GB2567562B

GB2567562B - Station platform floor panel

Info

Publication number: GB2567562B
Application number: GB1819754.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Bowman Thomas
Original assignee: Dura Composites Ltd
Current assignee: Dura Composites Ltd
Priority date: 2014-02-24
Filing date: 2014-02-24
Publication date: 2019-07-31
Anticipated expiration: 2034-02-24
Also published as: GB2567562A; GB201819754D0

Description

STATION PLATFORM FLOOR PANEL

The present invention relates to a station platform floor panel. The invention also relates to a station platform floor kit, a station platform floor, a method of constructing a station platform floor and a method of manufacturing a station platform floor panel.

Railway station platform floors are commonly constructed by placing tarmacadam and concrete slabs on an underlying support structure. The concrete slabs are usually placed along the platform edge and are held in place with mortar. Since tarmacadam and concrete are extremely hardwearing, these arrangements are particularly suitable when the platform floor will be exposed to inclement weather. The concrete slabs at the platform edge in these arrangements are usually level, but the tarmacadam usually slopes downwards away from the concrete slabs such that any rainwater on the platform floor drains away from the platform edge.

It is standard practice to provide a line of textured or “tactile” concrete slabs close to, and running parallel to, the edge of the platform. The tactile surface for these concrete slabs is usually provided by an arrangement of isolated circular features on the surface of the slab. The tactile surface provides a non-visual indication that the platform edge is nearby. It is relatively easy to provide isolated features on concrete slabs by using an appropriate mould for the slab. Platform floors are also often painted with white lines so as to highlight the edge of the platform and/or yellow lines behind which the passengers on the platform are advised to stand. Paint for these lines is readily adhered to the surfaces of tarmacadam and concrete slabs.

Tarmacadam and concrete slabs therefore provide adequate station platform floors. However, concrete slabs can be extremely heavy and difficult to cut to size. Furthermore, applying tarmacadam, paint and mortar can be a messy and time-consuming process.

It may be possible to use pultruded glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) slabs in place of tarmacadam and concrete slabs when constructing station platform floors. GRP slabs can be strong, lightweight and easy to cut to size. However, substantial gaps will be present between the surfaces of adjacent slabs if those slabs are placed at an angle relative to one another so as to provide a level platform edge and then a sloped surface downwards and away from the platform edge. Furthermore, since the pultrusion process produces components of uniform cross-section in planes orthogonal to the pultrusion direction, it is not straightforward to provide GRP slabs with appropriately textured surfaces having isolated features. Furthermore, since GRP is not particularly absorbent, some fillers, paints and mortars do not adhere well to GRP.

It is a principal aim of this invention to provide arrangements that overcome the shortcomings of the known station platform floor arrangements.

Thus, according to an aspect of this invention there is provided a station platform floor panel, the panel having a substantially planar upper surface, the upper surface having one or more fixing recesses for respectively receiving one or more mechanical fixings, the one or more fixing recesses each having a stepped profile for supporting a cover plate over one or more mechanical fixings housed therein, wherein the one or more fixing recesses each extend along the entire length of the panel.

It will be appreciated that the one or more fixing recesses (e.g. two fixing recesses) of the panel of the above aspect and its related embodiments are particularly advantageous in that they allow the panel to be held in place using mechanical fixings such as bolts. This reduces or removes the need to use mortar to hold the panels in place. Furthermore, the one or more fixing recesses can readily be covered over with one or more cover plates to provide markings (such as a line that is of a different colour to that of the panel) and/or to conceal the mechanical fixings once the panel has been fixed in place with the mechanical fixings. This can, for example, reduce or remove the need to use paints for markings, remove the need to use fillers to cover the mechanical fixings, and/or allow the panels to be rendered usable in a very short space of time.

The width of each of the one or more fixing recesses is preferably in the range 80mm-120mm. The one or more fixing recesses preferably each extend across 10% to 20% of the width of the panel. The depth of each of the one or more fixing recesses is preferably in the range 15mm-25mm. The depth of the step or steps in the stepped profile which support the cover plate is preferably in the range 4mm-10mm.

