DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to a ramp-resistance beam for delimiting a length of a formed road surface, that is especially useful in road building/renovation works and makes it possible for roadrollers to work continuously. The ramp-resistance beam is presented in two variants. Also, the invention relates to the use of the said ramp-resistance beam.

A commonly known technique of shaping a terminal periphery of a road surface is based on cutting off a previously formed length of a road surface in a place in which previously assumed technical parameters are no longer satisfied, and then pecking off the cut fragment. The prepared, in this way, periphery of the road surface is the starting point for continuing the works. In order to avoid this burdensome procedure, as well as to limit the material losses, in the state of the art roadwork practice, a terminal length of the formed road surface is delimited with wooden laths of a rectangular cross-section or square or C section metal profiles, in which the rear vertical walls are placed adjacent to the vertical periphery of the road surface. The lengths of the laths or profiles are serially arranged and mounted to the road surface by means of various types of anchoring rods. To eliminate the difference of levels between the formed road surface and its substrate, the anchored laths or profiles are widened at the front using various, available in situ, materials, creating a ramp having a sloped wall facing the road surface. This known solution is of poor durability and versatility, since the height of the laths/profiles and the related ramps has to be adjusted, each time, to the thickness of the laid road surface.

SUMMARY According to the invention, a ramp-resistance beam for delimiting a length of a formed road surface, transversely across the road surface, is provided with a rear vertical wall for delimiting the front end vertical periphery of the road surface, and with an opposite front part of the beam having a sloped wall that defines a ramp of the beam. The ramp- resistance beam consists of a longitudinal base plate and, optionally, of at least one overlay plate stacked onto the base plate, the base plate and the overlay plate(s), if present, having, approximately, a right trapezoidal cross-section, and, moreover, the base plate consists of serially arranged rectangular segments, the side walls of which are adjacent to each other and are fastened to each other by means of separable horizontal joints.

In a preferred variant of the invention, the width of the overlay plate is smaller than the width of the base plate, and rear vertical walls of the stacked plates, i.e., the base plate and the overlay plates, are situated in the same plane, whereas the front sloped walls of the base plate and the overlay plates are situated one by one creating the ramp of the ramp- resistance beam, and, moreover, the overlay plate consists of serially arranged rectangular neighboring segments that are adjacent to each other via their side walls.

In a preferred variant of the invention, the stacked on each other segments of the stacked plates are coupled to each other vertically by means of separable vertical joints.

In a preferred variant of the invention, the ramp-resistance beam consists of the base plate and of one to twelve, or one to six, or one to four, for example of two, three, or four overlay plates, stacked on each other, having gradually changing widths decreasing upwards relative to the base plate.

In a preferred variant of the invention, the horizontal joint in the ramp-resistance beam, in a first embodiment, is built such that the side walls of the adjacent segments of the base plate are fastened to each other by horizontal bolted joints, each having a bolt with a nut, and a pass-through window is created in the periphery of every segment, and openings are made in the segments’ side walls the outlets of which are located in the segments’ windows. The bolt is passed through adjacent openings of both segments, and the head of the bolt is located within a window of one of the segments and adheres to the periphery of that window, and the nut is screwed onto the threaded end of the bolt that is located within a window of a second segment.

In a preferred variant of the invention, the horizontal joint in the ramp-resistance beam, in a second embodiment, is built such that the side walls of the adjacent segments of the base plate are fastened to each other by horizontal bolted joints each of which is made from a bolt, and a pass-through window is created in the periphery of one of the segments, and openings are made in the segments’ side walls, and that the bolt is placed in the smooth opening of the segment with the pass-through window, the head of which adheres to the periphery of the window of that segment, and the threaded end of the bolt is screwed into a threaded opening of a second segment.

