WO2007100168A1

WO2007100168A1 - Fiber reinforced composite deck of tubular profile having snap-fit connection

Info

Publication number: WO2007100168A1
Application number: PCT/KR2006/000752
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sung-Woo Lee
Original assignee: Sung-Woo Lee
Priority date: 2006-03-04
Filing date: 2006-03-04
Publication date: 2007-09-07

Abstract

Disclosed is a fiber reinforced composite deck tube and a deck constructed by assembling the deck tubes, the deck tube comprising an upper plate having an upper extension at its one side, a lower plate having a lower extension at its one side opposite to the side of the upper plate, and an web plate therebetween, forming therein a plurality of divisional portions of polygonal tubular cross-sectional shape, wherein at one side, including a first interlocking piece protruded downward at the end of the extension of the upper plate and a second interlocking piece protruded downward at a lower outer surface of the web plate, and at the other side, including a third interlocking piece protruded upward at an upper outer surface of the web plate and a fourth interlocking piece protruded upward at the end of the extension of the lower plate, wherein upon assembling the deck tubes with each other, the first and second interlocking pieces of one module are detachably and mechanically snap-fit coupled to the third and fourth interlocking pieces, respectively, of the other module, and wherein the interlocking pieces coupled to each other have protrusions with a shape corresponding to each other for mutual mechanical engagement so that neighboring deck tubes are detachably and mechanically snap-fit coupled in a vertical direction to each other to form a deck.

Description

FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITE DECK OF TUBULAR PROFILE HAVING SNAP-FIT CONNECTION

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to fiber reinforced polymer composite decks and precast deck tubes therefore. Especially, the present invention relates a technique for constructing decks such as a mat-type deck for temporary roads, a bridge deck, etc. using precast deck tubes which are made of fiber reinforced polymer composite materials, having a polygonal tubular cross-section, and having a snap-fit connections.

[2]

Background Art

[3] As an example of a deck, there is a mat-type deck for temporary roads, which is directly mounted on the surface of the earth. For example, when constructing a temporary access road so as to construct a drilling base in an oil field, or when constructing a temporary road such as temporary road for felling and emergency operational road for military operations, an assembly mat-type deck using woods has been conventionally used. However, in case that the mat-type deck is made of the woods, its weight is considerably increased. In addition, when the woods absorb the water, its weight is further increased. Accordingly, it is difficult to install and remove the mat-type deck. Further, a workability is lowered, and a heavy equipment should be used to construct and remove the temporary roads and much time is consumed. Therefore, the construction period and the cost of construction are increased. In addition, in case of the conventional mat-type deck, it is difficult to construct the deck on the ground having a longitudinal gradient or on a curved area. In particular, in case of the mat- type deck using the woods, the decks are not completely connected to each other in the curved area. Accordingly, the decks are disengaged therebetween, thereby causing the serviceability and the smoothness of the road to be decreased.

[4] In addition, since its weight is heavy, there is a limitation in the vehicle-loading capacity thereof and a carriage rate is high. In particular, when transporting the deck with a transport airplane for military, the limitation in the loading capacity and the excessive carriage rate are very disadvantageous.

[5] Another example of the deck, there is a bridge deck. It has been conventionally used a reinforced concrete bridge deck. The concrete bridge deck has such disadvantages that its weight is very heavy, its durability is decreased due to the corrosion of reinforcing rod and the deterioration of the concrete itself and thus the maintenance cost becomes high. [6] As an alternative to reinforced concrete bridge deck, fiber reinforced composite bridge deck with lightweight, high strength and high durability has been proposed. US Patents No. 6,467,118 and No. 6,591,567 disclose bridge decks made of such fiber reinforced polymer composite materials.

[7] In order to fabricate the deck tubes in the aforementioned prior arts, the deck tubes should be pushed into a horizontal direction to assemble. If shear connectors of vertical direction has already been provided on the top of the girder prior to the assemblage of the deck, it is very difficult to use such deck tubes which should be assembled in a horizontal direction.

[8] Further, since deck tubes manufactured through a pultrusion method is only for straight bridge, it has drawback not to be applicable to the curved bridge.

[9]

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[10] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages or limitations occurring in the conventional deck tubes and in the deck constructed using these deck tubes.

[11] An object of the invention is to provide a novel fiber reinforced polymer composite deck tube allowing a temporary road for oil drilling, a temporary road for felling, a temporary road for construction work or an emergency operational road for military operations, a bridge deck and the like to be easily constructed and capable of being easily disassembled and reused after the use thereof, and a deck using the deck tube.

[12] An object of the present invention is to provide a fiber reinforced polymer composite deck tube of tubular profile having a vertical snap-fit connection and a multi-usable deck assembled using these deck tubes. The deck tube in accordance with the present invention is assembled to each other in a vertical direction through snap-fit connection without adhesive bonding.

[13] Specifically, an object of the invention is to provide a fiber reinforced polymer composite precast deck tube having a hollow cross section and a novel snap-fit connection deck and a deck made of the same and capable of being diversely used, which enables the deck tubes to be assembled in a vertical direction, rather than a horizontal direction, in a solid mechanical manner without using an adhesive when assembling the deck tubes, prevents a bending moment rigidity between the deck tubes from being decreased and is capable of being easily applied to the constructions (assembling and dismantling) of a curved road, a bridge deck and a road constructed in a place having a longitudinal gradient, while exhibiting many advantages resulting from the preliminary constructions with the fiber reinforced composite such as precast manner. [14]

Technical Solution

[15] In order to accomplish this object of the present invention, there is a fiber reinforced polymer composite deck tube comprising : an upper plate having an upper extension at its one side, a lower plate having a lower extension at its one side opposite to the side of the upper plate, and a web therebetween, forming therein a plurality of divisional portions of polygonal tubular cross-sectional shape, wherein at one side, including a first downward interlocking piece protruded downward at the end of the extension of the upper plate and a second downward interlocking piece protruded downward at a lower outer surface of the web, and at the other side, including a first upward interlocking piece protruded upward at an upper outer surface of the web and a second upward interlocking piece protruded upward at the end of the extension of the lower plate, wherein upon assembling the deck tubes with each other, the first and the second downward interlocking pieces and of one tube are detachably and mechanically snap- fit coupled to the first and the second upward interlocking pieces and, respectively, of the other tube, and wherein the interlocking pieces coupled to each other have protrusions with a shape corresponding to each other for mutual mechanical engagement so that neighboring deck tubes are detachably and mechanically snap-fit coupled in a vertical direction to each other to form a deck.

