fixtures that are used for laying the sandwich structure and which are used for fixing the rails on top of the unbroken outer plate. By amending the positions of the fixtures in the mould the profile may have a desired position in the transverse direction of the covering plate. Hereby it is possible to produce covering plates that will satisfy different needs, e.g. when using different types of inventory. This may be the case when in different countries there are different requirements as to the seat width in the railway car or when there are different requirements as to the width of luggage racks mounted in a ceiling covering.
A further advantage of the covering plate according to the invention is that it may be produced beforehand. Owing to this the actual mounting process in the railway car may take place very swiftly. This is vital in respect of the total mounting of a railway car where there must be a very rigid and precise control on the partial mounting by individual trades. If a single, per se unimportant, mounting operation, e.g. of the floor covering, is delayed, this will make subsequent mounting operations impossible or cause considerable delays to them. Mounting of the prefabricated covering plates according to the invention is done simply and rapidly by means of the positioning members provided at either end of the profile. Thus, no fitting of the covering plates is required during the mounting operation.
The invention further relates to a method for manufacturing a covering plate as described above, said method being characterised in that a first outer plate having a size corresponding to that of the covering plate is laid in a mould, that a desired number of profiles are laid on said outer plate, the positioning members being used for correct positioning in co-operation with a fixture, that a core material is placed between the profiles, and that the second outer plate is laid using a number of plate sections, which are arranged between the profiles.
As the positioning members in the profile ends co-operate with the fixture of the mould, a fast and exact laying of the profiles in a desired position is obtained.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2605064 (1952-07-01), Davis
patent: 3294354 (1966-12-01), Batey
patent: 5383630 (1995-01-01), Flatten
patent: 5827022 (1998-10-01), Tovani
Andersen Per
Bratsbjerg Claus
Gråkjaar Jensen Jens Jørgen
Creighton Wray James
DaimlerChrysler Rail Systems (Denmark) A/S
Kent Christopher T.
Narasimhan Meera P.
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