In a preferred variant of the invention, the horizontal joint in the ramp-resistance beam, in a third embodiment, is built such that the side walls of the adjacent segments of the base plate are fastened to each other by horizontal cotter joints, each of which is created in two flat inserts seated within the segments’ side walls, and, in the insert of one of the segments, a flat pin is created having a wedge-like front end profile, arranged transversely to the top walls of the segment, and, moreover, along the whole height of the pin, the width of the pin’s end face is bigger than its width at the pin’s base, whereas a slot is formed in the insert of a second segment, the slot being adapted to the shape and meshed with the pin.

In a preferred variant of the invention, the vertical joint in the ramp-resistance beam, in a first embodiment, is built such that the stacked on each other segments of the stacked plates are fastened to each other in pairs by means of vertical tongue-and-groove joints, and the tongue of every joint has a form of a peg that protrudes transversely from the top wall of one of the segments and is recessed in an opening adjusted to the shape of the peg and drilled within the top wall of a second segment.

In a preferred variant of the invention, the vertical joint in the ramp-resistance beam, in a second embodiment, is built such that the stacked on each other segments of the stacked plates are fastened to each other in pairs by means of screwed vertical joints, every joint being made from a bolt that is placed in a smooth opening of one segment, adheres with its head to the top wall thereof, and is screwed with its threaded end into a threaded opening of a second segment.

In a preferred variant of the invention, an end section of the upper top wall in the rear part of each of the segments of the base plate is sloped towards the rear vertical wall of these segments.

In a preferred variant of the invention, the end sections of both parallel top walls in the rear part of each of the segments of the overlay plate are sloped towards the vertical walls of these segments.

In a preferred variant of the invention, the slope of the end section of the top wall of each of the segments of the base plate and the overlay plates defines the slope, and the slope angle is from 1 to 6 degrees.

In the second embodiment of the invention, some segments, which constitute the base plate and the overlay plates, may be modular in nature, i.e., a segment like this consists of a first module - a body of an approximately rectangular cross-section, and a second module - a ramp module that has a sloped ramp wall. This ramp module may be manufactured in different variants: it may be elongated in the attack direction and, then, the slope angle of the sloped wall relative to the road surface is smaller, or the ramp module may be shortened in the attack direction and, then, the slope angle of the sloped wall relative to the road surface is bigger.

According to the invention, in its second embodiment, a ramp-resistance beam, for delimiting a length of a formed road surface, transversely across the road surface, provided with rear vertical wall for delimiting the front end vertical periphery of the road surface, and with an opposite front part of the beam having a sloped wall that defines the ramp of the beam, consists of a longitudinal base plate and, optionally, of at least one overlay plate, seated onto the base plate, the base plate and the overlay plate(s), if present, having, approximately, a right trapezoidal cross-section, and, moreover, the base plate consists of serially arranged rectangular segments, the side walls of which are adjacent to each other and are fastened to each other by means of separable horizontal joints, and at least some segments of the base plate are modular, and such a modular segment consists of a body and a ramp module having a sloped wall.

In a preferred variant of the invention, the overlay plate consists of serially arranged rectangular neighboring segments, that are adjacent to each other via their side walls, and at least some segments of the overlay plates are modular, and such a modular segment consists of a body and a ramp module having a sloped wall.

The invention also relates to the use of the ramp-resistance beam as defined above, for delimiting a length of a formed road surface by extending said beam horizontally transversely across the road surface such that the beam adheres with its rear vertical wall to the front end vertical periphery of this road surface, and with its opposite front part of the beam, with a sloped wall defining a ramp, the beam is facing in the opposite direction away from the vertical periphery of the road surface, and, optionally, the beam is fastened to the road surface substrate.

The ramp-resistance beam is used such that it is extended horizontally transversely across the road surface, and adheres with its rear vertical wall to the front end vertical periphery of this road surface, whereas the opposite front part of the beam has a sloped wall that defines a ramp, for example, for heavy construction equipment. To make it possible to adjust the height of the ramp-resistance beam, at least one overlay plate is seated on the base plate, the width of which is smaller than the width of the base plate. The widths of the plates and segments are to be understood, for the purposes of this invention, as a distance from the sloped wall to the rear vertical wall of the plates and segments. If needed, the ramp-resistance beam consists of the base plate and a couple of stacked on each other overlay plates of gradually changing widths.