In embodiments, the panel may have a first side having a first elongate face, and an opposed second side having a second elongate face, wherein the first elongate face and the second elongate face are configured such that two of said panels can be placed adjacent to one another with the first elongate face of one of the panels being adjacent to the second elongate face of the other of the panels so as to provide a substantially continuous platform surface that spans the panels and with there being a reflex external angle between the upper surfaces of the panels.

It will be appreciated that the above embodiments can be used to construct a platform floor without the presence of substantial gaps between the upper surfaces of adjacent panels regardless of whether the upper surfaces of those panels are substantially level with each other or whether the upper surfaces of those panels are at an angle relative to one another. In particular, due to the configuration of the first and second elongate faces, the intersection of the first elongate face of one of the panels with the upper surface of that panel can be placed in contact with, or at least in very close proximity to, the intersection of the second elongate face of the other of the panels with the upper surface of that panel, even when the upper surfaces of the panels are at a reflex angle relative to one another. This can provide a substantially continuous or uninterrupted platform floor surface and reduce or remove the need for fillers between adjacent panels.

In some station platform floors, the angle between the upper surfaces of adjacent panels need only be very slight, for example just enough for rainwater to drain away. Thus, the reflex external angle may be in the range 181°-182°.

In some embodiments, the first and second faces are substantially planar. In these embodiments, there may be a first angle between the plane of the upper surface and the first elongate face and there may be a second angle between the plane of the upper surface and the second elongate face, wherein the sum of the first and second angles is greater than 180°. In these embodiments, the sum of the first and second angles may be in the range 181°- 182°. For example, the first angle may be in the range 91°-92° and/or the second angle may be substantially 90°.

In preferred embodiments, the panel also has a substantially planar lower surface. The plane of the lower surface is preferably substantially parallel to the plane of the upper surface.

In embodiments, the upper surface may have a tactile surface recess for receiving a tactile surface.

It will be appreciated that the tactile surface recess of the panel of the above embodiments is particularly advantageous in that it allows a separate tactile surface to be held in place laterally on the panel. The tactile surface recess also can reduce the likelihood of passengers tripping on the edges of the tactile surface and can help to prevent the edges of the tactile surface from being snagged, which could lead to the tactile surface being pulled away from the upper surface of the panel. The tactile surface recess also allows, for example, for a wide variety of different tactile surfaces (e.g. having circular and/or isolated features) to be used in conjunction with pultruded panels.

In preferred embodiments, the tactile surface recess extends along the entire length of the panel. Thus, when such panels are placed end to end lengthwise, a substantially continuous tactile surface can be provided across those panels (e.g. parallel to the platform edge). The width of the tactile surface recess is preferably in the range 350-450 mm. The tactile surface recess preferably extends across 50% to 65% of the width of the panel. The depth of the tactile surface recess is preferably in the range 2-7mm, more preferably in the range 4-5mm.

In embodiments, the panel may have a first side having a first elongate face, and an opposed second side having a second elongate face, the first elongate face having one or more locating projections and/or recesses, the second elongate face having one or more corresponding locating projections and/or recesses, the correspondence being such that two of said panels can be placed in engagement with one another with the locating projections and/or recesses of the first elongate face of one of the panels engaging with the locating projections and/or recesses of the second elongate face of the other of the panels.

It will be appreciated that the one or more projections and/or recesses of the panel of the above embodiments are particularly advantageous in that in they can help to hold together adjacent panels in correct alignment. This can, for example, reduce or remove the need to use adhesive or mortar to hold adjacent panels together and/or reduce the risk of adjacent panels becoming misaligned.

In preferred embodiments, the one or more locating projections and/or recesses extend along the entire length of the panel. In preferred embodiments, one of the first and second faces has an elongate locating projection, and the other of the first and second faces has a corresponding elongate locating recess. The locating projection and/or recess are preferably rounded (e.g. semicircular in cross-section). This can, for example, allow adjacent panels to be engaged with each other regardless of whether the upper surfaces of those panels are substantially level or whether the upper surfaces of those panels are at an angle relative to one another.

In some embodiments, the first and second faces are substantially planar and the one or more locating projections and/or recesses extend out of or into the plane of the faces. In preferred embodiments, the one or more locating projections and/or recesses each extend only partially across the depth of the elongate face in question. In other embodiments, the one or more locating projections and/or recesses may extend across the entire depth of the elongate face in question.

