Method and apparatus for forming a trench drain

Hydraulic and earth engineering – Fluid control – treatment – or containment – Flow control

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C405S119000, C249S010000, C404S002000, C052S323000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06595720

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to method and apparatus for forming a trench drain and, more specifically, to method and apparatus for forming a trench drain including a removable form, two side rails and a plurality of cross members spanning the side rails for improved stability and alignment and ease of installation.
BACKGROUND ART
Trench drains have been used in construction for centuries. In modern times, trench drains have been used to collect runoff water and channel it to other locations preventing flooding. Trench drains also provide chemical spill control by preventing chemical spills from escaping into the environment.
Parking lots, airport runways, loading docks, shop floors and other large cement or asphalt areas typically include spaced apart trench drains cover by metal grates. A typical trench drain may be 24 inches deep by 12 inches wide, and may be hundreds or even thousands of feet in length. Opposing ends of a trench drain are disposed at different altitudes to facilitate liquid flow. A conventional trench drain may drop 1 inch in altitude for every 8 feet in length.
A trench drain is typically covered by a metal grate having openings which permit the flow of water into the trench drain while the grate is sufficient to support the weight of vehicles moving across the grate. The grate is supported by the upper edges of the trench drain such that the upper surface of the grate is substantially level with the upper surface of the surrounding cement or asphalt to facilitate persons and vehicles passing over the grate. Typically, the grate is mounted onto frame rails that are installed during or after the formation of the trench. The mounting holes may serve a function during trench fabrication as well.
Several conventional trench drain designs have been used. A trench drain may be formed in place using plywood to make both a bottom form and side forms, which must be removed after concrete is applied and set adjacent the forms. This construction method is time consuming and requires a carpenter to build the forms. Alternatively, some trench drains are made of precast concrete, which are extremely bulky and require heavy equipment to lower them into place. Because of their weights, they can be dangerous during placement and can cause serious injury or death. They must be transported by tractor trailers or similar method to the job sites because of their bulk. The precast forms require significant shipping costs.
Styrofoam forms are a relatively recent alternative product to enter the market. They are comprised of solid foam that is cut into the shape of a trench drain, use elongated steel members and supports to hold them prior to concrete encasement. They are comprised of solid foam forms that are cut to the shape of the basin desired, and use steel frame rails and supports to suspend them prior to concrete encasement. Foam forms are expensive to ship due to relatively large bulk in comparison to little weight. They are susceptible to damage in transit and expensive compared to wood forming techniques. In addition, styrofoam is flammable and can give off toxic gases. It is susceptible to breaking into small pieces during use and is easily scattered in outdoor applications. The material is increasingly regulated by government agencies. Also, some landfills do not accept styrofoam because it will not naturally decompose. In light of the above discussion, styrofoam is an undesirable material for use in forming trench drains.
Recently, various types of apparatus for forming trench drains have been proposed. One proposed solution includes the use of a removable form composed of polystyrene. This solution suffers from the discussed inherent weaknesses of styrofoam. Further, cross-supports used to assist in alignment are disposed below the level of the concrete. Hardware used to secure the cross-supports would likely be encased in concrete. Any attempt to commercially practice this solution would require timely and difficult measures to remove hardware. The hardware must be removed prior to removing the polystyrene form and installing a metal grate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,068 to Hosley, and issued Dec. 21, 1999, disclosed a second proposed solution. A corrugated form is assembled from several folding members and inserted into an excavated void. A plurality of U-shaped brackets are used to secure frame rails on either side of the form. However, the assembly is susceptible to deformation of the form or misalignment between opposing frames. Although the frames may stay in a parallel relationship to each other, they may “parallelogram” with respect to a longitudinal axis of the trench. In this condition, any support used to connect the rails would not be at a 90° angle with each rail. Adjacent assembly sections may also be misaligned at joining points.
Alignment problems may be caused by human error during assembly. More frequently, misalignment is caused by the buoyancy forces imposed by the hardening material. Deformation of the form can result in an uneven bottom trench surface, adversely affecting liquid flow. Misalignment of frames can result in frames encased with portions above the surface of the concrete. This condition requires expensive rework when detected. If not detected, and the metal grates are installed, damaged to equipment or serious injury to personnel can result.
Certain applications, such as airports, require the installed metal grate to be secured with locking hardware. Misalignment between the rails causing the mounting hole location to move at small as ⅛″ can prevent proper locking of the grates.
Ideally, a trench drain forming apparatus should be inexpensive to fabricate and potentially reusable. It should fold flat for easy and inexpensive transportation. Further, a trench drain forming apparatus should be easy to assemble ditch by relatively unskilled labor and install in the trench or void. The trench drain forming apparatus should be strong and stable to stay in place while the concrete is being poured and cured. Opposing frame rails should be held in proper alignment. The assembly should facilitate alignment between adjacent sections of the form so that the trench drain is continuous, without steps or ridges between form sections. The metal grate should be easily and safely lockable to the frame rails. Finally, the forming apparatus should facilitate easy removal after the concrete has dried or cured.
There is a need in the market for a method and apparatus for forming a trench drain offering the above discussed advantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to method and apparatus for forming a trench drain offering improved stability and alignment.
In one embodiment, the apparatus for forming a trench drain includes an elongated trench form, first and second spaced apart frame rails, a support member removably affixed to the first and second frame rails and a first and second fastener.
The elongated trench form inserts into a trench along a longitudinal axis of the trench. The form is comprised of at least one folding member folded along predetermined lines to define a top surface, a bottom surface, and first and second spaced apart side surfaces.
The first and second spaced apart frame rails support the trench form. Each rail includes a horizontal portion, a transverse portion extending upwardly from the horizontal portion and a trench form engaging surface. The first frame rail abuts the first side surface of the form and the second frame rail abuts the second side surface of the form.
The support member is removably affixed to the first and second frame rails to maintain the first and second rails in a fixed position relative to each other. The support member includes a first opening extending through the support member adjacent one end of the support member and a first fastener bearing surface surrounding the first opening. The support member further includes a second opening extending through the support member adjacent an opposite end of the support member and a second fastener

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