The adjacent segments of the base plate in the ramp-resistance beam according to the invention are connected to each other horizontally by means of separable horizontal joints in many design variants.

In turn, the segments, laid one by one, of the stacked plates, i.e., the base plate and the overlay plates in the ramp-resistance beam according to the invention, are connected to each other in pairs by means of separable vertical joints in many design variants.

Both types of the joints, i.e., the horizontal joint and the vertical joint, have been shown in exemplary embodiments, however, it will be easy to conceive for those skilled in the art that other joint designs may be used as well.

For example, for the horizontal joints, the adjacent segments of the base plate may be connected to each other by means of: a hook joint consisting of a hook meshed within an angular slot adjusted to its shape, located in an adjacent segment; a bayonet joint consisting of a coupling rod to be seated within a shaped slot located in an adjacent segment; a joint consisting of a rod that has an opening for a linchpin, the rod being pushed through adjacent openings made in the segments’ side walls, whereas pass-through windows are made in the periphery of every segment, in which located are the outlets of the openings for the rod such that the transverse linchpin opening in the rod is located within a window.

The stacked on each other segments of the stacked plates are fastened to each other in pairs by means of vertical tongue-and-groove joints, and the tongue of every joint has a form of a cylindrical peg or a cuboid with a polygonal base, or it has another convex form, for example a cuboidal grapple protrusion, and such an element protrudes transversely from the top wall of one of the segments and is recessed in an opening adjusted to the shape of the peg and drilled within the top wall of a second segment. Also, the vertical joint may have a form of a bayonet joint comprising a coupling rod seated within a shaped slot of a second segment, or a form of a joint equipped with a plate buckle of a shaped similar to C, the arms of the buckle being recessed in cavities, or it may have a form of hook joints consisting of an angular hook and a slot adjusted to the shape of the angular hook.

To enable a proper compaction, by roadrollers, of the freshly laid road surface at the junction between its end periphery and the ramp-resistance beam, the end section of the upper top wall in the rear part of each of the segments of the base plate is, optionally, sloped towards the end periphery of the road surface.

Said slope may be obtained in the uniform material of the segment or it may have a form of an elongated metal cover of a wedge-like transverse cross-section that is mounted end-to-end to the rear vertical wall of the segment.

The slopes of the end sections of both top walls of each of the segments of the overlay plate may be obtained in its uniform material or the slopes may be obtained in an elongated metal cover having a rhomboidal cross-section that is mounted end-to-end to the rear vertical wall of the segment.

In order to guarantee a reliable fixation of the beam on the road surface, rods or anchors or a flat spiky cover with downwardly projecting spikes that are penetrating the road surface, may be mounted on the bottom of the base plate.

The rear vertical, relative to the road surface, wall of the beam, delimiting the front end periphery of the road surface, may be rough in order to give the front end periphery this roughness, this making it possible to join such rough surface effectively with a next length of the road surface. The roughness may be guaranteed by providing the rear wall of the beam with notches, recesses of any form, roughening, serration, hollows, mesh pattern etc.

Thanks to the solution according to the invention, the ramp-resistance beam finds a universal application for laying various road surfaces with different thicknesses of the laid road surface, since it can be easily adjusted to a given thickness of the layer. The segmented design of the base plate and the overlay plates facilitates the installation of the beam on the road surface of various widths. Thanks to the use of the beam according to the invention, material losses are reduced and the process of preparing the peripheries of the laid road surfaces, to continue the works on the following days, is accelerated.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is presented in an embodiment shown in the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 - shows a vertical cross-sectional view of a ramp-resistance beam seated onto a road surface,

Fig. 2 - shows a top view of the beam of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 - shows a vertical cross-sectional view of a ramp-resistance beam consisting of a base plate and an overlay plate,

