US972482A - Bridge-floor. - Google Patents

Description

T. E. STOGKFORD.

I BRIDGE FLOOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 16, 1909.

972,482. Patanted Oct. 11, 1910.

f/VVENTOR onrrn THOMAS E. STOCKFORD, 0F WILLIAMS, CALIFORNIA.

BRIDGE-FLOOR.

Application filed December 16, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS E. STOCK- ronn, a citizen of the United States, residing at WVilliams, county of Colusa, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bridge-Floors, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawm This invention relates to a bridge flooring and particularly to a wear plate adapted for application to a wooden flooring.

The invention has for an object to provide a wear plate adapted to cover the space between adjacent boards and having securing means entering said space by which the plates may be held in proper position and the wear upon the surface of the boards and the angular corners thereof efiiectually prevented.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter set forth and the novel features defined by the appended claims.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a plan showing the invention applied; Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical cross section; Fig. 3 is a detail perspective of one of the plates; and Fig. 4 is a similar view of a modified form of plate.

Like numerals of reference refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawing.

The numeral 10 designates the boards or timbers of a bridge or other flooring which are spaced from each other in the usual manner. The wear plates 11 are adapted to cover the spaces between these boards so as to prevent the wear thereof and particularly of the angular corners of the boards which, when worn, produce a rough roadway. The wear plates 11 are provided with a depending rib 12 which may be formed integrally therewith such, for instance, as by the use of a T-iron. The rib 12 enters the spaces between the adjacent boards and may be secured therein by means of the bendable fingers 13 which are shown in Figs. 2 and 3 as mounted upon the opposite faces of the rib 12. These fingers are adapted to be bent beneath and into contact with the flooring timbers 10 as shown at 14: in Fig. 2, thus effectually preventing any vertical movement or rattling of the wear plates when in position upon the flooring.

In the modified form of the invention Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Oct. 11, 1910.

Serial No. 533,410.

shown in Fig. 4, the wear plate 15 is provided with a corrugated depending rib 16 which by its frictional engagement with the adjacent boards retains the plate in position after it has been driven into the space between them. These plates are herein shown as extending for a suificient distance to cover the portion of a bridge with which the wheels of a vehicle contact but they may be extended for any desired distance, for instance entirely across the portion of a bridge which is used for vehicles. At the outer end of the strips, a guard rail 17 is placed in order to confine vehicles to the portion of the loolriclge where the wear plates are disose It will be seen that the plates may be readily applied and secured between the flooring boards or timbers of any ordinary bridge and, when in position, prevent the cutting of these boards by the wheels of vehicles and also the wearing of the angular edges which soon produces a depression at that point. It will therefore be seen that the invention presents a simple, eflicient and economically constructed wear plate adapted for ready application and which greatly increases the life of the bridge flooring by protecting the points at which the greatest wear occurs.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The method of constructing a protected floor which comprises the laying of a floor of spaced boards and the provision of a rotecting bar of T-shaped cross-section an the application of such bar for insertion of its flange or rib downward between such spaced boards.

2. The combination with permanently secured spaced floor boards, of a protecting plate having a depending securing device shaped to be inserted downward between adjacent boards from their upper surface without altering the relative position of said boards and to engage a face thereof to retain said plate against Vertical movement.

3. A wear plate for floors comprising a plate having a rib extended at an angle thereto and adapted for insertion between adjacent spaced boards of said flooring, and bendable securing fingers carried by said rib to engage the under faces of said fioor boards.

4:. A wear plate for floors comprising a plate having a rib extended at an angle thereto and adapted for insertion between adjacent spaced boards of said flooring, and bendable securing fingers carried upon each face of said rib and adapted to engage the under face of adjacent flooring boards.

5. A wear plate for floors comprising a tee-iron adapted to have one flange thereof inserted between spaced floor boards, and flexible means for securing said tee-iron in position.

6. The combination with flooring boards spaced from each other, of a wear plate adapted to cover the space between adjacent boards, and bendable means carried by said plate and entering said space for securing said plate in position.

7. The combination with flooring boards spaced from each other, of a wear plate adapted to cover the space between adjacent boards, a rib depending from said plate entering the space between adjacent boards, and bendable fingers upon said rib for securing the plate in position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

THOMAS E. STOCKFORD.

BELLE WILLIAMS.

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