It will be appreciated from the above that the panel of this invention is preferably formed from pultruded material. It will also be appreciated that the panel preferably has a uniform cross-section in planes orthogonal to the length direction (the direction of pultrusion). The panel may be formed from fibre reinforced plastic or polymer (FRP), such as glass (fibre) reinforced plastic or polymer (GRP). These materials are generally lighter and easier to cut than concrete.

The width of the panel is preferably in the range 550mm-750mm, for example is in the range 575mm-625mm (e.g. about 600mm) or in the range 675mm-725mm (e.g. about 700mm). The depth of the panel is preferably in the range 75mm-125mm (e.g. about 100mm).

In preferred embodiments, the upper surface of the panel is attached to a lower surface of the panel by one or more webs and/or the panel has a hollow structure. These features provide an extremely lightweight but strong structure.

The present invention also extends to kits and platform floors comprising the panels described above.

In this regard, according to another aspect of this invention there is provided a station platform floor kit comprising a plurality of panels as described above.

In embodiments, the station platform floor kit may comprise a first set of one or more panels as described above and a second set of one or more panels as described above, wherein: each panel of the first set of one or more panels has a first width (e.g. of 675mm-725mm, such as abut 700mm) and each panel of the second set of one or more panels has a second width (e.g. of 575mm-625mm, such as about 600mm), the first width being greater than the second width; and/or each panel of the first set of one or more panels has a tactile surface recess (e.g. as described above) for receiving a tactile surface and each panel of the second set of one or more panels does not have a tactile surface recess for receiving a tactile surface.

The Applicants have identified that the above station platform floor kits having first and second sets of different panels can be sufficient to construct most station platform floors. Furthermore, station platforms having a width of at least 2.5m are generally considered to be safe in the UK. A platform of at least 2.5m wide can quickly be constructed using one panel from the first set of panels (e.g. a 700mm panel, preferably having a tactile surface recess) and three panels from the second set of panels (e.g. three 600mm panels, preferably not having tactile surface recesses).

The above kits preferably comprise one or more tactile surfaces and/or one or more cover plates (e.g. of the same colour (e.g. black or grey) as the panels and/or of a different colour (e.g. yellow or white) to the panels) and/or one or more mechanical fixings (e.g. bolts) and/or one or more support structures.

In a related aspect, there is also provided a station platform floor constructed from a kit as described above.

The present invention also extends to methods of constructing a platform floor using the kits described above.

In this regard, according to another aspect of this invention there is provided a method of constructing a station platform floor using a kit as described above, the method comprising; placing the panels of the kit adjacent to one another on one or more support structures.

The method may comprise fixing the panels to the one or more support structures with mechanical fixings (e.g. bolts). The method may comprise placing and/or fixing the panels such that the platform floor is substantially level at the platform edge and then slopes away from the platform edge. The method may comprise placing one or more tactile surfaces respectively into one or more tactile surface recesses and/or placing one or more cover plates respectively into one or more fixing recesses. The method may comprise removing one or more projections from the exposed edge faces of one or more of the panels at the platform edge. This can provide a smooth edge face at the platform edge.

The present invention also extends to methods of manufacturing panels for station platform floors.

In this regard, according to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a station platform floor panel, the method comprising: forming a panel as described above by pultrusion.

By way of example only, embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a first panel according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 shows a second panel according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 shows a tactile surface for the panel of figure 1;

Figure 4 shows a cover plate for the panels of figures 1 and 2; and

Figure 5 shows a station platform floor constructed from the components of figures 1-4.

Figure 1 shows, in cross-section, a first panel 100 for a railway station platform floor. The cross-section is taken in a plane orthogonal to the length direction of the first panel 100. As will be discussed in more detail below, the first panel 100 is manufactured from glass fibre reinforced plastic (GRP) by pultrusion. The first panel 100 accordingly has the same cross-section (i.e. a constant cross-section) in planes orthogonal to the length direction (i.e. the pultrusion direction) of the first panel 100. In this embodiment, the width of the panel 100 is 700mm and the depth of the panel 100 is 100mm.

