US3279500A

US3279500A - Stiffened container

Info

Publication number: US3279500A
Application number: US300233A
Authority: US
Inventors: Feder Georg
Original assignee: Voestalpine AG
Current assignee: Voestalpine AG; Voest AG
Priority date: 1962-10-10
Filing date: 1963-08-06
Publication date: 1966-10-18
Anticipated expiration: 1983-10-18
Also published as: CH416235A; AT233333B

Description

Oct. 18, G. FEDER STIFFENED CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 6, 1965 t wwww mp Q amt W A www Gad/ea Fem/c Z MJMWJ Oct. 18, 1966 G. FEDER STIFFENED CONTAINER Filed Aug. 6, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

GEORG FED E'R Kfi KM United States Patent 3,279,500 STIFFENED CONTAINER Georg Feder, Linz, Austria, assignor to Vereinigte Osterreichische Eisenund Stahlwerke Aktieugesellschaft,

Linz, Austria Filed Aug. 6, 1963, Ser. No. 300,233 Claims priority, application Austria, Oct. 10, 1962, A 7,996/ 62 5 Claims. '(Cl. 138-110) The wall thickness of underground pipes and containers of metals or of materials having elastic properties similar to those of metal is frequently determined in dependence on the stresses which are due to the external loads applied by the overlying soil because this load may cause higher stresses than the internal pressure. For the sake of economy, however, it is desired to give the pipe only the wall thickness required inview of the internal pressure and to provide additional stilfening means to resist the load applied by the soil pressure. It is already known to provide rings or annular ribs as stifiening means on the outside of the tube or to use concrete coverings for this purpose. Difficulties arise, however, adjacent to the stiffening rings with respect to the protection against corrosion, and concrete coverings are expensive and sensitive to a subsidence of the soil. Both kinds of stiffening means have also the common disadvantage that they are not capable or are capable only to a slight degree of producing a soil reaction pressure on the sides of the pipe. In the absence of a solid reaction pressure on the sides of the pipe, there will be no abutment force so that the upper half of the pipe acts as a beam rather than as an arch and the stresses will be multiplied.

It is an object of the invention to avoid all these disadvantages and provide reinforced pipe assembly which is capable of taking up the load from the overlying soil without involving difliculties regarding protection from corrosion and without adversely effecting the reaction pressure of the soil on the sides of the pipe.

The pipe according to the invention consisting of metal or similarly elastic material and intended for being loaded by soil pressure is essentially characterized in that the pipe is provided only at the upwardly facing portion of its peripheral wall with external stilfening means, which are at least approximately crescent-shaped in cross-section. Because such stiffening means have only smooth surfaces, they will not interfere with the protection against corrosion. On the contrary, a particularly good protection is provided for the upper portion of the pipe, which is particularly liable to be corroded by frost, roots, humus and the like. Besides, the external stiffening means provide a heat insulation around the upper portion of the pipe so that the danger of a formation of ice on the inside surface of the pipe is eliminated or at least substantially reduced. Loads from above which are caused by vehicles moving over the pipe are distributed over a relatively large pipe section. Finally, the design according to the invention has the important advantage that the pipe is stiffened at its apex, which is most susceptible to denting, whereas the elastic properties of the pipe are not appreciably reduced so that the action of the reaction pressure of the soil is preserved.

The external stiffening means may comprise a shell member joined to the pipe to define a cavity with it and consisting of the same material as the pipe or of a material which is similar in elastic properties to the material of the pipe. The cavity may contain a filler, such as concrete or insulating material, or may be divided by partitions. Alternatively, the external stiifening means may consist of a solid body, for instance, of concrete.

The invention is not restricted to pipes but may also applied to cylindrical containers. The structures need not consist of underground pipes or containers because the invention includes also other applications with the same or similar loading conditions.

FIG. 1 shows embodiment of the invention in a transverse sectional view;

FIG. -2 illustrates a modification of the pipe arrangement of FIG. 1 in a corresponding view; and

FIG. 3 shows another m-odfified embodiment in a perspeotive view with portions of an outer shell removed to reveal internal structure.

FIG. 1 shows' an imperforate underground pipe 1, which has welded to the upper portion of its periphery the two axial edges of a shell 2. The pipe 1 and shell 2 are of the same material. The pipe 1 and the shell 2 define therebetween a cavity 3. In the otherwise identical pipe arrangement of FIG. 2, the cavity is occupied by a filler 31 of concrete. The modified arrangement shown in FIG. 3 includes peripherally extending, stifiening 4 which axially divide the cavity 3. The shell member 2 extends substantially throughout the length of the pipe in all illustrated embodiments and is of uniform cross section over its length.

What I claim is:

1. A reinforced pipe assembly comprising, in combination:

(a) an elongated, substantially cylindrical pipe member of resilient material having an axis and an imperforate wall about said axis, a portion of said wall facing in a predetermined direction transverse of said axis; and- (b) stiffening means axially coextensive with said pipe member,

(1) said stiffening means having two axial edge portions fixedly fastened to said wall portion, and

(2) being of substantially sickle-shaped substantially uniform cross section transversely of said axis.

2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said stiffening means include a shell member constituted by said edge portions and an intermediate portion of arcuate cross section, said intenmediate portion defining a cavity with said wall portion.

3. An assembly as set forth in'claim 2, wherein said stiffening means further include a solid filler substantially filling said cavity.

4. An assembly as set forth in claim 3, wherein said filler is concrete.

5. An assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein said stiffening means further include a partition dividing said cavity.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 953,080 3/1910 Wiggins 61-13 1,317,495 9/1919 Hessel 138-105 1,374,416 4/1921 Wilde 61-13 2,057,176 10/ 1936 Willenberg 138-105 2,608,828 9/ 1952 Dimick 61-11 FOREIGN PATENTS 104,986 8/1938 Australia.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

L'EWIS J. LENNY, T. MOORHEAD,

Assistant Examiners.

Claims

1. A REINFORCED PIPE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) AN ELONGATED, SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL PIPE MEMBER OF RESILIENT MATERIAL HAVING AN AXIS AND AN IMPERFORATE WALL ABOUT SAID AXIS, A PORTION OF SAID WALL FACING IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION TRANSVERSE OF SAID AXIS; AND (B) STIFFENING MEANS AXIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID PIPE MEMBER, (1) SAID STIFFENING MEANS HAVING TWO AXIAL EDGE PORTIONS FIXEDLY FASTENED TO SAID WALL PORTION, AND (2) BEING OF SUBSTANTIALL SICKLE-SHAPED SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM CROSS SECTION TRANSVERSELY OF SAID AXIS.