Fig. 4 - shows a top view of the beam of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 - shows a vertical cross-sectional view of a ramp-resistance beam consisting of a base plate and two overlay plates,

Fig. 5a - shows a vertical cross-sectional view of a ramp-resistance beam consisting of a base plate and a single overlay plate,

Fig. 5b - shows a vertical cross-sectional view of a ramp-resistance beam, showing a fragment of the cross-section comprising two overlay plates,

Fig. 5c - shows a vertical cross-sectional view of a ramp-resistance beam consisting of a base plate and a single overlay plate, in a modular design, with a body and a ramp module having an approximately triangular cross-section,

Fig. 5d - shows a vertical cross-sectional view of a beam consisting of a base plate and a single overlay plate, in a modular design, with a body and a ramp module having, approximately, a right trapezoidal cross-section, including the ramp part, Fig. 6 - shows a top view of the beam of Fig. 5,

Fig. 7 - shows a cross-sectional view of a joint equipped with a bolt with a nut, joining, horizontally, the segments of the base plate of the beam,

Fig. 8 - shows a top view of the double joint of Fig. 7,

Fig. 9 - shows a cross-sectional view of a joint equipped with a bolt joining, horizontally, the segments of the base plate of the beam,

Fig. 10 - shows a top view of a double joint of Fig. 9,

Fig. 11 - shows a cross-sectional view of a cotter joint joining, horizontally, the segments of the base plate of the beam,

Fig. 12 - shows a top view of the double joint of Fig. 11,

Fig. 13 - shows an end view of a slot in the cotter joint of Fig. 11,

Fig. 14 - shows an end view of a pin in the cotter joint of Fig. 11,

Fig. 15 - shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the pin of Fig. 11,

Fig. 16 - shows a cross-sectional view of a tongue-and-groove joint with a peg tonguejoining, vertically, the segments of the plates of the beam,

Fig. 17 - shows a side view of the double joint of Fig. 16,

Fig. 18 - shows a top view of the double joint of Fig. 16,

Fig. 19 - shows a cross-sectional view of a bolt joint joining, vertically, the segments of the plates of the beam,

Fig. 20 - shows a side view of the double joint of Fig. 19,

Fig. 21 - shows a top view of the double joint of Fig. 19,

Fig. 22 - shows a cross-sectional view of a segment of the base plate and the overlay plate with a sloped rear segment,

Fig. 23 - shows a cross-sectional view of a segment of the overlay plate with a sloped rear segment.

PI TA 11 FI) DESCRIPTION

As shown in Figs. 1 - 2, a ramp-resistance beam, in its basic variant, has a form of an elongated base plate 1 that has, approximately, a right trapezoidal cross-section, and extends transversely across a road surface 2, and, moreover, adheres with its rear vertical wall 3 to the front end vertical periphery 4 of said road surface 2. The opposite front part of the base plate 1 has a sloped wall 6 that defines a ramp PI of the beam of a slope angle a from 6 to 20 degrees. The base plate 1 consists of a plurality of serially arranged rectangular segments, the side walls 7 of its subsequent first and second adjacent segments, i.e., the segment 8 and a neighboring segment 9, adhering to each other and being connected to each other horizontally by means of easily separable joints. Every segment 8 and the neighboring segment 9 of the base plate 1 is delimited from above and from the bottom by two parallel top walls 10.

