Road structure – process – or apparatus – Pavement – Vault cover-closure
Patent
1990-08-23
1992-03-31
Britts, Ramon S.
Road structure, process, or apparatus
Pavement
Vault cover-closure
E01C 2914
Patent
active
051002574
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to access covers for manholes of the kind in which a removable cover member fits within an outer frame, the cover member also being fabricated as a frame (hereinafter referred to as an inner frame) which is filled with concrete or other appropriate material. An access cover of this kind is described and claimed in my U.K. Patent Specification No. 2,145,138.
In said Patent Specification the outer and inner frames are fabricated from frame members which are cut to length to suit the opening to be covered. It will be appreciated that, once in position, only the upper edges of the frame members of the inner and outer frames are visible. The inner and outer frames described in my said Patent Specification are preferably of aluminium, which enables the frame members to be formed as an extrusion suitably cut to length. However, it may be that the appearance of the upper edges provided by the frame members does not blend in with the surroundings, or suit the aesthetic requirements of the designer.
An object of this invention is to provide an arrangement in which these upper edges can be readily provided to suit the intended surroundings.
According to this invention, an access cover for manholes of the kind discussed above is characterised in that the upper edges of the frame members are shaped to provide a keying surface to which decorative strips having a mating surface are affixed, said keying and mating surfaces providing at least one co-operating tongue and groove.
Preferably, the cooperating tongue and groove is generally of dovetail form in cross-section, i.e. the corresponding side walk at least on one side of the tongue and groove are inclined, or shaped, to provide a positive fixing against being pulled apart.
In some applications, particularly where two disimilar materials are used for the frame members and decorative strips, a chemical reaction may be expected, e.g. galvanic corrosion between frame members of aluminium alloys and strips of copper alloys, an interposing protective insulating layer may be provided.
Where the frame members and strips are fixed together via a dovetail tongue and groove, preferably one of the side walls defining the groove is splayed outwardly during forming so that, during assembly, the cooperating tongue and groove can be readily fitted together and the side wall thereafter crimped inwardly into longitudinal engagement with the corresponding side wall of the tongue to provide said positive fixing.
In order that the invention may be readily understood, three embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a section through a prior art access cover and outer frame generally as described in my said Patent Specification, and
FIGS. 2 to 4 respectively are enlarged modified views of upper edges 1, 5 of FIG. 1 illustrating three embodiments of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, the access cover is preferably rectangular in plan and has an outer frame 2 comprising four a L-shaped frame member, which is located over a wall 3 partially defining an opening and fixed in position by concrete 4 via keying flanges 4a formed along the rear faces of the frame members. The inner frame 5 is similarly formed from an L-shaped frame member 6 which are a snug fit within the outer frame members, particularly around the upper edges thereof where the frames are sealed together by a sealing strip 7. The horizontal limbs of the inner frame members 6 each have a grooved lower surface 8 which sits on the upper surface 9 of the respective horizontal limb of the outer frame members 2. The inner frame members 6 also have keying flanges 10 in their rear faces to fix the concrete filling material 11 within the frame.
In accordance with this invention the upper edge of the frame members 2, 6 comprise decorative strips 12 (see FIGS. 2 to 4) applied thereto, according to requirements. These strips are joined to the frame members approximately along the line X--X and may either be of metal, e.g. a copper alloy, or of a suitable p
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Britts Ramon S.
Connolly Nancy P.
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