US33610A - Improvement in iron pavements - Google Patents

Description

L. STEBBINS.

PAVEMENT.

m; mums ravens co. FHOTD-LITNO.. wAsmnomn. w. c.

UNITED STATES:

PATENT -FFICE.

LUCIUS ST'EBBINS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN IRON PAVEMENTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,610, dated October 29, 1801.

i To all whom 11; may concern.-

invented a new and Improved Pavement for Streets; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 represents a plan or top view of this invention, partly in section; Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical section of the same, the plane of section being indicated by the line :0 m, Fig. l; and Fig. 3, a transverse vertical section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The object of this invention is to produce a pavement which will present a smooth and even surface for the wheels of vehicles and whlch at the same time will prevent the slipping of the horses feet and allow of being readily cleaned from snow and ice.

The invention consists in the employment of movable teeth or keys projecting through openings or slots in flat metal surfaces, which form the pavement, said teeth or keys being balanced by weights or springs or by any other desirable means in such manner that they yield when exposed to the pressure of a fiat surface, and that they prevent the slipping of the horses feet when not depressed; also, in forming the pavement out of two plates, each being ribbed in such a manner that channels are provided to carry oif the water and dirt, or out of one plate provided with suitable ribs to form such channels, and so that steam, water, or hot air can.be introduced for the purpose of melting snow or ice or for any other purpose desired.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation with reference to the drawings.

The surface of my pavement is formed by placing together aseries of flat smooth metal plates A, which ought in practice to be soarranged as to break joints. These plat-es are perforated with a number of holes a, and teeth or keys 12 project from below through said holes. These keys are balanced and kept in an upright position by means of weights 0 or springs o, as shown clearly in Fig. 3 of the'drawings, and they are so aron a perfectly-smooth surface.

ranged that a slight pressure exerted on them in a vertical direction is sufficient to depress them. If the wheels of a vehicle pass over the plates, the keys are depressed and the wheels move with the same case as they would At the same time, if the foot of a horse begins to slip on the plates, it will strike the nearest key edgewise, and the key is now squeezed in between the edge of the hole, through which the same projects, and between the edge of the horseshoe, and the slipping is prevented.

The plates A are provided with ribs (1, which run in a longitudinal direction, and they rest on ribs 6, which project from plates E, that form the base or foundation of the pavement. The plates E and ribs e extend from one side of the street to the other, and said plates are joined together, so that no dirt can pass up between them. The ribs e are perforated with apertures 1' close down to the bottom of the plates E, thereby forming channels which carry off the water and dirt that may find its way down through the holes a in the top plates A. At the same time, by the arrangement of the ribs (Z and e, a hollow space is formed between the plates A and E, so that steam or hot air can be introduced if it is desired to melt snow or ice which may have accumulated on the surface of the plates A.

This pavement, notwithstanding its first cost exceeds that of ordinary stone pavement, will prove the cheapest in the end, because it is self-cleaning, since the water and dirt readily wash off through the holes a, and

even snow and ice may be removed without difficulty, and, furtheremore, the saving in rolling-stock and in horse-flesh will be immense. There will be no slipping of horses. One horse will be enabled to draw along a much larger weight than on ordinaryroads, and the wheels of the vehicles in passing over the smooth surface of my pavement will sustain no injury.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The employment of movable teeth or keys .b, projecting through slots or openings a in fiat metal surfaces A, which form the pavement, substantiallyin the manner and for the purpose shown and described.

2. Making the keys movable by means of weights, springs, or by any other desirable means, substantially as and for the purpose set forth,

3. Forming the pavement outof two plates A and E, each being ribbed, substantially in the manner herein specified, so that channels age provided to carry off the water and the dirt, or out of one plate provided with suitable ribs to form such channels, and so that steam, water, or hot air can be introduced under the pavement whenever it is desired.

, LUCIUS STEBBI'NS. Witnesses:

M. M. LIVINGSTON,

LEWIS A. TUCKER.

Images