GB2477728A

GB2477728A - Modular moulded brick for an inspection chamber

Info

Publication number: GB2477728A
Application number: GB1002184A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alan Mark Seddon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-02-10
Filing date: 2010-02-10
Publication date: 2011-08-17
Also published as: GB201002184D0

Abstract

A modular load bearing moulded brick for an inspection chamber includes interlocking complementary components which each have an internal support member, which may be cylindrical, the support members may cooperate to provide an internal load bearing support within the brick. The brick defines a void around or inside the load bearing support which is suitable for receiving a reinforcing component, the assembled brick has a width of at least 75mm and the load bearing support has a width of at least 50mm. The brick may be flat sided or L-shaped.. An additional invention discloses a modular load bearing moulded brick with a plurality of external recesses, each recess is arranged to receive a portion of a connector which connects adjacent bricks and vertically adjacent layers of bricks.

Description

Field of Invention

This invention relates to an inspection chamber of modular construction, still more particularly to modular reinforceable plastic bricks and to a modular system for the construction of inspection chambers and similar structures from said bricks.

Baclcqround Inspections chambers beneath a road way or thoroughfare typically have to resist side load and support significant vertical load. For example the vertical loads can be in the range of l5kn to 9Okn. Typically therefore such chambers are assembled from conventional bricks and/or mortar or reinforced concrete.

Summary of the invention

Aspects and examples of the invention are set out in the claims and have the advantage of providing a product that is lightweight, easily transportable, easily erected on site and easily made to accept pipe work, cabling and other conduits whilst meeting the load bearing requirements set out above.

In an example the invention provides side pieces, corner pieces and connecting wedges which can be easily assembled into an inspection chamber. Different combinations of parts will produce different sizes/shapes of chambers.

Preferably the parts are made of plastic, in one example the parts are moulded from a thermoplastic. In one possibility the blocks are designed to hold a removable bung to allow the easy fitting of a pipe.

Preferably the modular components provide a system to create inspection chambers of a wide variety of shapes and dimensions. In one possibility tapering wedges provide an efficient and strong connection between adjacent components both horizontally and vertically.

In one possibility the system provides for easy fitting of pipes by the use of bungs which are removable without tools.

Chambers constructed according to the invention can be reinforced to bear higher loads by the addition of strengthening tubes, or similar, incorporated into the corners and blocks/bricks along the sides of the chambers.

In one possibility the chambers have vertical holes running through the corner pieces and some side pieces which may be filled with a reinforcing material such as concrete, steel or similar to provide additional strength.

In an example there is provided a modular load bearing moulded brick for construction of a load bearing structure the brick comprising substantially similar interlocking complementary components each component having an internal support member to cooperate with a corresponding internal support member of the other component to provide an internal load bearing support, the components further defining a void around or inside said load bearing support for receiving an optional reinforcing component wherein the assembled brick has a width of at least 75mm and wherein the load bearing support has a width of at least 50mm.

This and other examples of the invention have the advantage of providing an inspection chamber (e.g. made from L-shaped corner pieces, optional side pieces, connecting wedges and bungs as described herein) which is lightweight easily transported and erected on site, whilst being able to withstand the required side load and downward load.

In an example there is provided a brick in which the components define a substantially cylindrical void around said substantially cylindrical support for receiving an optional internal reinforcing component. This has the advantage of providing the option of a reinforcing component of greater diameter than the support.

In an example there is provided a brick according in which the components define a substantially cylindrical void inside said substantially cylindrical support for receiving an optional reinforcing component. This has the advantage of permitting a reinforcing component such as a rod or reinforced concrete to be inserted through the assembled components to further couple them together and provide additional structural support.

In an example there is provided a brick in which the components define a substantially cylindrical void around said substantially cylindrical support for receiving an optional internal reinforcing component and in which the components further define a substantially cylindrical void inside said substantially cylindrical support for receiving an optional additional reinforcing component. This has the advantage of enabling the use of a reinforcing component of greater diameter than the support and of permitting a reinforcing component such as a rod or reinforced concrete to be inserted through the assembled components to further couple them together and provide additional structural support In an example the components are substantially L-shaped to provide an L-shaped brick such that the brick is suitable for use as a corner piece of a rectangular structure. This has the advantage of providing square or rectangular inspection chambers of reliable and straightforward construction.

In an example there is provided a brick wherein the width of the internal support member is at least 30% of the width of the brick. Preferably the width of the internal support member is at least 40% of the width of the brick.

Preferably the width of the internal support member is at least 50% of the width of the brick. Preferably the width of the internal support member is at least 70% of the width of the brick. These examples of the invention have the advantage of providing a brick of increased strength with the capacity to receive relatively large support members optionally both through and within the bricks.

Summary of Drawings

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates the corner section construction which is made of two components which are fastened together to make one unit; Figure 2 illustrates how a tubular part can be added to increase the load bearing capacity; Figure 3 illustrates how the side pieces are constructed; Figure 4 illustrates how some corners and straight sections have a hole through them with a bung that is removable without tools; Figure 5 illustrates how a connecting wedge fastens a side piece/corner piece to a side piece/corner piece optionally the wedges also connect a layer to the layer above; Figure 6 illustrates how a half-wedge is used to finish the connection at the top and base of the chamber; and Figure 7 illustrates how a bung may be removed to facilitate ease entry of a pipe.

