US1090158A - Expansion-joint for concrete structures. - Google Patents

Description

J. P. LE BARON. EXPANSION JOINT FOR CONCRETE STRUCTURES. APPLICATION FILED JULY 1o, 191s.

1.090,1 58. Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

Inventor Witnessesl Attorneys UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

-J'OHN FRANCIS LE BARON, OF CHARBON, OHIO.

EXPANSION-JOINTFOR CONCRETE STRUCTURES.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN FRANCIS L1 BARON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chardon, in the county of Geauga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Expansion Joint for Concrete Structures, of which the following is a specification.

` The device forming the subject matter of this application is adapted to be employed for facilitating the expansion and contrac- I which will appear as the description pro-` ceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter describedand claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed canI be made within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the'drawing: Figure 1 shows the inventionin transverse section, the parts being positioned as thev will appear when set in the winter time, orr at a maximum contraction; Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the parts as they will appear set in the summer time or under a considerable degree of expansion; Fig. 3 is an elevation of the expansion tie employed in connection with the structure shown in Figs. l and 2; Fig. 4 is a sectional detail showing a modified form of joint closure.

By way of explanation it may be stated that, as commonly known, concrete and cement expand and contract, due to temperature changes, in about the Same ratio as iron. This expansive and contractile action4 of concrete forms cracks in Walls andy other structures built of that material, and as a. consequence-it has been the custom to leave open joints in such walls, about every forty feet. These open joints are objectionable in that they weaken the wall, and render what j Specification of Letters Patent,

Application led July 19, 1913. Serial No. 780,048.

i l l y l l Patented Mar. 17, 1914;.

otherwise would be a continuous structure, a succession of practically independent and separate' elements. In addition to weakening the wall, the spaces at the jointsabove referred to serve as places of filth accumulation, and in the joints, the seeds of plants, trees and the like, lodge and germinate, the roots of lthe vegetation penetrating the structure and frequently disrupting the same. Tn the case of building, these open joints form objectionable openings in the wall, admitting wind and rain, which openings must be closed. Further, the joints above referred to permit water to enter, which, freezing in the winter season, forces the wall apart. Even in a monolithic wall, cracks will appear and these cracks must be closed, notably in the case of tanks and conduits.

The invention herein disclosed may be employed upon piers, abutments and concrete structures of all sorts. For convenience in description, it will be presupposed that the present structure is embodied in a wall, and the term wall will be used hereinafter without prejudice, to avoid unnecessary repetitions. y

I n the accompanying drawings there is shown a wall 1 comprising parts 2, fashioned from concrete or cement. The parts 2 are spaced apart as indicated at 3.

Pairs of reinforcing elements 4 are shown, the same preferably being metal bars of any desired cross section. To the outer faces of the reinforcing elements 4, expansion members 5 are applied, the expansion members being held in place by bolts 6 or in any other suitable manner. The expansion members 5 which may be fashioned from galvanized sheet iron, lead, copper, zinc or any other suitable material are folded or bulged laterally, as indicated at 8. The reinforcing elements it are embedded in the parts 2 of the wall 1 and the folded or expansible portionsl 8 of the members 5 are disposed in the space 3 between the parts 2. If desired, the elements 5 and 4 may carry anchor rods 7 projecting laterally into the constituent parts 2 of the wall.

lVhen the wall or other structure is erected in cold weather, the parts are positioned as shown in Fig. 1. the folded portions 8 of the members 5 being expanded to a con; siderable degree. As the temperature rises, and the space 3 closes up due to an expansion of the parts 2, and the folded portions Y, acute angles as shown in Fig. 2. lt is ob i space 8 of thev expansion members 5 assume more vious that if the wall or other structure is built injwarm weather, the parts wlll be set as shownin Fig'. 2, and, thereafter, in warm weathery will contract into the positions shown in Fig. l.

Recalling/(that the space 3 between the. parts 2 is to be closed under all temperature conditions, a cap or joint closure 9 isprovided, the same comprising a concrete or cement body 10 in which a reinforcement 11 is located. The, cap 9 is provided with an offset v12 received, and, if desired, anchored, in a recess 14 of the parts-2, the cap or joint closure being overlapped slidably upon the outer face of thefother parts 2. Ubviously, no matter howl much the structure may expand or contract,l the closure 9 will exercise its function, withoutsubjecting either the closure or the wall to stress. If desired, the joint closure 20 may be fashioned as indicated at 15 in- Fig. 4 and be secured by -bolts 16` or otherwise to one of the parts 2.

'A wall or'other concrete structure,l fashioned as above described will expand and contract readily under temperature changes, but, at'the same time, will be perfectly water tight, provided that a; continuous sheet lnetal expansion joint extends from the top of the structure to the bottom thereof.

It, is obvious that the folded portion 8 of the expansion member 5 may be fashioned in any desired manner,'so long as there is pruiided,at the point indicated, sutlicient material to afford the necessary expansion and contraction. f

In'practice, the extent ofthe space 3 between the parts 2 may be determined readily by the engineer in charge, d ata derived from meteorological records, and coefficients Yof expansion, being t-he constants in equation.

rllhe computations, however, although not of a complicated nature, should be carefully and intelligently made, in order A that the.

fold indicated at 8 may not be too short, upon the one hand, and in order that the 3 need not be unnecessarily large upon the other hand. lf the wall is built in cold Leconte weather, the joints should be set well open, whereas, if. the wall is built in warm weather, the space may be decreased accordingly.

lt is obvious that the joint structure here inbefore described, although set' forth in connection with'walls, is not limited to use therein, and it is to be understoodthat the invention may be used in any part whatsoever of any structure wherein the device may beof use.

rlhe number of expansion members 5 used at any one joint, may be'decreased or increased within any-proper limits, and it is obvious that the invention may be embodied in the for1n` of a continuous sheet metal eX- pansionljcint extended from the top of the wall to the bottom thereof.; likewise the invention may take the form of a plurality of separated, vertically spacedsections.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is' l. ln a device .of the class described, a pair of concrete members separated at their ends;

a reinforcing element embedded in each of the concrete members; plates located upon opposite sides of the reinforcing .elements and separated thereby, the plates being termisnally embedded in the concrete members and having flexed portions located between -the ends of the concrete members and constituting closures for the spaces dened by the reinforcing elements and the plates.

2. ln a device of, the' class described,

spaced concrete members; bars embedded in the concrete members; plates applied totheopposite faces o-f the bars, the plates having Y opposed folded portions lying between the concretey members; securing device uniting the plates with the bars; and pins inserted through. the plates, between the bars, yand terminally embedded -in the concrete members. i

In vtestimony that I claim the foregoing as -my own, have hereto afxed my signature in the presence of two witnesses. JOHNFRANCS LE BARUN.

Witnesses :y e y GEO. R. HARRISON, MAY A. Harrison

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