The first panel 100 has a substantially planar upper surface 102, a first side having a first substantially planar elongate face 104, an opposed second side having a second substantially planar elongate face 106, and a substantially planar lower surface 108. The plane 110 (shown by a dashed line) of the upper surface 102 is substantially parallel to the plane 112 (shown by a dashed line) of the lower surface 108. The upper surface 102 of the panel 100 is attached to the lower surface 108 of the panel 100 by several webs such as web 126 so as to give the panel 100 a hollow or “open” structure 128.

There is a first angle θ between the plane 110 of the upper surface 102 and the first elongate face 104, and a second angle φ between the plane 110 of the upper surface 102 and the second elongate face 106. In this embodiment, the first angle θ is 91.43° and the second angle φ is 90°. Thus, the sum of the first angle θ and the second angle φ is 181.43°.

Thus, the first elongate face 104 and the second elongate face 106 are configured such that two panels similar to the panel 100 shown in figure 1 can be placed adjacent to one another with the first elongate face 104 of one of the panels being adjacent to the second elongate face 106 of the other of the panels, and with the planes 110 of the upper surfaces 102 of those panels being at an angle relative to one another so as to provide a sloped surface for rainwater run-off without creating a substantial gap between the upper surfaces 102 of the adjacent panels 100. In this embodiment, the reflex external angle between the upper surfaces 102 of the adjacent panels 100 can be up to 181.43°.

The upper surface 102 of the panel 100 also has a tactile surface recess 114 for receiving a tactile surface. In this embodiment, the tactile surface recess 114 is 403mm wide and 4.5mm deep, and extends along the entire length of the panel. Figure 3 shows, in cross-section, an exemplary tactile surface 300 having isolated circular features 302 distributed across the width of its upper surface. Although not shown, further isolated circular features are also distributed along the length of the upper surface of the tactile surface 300.

Referring again to figure 1, the upper surface 102 of the panel 100 also has two fixing recesses 116 for respectively receiving mechanical fixings in the form of bolts (not shown). Each fixing recess 116 extends along the entire length of the panel. In this embodiment, each fixing recess 116 has a width of 100.5mm and a depth of 20mm. The heads of the bolts can be housed in the fixing recess 116, with the threads of the bolts passing through a channel 120 below the fixing recess 116 and protruding out of the lower surface 108. The protruding part of the thread can be attached to a support structure (not shown), for example with rubber rivet nuts.

The fixing recesses 116 each have a stepped profile comprising steps 118 for supporting a cover plate over the heads of the bolts housed therein. The depth of each step varies from 6mm at the edge of the step 118 to 8mm at the centre of the step 118. In this embodiment, the distance between the steps 118 of each fixing recess 116 is 50mm. Figure 4 shows, in cross-section, an exemplary cover plate 400. The entire cover plate 400, or at least its upper surface 402, may be a similar colour as the upper surface 102 of the panel 100 so as to blend in with the panel 100, or may be yellow or white so as to provide brightly coloured lines along the platform.

Referring again to figure 1, the first elongate face 104 has an elongate locating recess 122 and the second elongate face 106 has a corresponding elongate locating projection 124. The locating recess 122 and locating projection 124 extend along the entire length of the panel. The correspondence between the locating recess 122 and the locating projection 124 is such that two panels similar to the panel 100 shown in figure 1 can be placed in engagement with one another with the locating recess 122 of the first elongate face 104 of one of the panels engaging with the locating projection 124 of the second elongate face 106 of the other of the panels. In this embodiment, the locating recess 112 and projection 124 are rounded and have a semi-circular cross-section. This allows the two adjacent panels to be engaged with each other regardless of whether the upper surfaces 102 of those panels are substantially level or whether the upper surfaces 102 of those panels are at an angle relative to one another.

Figure 2 shows, in cross-section, a second panel 200 for a station platform floor. The second panel 200 is almost identical to the first panel 100 and the corresponding features are indicated with a reference number that is derived by adding 100 to the reference number used in figure 1. The differences between the first panel 100 and the second panel 200 will now be described.

The width of the second panel 200 is 600mm and therefore the second panel 200 is not as wide as the first panel 100. The upper surface 202 of the second panel 200 also does not have a tactile surface recess. The fixing recesses 216 are also further from the edges of the second panel 200 than the fixing recesses 116 are from the edges of the first panel 100.