Claims

Claims 1. A modular load bearing moulded brick for construction of a load bearing structure the brick comprising substantially similar interlocking complementary components each component having an internal support member to cooperate with a corresponding internal support member of the other component to provide an internal load bearing support, the components further defining a void around or inside said load bearing support for receiving an optional reinforcing component wherein the assembled brick has a width of at least 75mm and wherein the load bearing support has a width of at least 50mm.
2. A brick according to claim 1 in which the components define a substantially cylindrical void around said substantially cylindrical support for receiving an optional internal reinforcing component.
3. A brick according to claim 1 in which the components define a substantially cylindrical void inside said substantially cylindrical support for receiving an optional reinforcing component.
4. A brick according to claim 2 in which the components further define a substantially cylindrical void inside said substantially cylindrical support for receiving an optional additional reinforcing component.
5. A brick according to any of claims 1 to 4 wherein the components are substantially L-shaped to provide an L-shaped brick such that the brick is suitable for use as a corner piece of a rectangular structure.
6. A brick according to claim 5 in which the load bearing support is arranged in the elbow region of the L-shaped brick.
7. A brick according to claim 6 comprising a further load bearing support wherein said further load bearing support is arranged in an end region of the brick.
8. A brick according to any of claims 1 to 4 wherein the components are substantially rectangular such that the brick is suitable for use in a planar wall structure or for use in a straight section of a rectangular structure.
9. A brick according to claim 8 in which the load bearing support is arranged in a mid region of the brick.
10. A brick according to claim 8 comprising a second load bearing support arranged in an end region of the brick.
11. A system of modular load bearing moulded bricks for construction of a load bearing structure, said structure comprising a plurality of corner bricks according to claim 5, 6 or 7 and, optionally including edge bricks according to claims 8, 9 or 10.
12. A modular load bearing moulded brick for construction of a load bearing structure, said structure comprising a plurality of bricks arranged in layers of adjacently stacked bricks, said bricks comprising: a plurality of external recesses, each recess arranged to receive a portion of a connection member such that each of said connector members are operable to couple together horizontally adjacent bricks in a layer and couple together vertically adjacent layers of said structure by means of an interference fit with said recesses.
13. The brick of claim 12 having the features of the brick of any of claims 1 to 10.
14. The brick of any of claims 1 to 10 or 13 in which the internal support member is a cylinder of substantially circular cross section.
15. The brick of any of claims 1 to 10 or 13 in which the internal support member is of substantially triangular cross section.
16. The brick any of claims 1 to 10 or 13 in which the internal support member is of substantially rectangular cross section.
17. The brick of any of claims 1 to 10 or 13 in which the internal support member is of a polygonal cross section
18. The brick of any of claims 1 to 10 or 13 in which the internal support member is of an I-beam or H-beam cross section.
19. The brick of any of claims ito 10 or 13 to 18 in which the void around or inside the load bearing support is adapted to receive an optional reinforcing member having a cross section chosen from the list comprising: substantially circular, substantially rectangular, substantially triangular, polygonal, I-beam and H-Beam cross section.
20. The brick of claim 19 wherein the void around or inside the load bearing support is adapted to receive an optional reinforcing member that is hollow
21. The brick of claim 19 wherein the void around or inside the load bearing support is adapted to receive an optional reinforcing member that is not hollow, preferably wherein it is solid.
22. The brick of any of claims 1 to 10 or 13 to 21 comprising an optional reinforcing member, wherein the reinforcing member comprises a different material from the brick.
23. The brick of claim 22 in which the reinforcement member comprises steel.
24. A brick according to any of claims 1 to 10 or 12 to 23 or the system of claim 12 in which the brick is moulded from materials comprising a thermoplastic.
25. The brick of any of claims 1 to 10 or 12 to 23 or the system of claim 12 in which the width of the brick is at least 100 mm and the cross section of the support member is at least 60mm, preferably wherein the width of the brick is at least 125 mm and the cross section of the support member is at least 100mm.
26. The brick of any of claims 1 to 10 or 12 to 23 or the system of claim 12 in which the brick comprises a vertical aperture extending through the assembled halves of the brick, preferably wherein said aperture extends through a void defined inside load bearing support member.
27. An inspection chamber assembled from a plurality of bricks according to claim 26 optionally wherein a further reinforcement material is provided into said vertical apertures to couple the assembled bricks together.
28. An inspection chamber having a substantially square inspection cavity of at least 600mm by 600mm comprising a plurality of bricks according to claim 27 when dependent on claim 6, wherein the bricks are assembled in layers of adjacently stacked bricks, said bricks comprising: a plurality of external recesses, each recess arranged to receive a portion of a connection member such that each of said connector members are operable to couple together horizontally adjacent bricks in a layer and couple together vertically adjacent layers of said structure by means of an interference fit with said recesses.
29. A kit comprising a plurality of bricks according to claim 26 operable to be assembled together such that a further reinforcement material may be provided into said vertical apertures to couple the assembled bricks together.
30. The kit of claim 29 assembled together with said further reinforcement material, preferably wherein the further reinforcement material comprises at least one of steel and concrete.
31. The brick of any of claims 1 to 10 or 12 to 23 or the system of claim 12 in which the brick comprises a closable horizontal aperture for receiving pipe work or cabling to enable said pipe work or cabling to be pass through a load bearing structure assembled from said bricks.
32. A kit comprising a brick according to claim 26, and one of a plug, a bung and a cover for closing the aperture.
33. The kit of claim 32 wherein the one of a plug, a cover and a bung are removable without using tools.
34. A modular plastic brick substantially as described herein and/or with reference to the accompanying drawings.
35. An inspection chamber substantially as described herein and/or with reference to the accompanying drawings.