A shown in Figs. 3, 4, and in Figs. 5, 5a, 5b, and 6, depending on the thickness of the formed road surface 2, onto the base plate 1 is seated one overlay plate la, lb or, if needed, a couple of stacked overlay plates la, lb - for example an upper overlay plate lb on a lower overlay plate la, of various widths that become gradually, upwardly, smaller and smaller than the width of the base plate 1. The cross-section of each upper and lower overlay plates lb, la has, approximately, a shape of a right trapezoid. The rear vertical walls 3 of the stacked plates, i.e., the upper overlay plate lb, the lower overlay plate la, and the base plate 1, are situated in the same plane X and adhere to the end periphery 4 of the road surface 2. The front sloped walls 6 of upper and lower overlay plates, lb and la, as well as the sloped wall 6 of the base plate 1 are situated one by one, defining the ramp of the ramp-resistance beam PI. Every lower overlay plate la and upper overlay plate lb consists of a plurality of serially arranged rectangular segments 8a, 8b and of adjacent segments 9a, 9b, that are adjacent to each other via their side walls 7. The stacked on each other segments 8b, 8a, 8, and the adjacent segments 9b, 9a, 9, correspondingly, of the stacked plates, i.e., the upper overlay plate lb, the lower overlay plate la, and the base plate 1, are fastened to each other in pairs by means of vertical separable joints. The segments of the plates, i.e., the base plate 1, and the lower and upper overlay plates la, lb of the beam, are usually made from a stiff plastic material, optionally reinforced with metal elements.

Figs. 5c and 5d show a ramp-resistance beam according to the invention, in a second embodiment, in which the segments 8, 9 of the base plate and/or the segments 8a, the base plate may consist of a body G, G" and a ramp module 1", 1"", and the segment 8a, 9a of the overlay plate la, lb may consist of a body la', la'" and a ramp module la", la"".

In the first variant of the invention shown in Fig. 5c, with modular segments, the body G of the segment 8, 9 of the base plate 1 has, approximately, a rectangular cross- section, the body la' of the segment 8a, 9a of the overlay plate la has, approximately, a rectangular cross-section, and the ramp module 1" of the segment 8, 9 of the base plate 1 has, approximately, a right triangular cross-section, and the ramp module la" of the segment 8a, 9a of the overlay plate la has, approximately, a right triangular cross-section. In this variant of the invention, the modules of the segments 8, 9 of the base plate and/or the modules of the segments 8a, 9a of the overlay plate la are created by dividing the block of the segments into a cuboidal body and a ramp portion only including a part with the sloped wall 6.

In a second variant of the invention shown in Fig. 5d with modular segments, the body G" of the segment 8, 9 of the base plate 1 has, approximately, a rectangular cross- section, and the body la'" of the segment 8a, 9a of the overlay plate la has, approximately, a rectangular cross-section, but the ramp module 1"" of the segment 8, 9 of the base plate 1 has a cross-sectional shape of a right trapezoid as well as the ramp module la"" of the segment 8a, 9a of the overlay plate la has a cross-sectional shape of a right trapezoid. In this variant of the invention, the modules of the segments 8, 9 of the base plate and/or the modules of the segments 8a, 9a of the overlay plate la are created by dividing the block of the segments into a body and a ramp portion including the sloped wall 6 along with a small part of the segment including parallel lower and upper walls 10.

According to the variants of the invention shown in Figs. 5c and 5d, one can use the modular segments either in the base plate 1 alone, or in the overlay plate la, lb alone, or both, in the base plate 1 as well as in the overlay plate la, lb. It is possible to use, in a single beam according to the invention, both uniform segments as well as modular segments. The modular segments are intended to design modules of various attack angles to make it possible to exchange some or all of the ramp modules and, thus, to obtain a steep or a small gradual angle of attacking the ramp.

In the above variant of the invention, in which the ramp-resistance beam according to the invention includes modular segments, one employs the horizontal connection of the segments and vertical connection of the modular segments, as described here in various variants, by means of joints working vertically and/or horizontally. Also, the modular segments constituting the base plate 1 and/or the overlay plates la, lb may comprise, in the rear part of every segment, end sections 28 in both walls 10, the lower one and the upper (top) one, sloped towards the end periphery 4 of the road surface 2.

Figs, from 7 to 15 show horizontal joints of serially arranged segments in the base plate, wherein Figs. 7 to 12 show the joints before making the connection, when adjacent segments are arranged in some distance from each other, whereas Figs. 16 to 21 show vertical joints of the segments, stacked on each other, in the plates arranged one above another, and, moreover, Figs. 16, 17, 19, and 20 show segments before making the connection when the lower and upper segments are arranged in some distance from each other.