Figure 5 shows, in cross-section, a station platform floor 500 constructed from one of the first panels 100 described above and three of the second panels 200 described above. As is shown in figure 5, the panels 100, 200 have been placed adjacent to and engaged with one another such that the station platform floor 500 is level at the platform edge 502 and then slopes away from the platform edge 502. The platform edge 502 has been mechanically rounded where it meets the upper surface of the panel 200 and the elongate projection of the panel 200 at the platform edge 502 has been mechanically removed so as to provide a smooth platform edge 502. The platform edge 502 and upper surface of the panel 200 up to, and optionally including, the first cover plate 400w are white. A tactile surface 300 has also been placed on the panel 100.

The panels 100, 200 are fixed to support structures, such as base posts (not shown), using 100mm long M8 bolts 504 and rubber rivet nuts (not shown). Cover plates 400 have then been placed on all of the panels 100, 200 to cover the bolt heads. The first cover plate 400y after the tactile surface 300 when coming back from the platform edge 502 is yellow to indicate to passengers where to stand. All of the other cover plates 400 are of a similar colour (e.g. grey or black) to the panels 100, 200.

As will be appreciated from the above, a kit comprising panels such as the first and second panels 100, 200 and a few additional components allows a complete station platform floor to be readily constructed therefrom.

As discussed above, the panels are formed by pultrusion from glass fibre reinforced plastic (GRP). First, glass fibres are grouped together into rovings/mats. The rovings/mats are then pulled through a resin bath. The resin coated rovings/mats are then pulled through guides and into a chamber where the resin begins to cure. The curing panel is then pulled through a die which has an opening that is the same shape as the cross-section of the panel.

Claims

1. A station platform floor panel, the panel having a substantially planar upper surface, the upper surface having one or more fixing recesses for respectively receiving one or more mechanical fixings, the one or more fixing recesses each having a stepped profile for supporting a cover plate over one or more mechanical fixings housed therein, wherein the one or more fixing recesses each extend along the entire length of the panel.

2. A panel as claimed in claim 1 wherein the width of each of the one or more fixing recesses is in the range 80mm-120mm.

3. A panel as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the depth of each of the one or more fixing recesses is in the range 15-25mm.

4. A panel as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the depth of one or more steps in the stepped profile is in the range 4mm-10mm.

5. A panel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the panel having a first side having a first elongate face, and an opposed second side having a second elongate face, the first elongate face having one or more locating projections and/or recesses, the second elongate face having one or more corresponding locating projections and/or recesses, the correspondence being such that two of said panels can be placed in engagement with one another with the locating projections and/or recesses of the first elongate face of one of the panels engaging with the locating projections and/or recesses of the second elongate face of the other of the panels.

6. A panel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the panel being formed from pultruded material.

7. A panel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the panel being formed from fibre reinforced plastic.

8. A panel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the width of the panel is in the range 550mm-750mm.

9. A panel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the depth of the panel is in the range 75mm-125mm.

10. A panel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the panel having a substantially planar lower surface, wherein the plane of the lower surface is substantially parallel to the plane of the upper surface.

11. A panel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upper surface of the panel is attached to a lower surface of the panel by one or more webs.

12. A panel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the panel has a hollow structure.

13. A panel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the panel has a uniform cross-section in planes orthogonal to the length direction.

14. A station platform floor kit comprising a plurality of panels as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

15. A station platform floor kit as claimed in claim 14 comprising one or more cover plates and/or one or more mechanical fixings and/or one or more support structures.

16. A station platform floor constructed from a kit as claimed in claim 14 or 15.

17. A method of constructing a station platform floor using the kit of claim 14 or 15, the method comprising: placing the panels of the kit adjacent to one another on one or more support structures.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, comprising: fixing the panels to the one or more support structures with mechanical fixings; and/or placing and/or fixing the panels such that the platform floor is substantially level at the platform edge and then slopes away from the platform edge.

19. A method as claimed in claim 17 or 18 comprising: placing one or more cover plates respectively into one or more fixing recesses.

20. A method of manufacturing a station platform floor panel for a station platform floor, the method comprising: forming a panel as claimed in any one of claims 1-13 by pultrusion.