As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the side walls 7 of the segment 8 and an adjacent segment 9 of the base plate 1 are fastened to each other by means of screwed joints 11, each of which has a bolt 12 with a nut 13, and a pass-through window 14 is created in the periphery of every segment, and openings are made 15 in side walls 7 of the segments, the outlets of which are located within the windows 14 of the segments. The bolt 12 is passed through adjacent openings 15 of both segments, and the head of the bolt is located within a window 14 of one of the adjacent segments 9, and, after uniting the joint, adheres to the periphery of that window, and the nut 13 is screwed onto the threaded end of the bolt 12 that is located within the window 14 of the second segment 8.

According to Figs. 9 and 10, the side walls 7 of the segment 8 and the adjacent segment 9 of the base plate 1 are fastened to each other by means of screwed joints 16, each of which is made from a bolt 17, and in the periphery of one of the adjacent segments 9 a pass-through window 14 is created, and openings 18a, 18b are made in the side walls 7 of the segment 8 and the adjacent segment 9. In the smooth opening 18a of the adjacent segment 9 with the pass-through window 14 a bolt is placed 17, the head of which, after uniting the joint, adheres to the periphery of the window 14 of this segment 9, whereas the threaded end of the bolt 17 is screwed into a threaded opening 18b of the second segment 8.

According to Figs. 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15, the side walls 7 of the segment 8 and of the adjacent segment 9 of the base plate 1 are fastened to each other by means of cotter joints 19, each of the joints being created in two flat metal inserts 20, 21 seated in the side walls 7 of the segments. In the insert 20 of one of the segments 9, a flat pin 20a is formed of a wedge-like front end shape, the pin being directed transversely to the top walls 10 of the segment 8. Along the whole height of the pin 20a, the width S of its end face 20b is bigger than its width SI at the pin’s base 20a. In the insert 21 of the second segment 8 a slot 21a is formed adapted to the shape of the pin 20 and meshed with it.

According to Figs. 16, 17, and 18, the pair of the stacked on each other segments 8a, 8 in the stacked one above the other plates, i.e., the overlay plate la and the base plate 1, is united vertically by tongue-and-groove joints 22, and the tongue of every joint has a form of a peg 23, that protrudes transversely from the top wall 10 of one of the segments 8a and is recessed in an opening 24 adjusted to the diameter of the peg and drilled within the top wall 10 of the second segment 8.

According to Figs. 19, 20, and 21, the pair of the stacked on each other segments 8a, 8 in the stacked plates, i.e., the overlay plate la and the base plate 1, are united vertically by means of screwed joints 25, every joint being made from a bolt 26, that is placed in the smooth opening 18a of one of the segments 8a, adheres with its head 27 to the top wall 10, and is screwed, with its threaded end into a threaded opening 18b of the second segment 8.

By means of all vertical joints, in an analogous manner, the pairs of the stacked on each other segments 8b, 8a in the stacked overlay plates lb, la are joined. According to Figs. 22 and 23, the end section 28 of the upper top wall 10 in the rear part of each of the segments 8 and the adjacent segment 9 of the base plate 1 and the overlay plates la, lb, is sloped towards the end periphery 4 of the road surface 2. According to Fig. 23, the end sections 28 of both the upper (top) and the lower walls 10 in the rear part of each of the segments 8a and of the adjacent segment 9a of the lower overlay plate la, are sloped towards the end periphery 4 of the road surface 2. The same slope is exhibited by the end sections 28 of both top walls 10 in the rear part of each of the segments 8b and of the adjacent segment 9b of the upper overlay plate lb that rests on the lower overlay plate la. The angle b of the ramp P2 of the end section 28 of the top wall 10 of each of the segments 8, 9 and of the corresponding segments 8a, 8b, and of the adjacent segments 9a, 9b of the overlay plates, the lower overlay plate la and the upper overlay plate lb, most preferably is from 1 to 6 degrees.