[16] According to the present invention, there is a fiber reinforced polymer composite deck tube, wherein at an inner side of the end of the upper extension, a supporting portion is protruded to support the leading end of the first upward interlocking piece from the back of the first upward interlocking piece, and at an inner side of the end of the lower extension, a recess is formed so that another supporting portion is protruded to support the leading end of the second downward interlocking piece from the back of the second downward interlocking piece when the second downward interlocking piece and the second upward interlocking piece are coupled to each other, whereby the interlocking pieces are more firmly coupled through increasing a resistance force against a horizontal direction in a state that the interlocking pieces have been coupled to each other. Further, according to the present invention, there is a deck constructed by assembling such deck tubes.

[17]

Brief Description of the Drawings

[18] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [19] FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic perspective view and sectional view showing that a fiber reinforced polymer composite precast deck tube according to an embodiment of the invention is connected to the neighboring deck tube to form a mat-type deck for temporary roads; [20] FIGs. 3 to 6 are cross-sectional views showing various shapes of deck tubes according to other embodiments of the present invention; [21] FIGS. 7 and 8 are another example of the invention, which are schematic sectional view and perspective view of a deck tube capable of being used for a bridge deck; [22] FIGs. 9 to 11 are enlarged views showing a coupling structure between the first downward interlocking piece and the first upward interlocking piece according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively; [23] FIG. 12 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing a horizontal connection structure of a mat-type deck according to an embodiment of the invention; [24] FIG. 13 is a schematic partial perspective view of a horizontal connection assembly used for the horizontal connection structure shown in FIG. 12; [25] FIG. 14 is another example of a deck tube of the invention, which is a schematic sectional view of a deck tube comprising a contractible member having a contractible volume which is respectively provided in a hollow interior of the deck tube and a protrusion connection part; [26] FIG. 15 is a sectional view of a gradient-correspondence connection assembly which can be bent in a predetermined angle correspondingly to a longitudinal gradient of the ground surface;

[27] FIG. 16 is a sectional view showing that a mat- type deck having the gradient- correspondence connection assembly shown in FIG. 15 is laid on the ground surface having a gradient; [28] FIG. 17 is a schematic plan view showing a structure of a curved part capable of being applied to a mat-type deck of the invention;

[29] FIG. 18 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along a line E-E of FIG. 17;

[30] FIG. 19 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along a line G-G of FIG. 17;

[31] FIG. 20 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a curved part-connection assembly used for a curved structure; [32] FIG. 21 is a schematic perspective view of a deck manufactured into an arch shape; and [33] FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing an example of a bridge constructed with a bridge deck structured by a deck tube of the invention; [34] FIGs. 23 and 24 are side views showing an order for constructing a bridge deck through installing a deck tube to a steel girder; [35] FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing details of connection between deck tubes and a steel girder in accordance with the present invention, in a state that the deck has been constructed by assembling the deck tube to the girder;

[36] FIG. 26 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along a line C-C of FIG. 25;

[37] FIG. 27 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along a line D-D of FIG. 25;

[38] FIG. 28 is a perspective view showing a details of connection between deck tubes and a prestressed concrete girder in accordance with the present invention, in a state that the deck has been constructed by assembling the deck tube to the girder;

[39] FIG. 29 is a perspective view showing details of non-composite type connection between the deck and a prestressed concrete girder in accordance with the present invention;

[40] FIG. 30 is a perspective view showing a connecting state of the deck and connector of the present invention for the construction of curved portion of the deck;

[41] FIG. 31 is a schematic perspective view of a transition curve connector for the construction of a curved portion of the deck;

[42] FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line G-G of FIG. 30; and

[43] FIG. 33 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line H-H of FIG. 30.

[44]

Mode for the Invention

[45] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[46] First, it is described a mat-type deck for temporary roads which is directly mounted on the ground surface so as to form an access road for a drilling base in an oil field, an access road for felling and a temporary road for military operations.

[47] FIGs. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a fiber reinforced composite deck tube 1 for a mat-type deck of the present invention and a cross-sectional view showing an assembly status that the deck tube 1 being assembled with another neighboring deck tube I' respectively.

[48] As shown in FIGs. 1 and 2, the deck tube 1 comprises an upper plate 2, a lower plate 3 and a web 4 therebetween, thus forming a plurality of polygonal hollow (or tubular) cross-sectional shape. FIGs. 3 to 6 are cross-sectional views showing various shapes of deck tubes according to other embodiments of the present invention. FIGs. 7 and 8 are perspective views of a fiber reinforced composite deck tube 1 for a bridge deck according to other embodiments of the present invention and a cross-sectional view showing an assembly status that the deck tube 1 being assembled with another neighboring deck tube, respectively.

[49] The hollow portion of the deck tube may have a shape of a trapezoid shown in FIG.

3, and a triangle shown in FIG. 4. Further, the number of the hollow portion of the deck tube may be changed variously as shown in FIG. 5. In addition, a deck tube 1 may be modified into a curved shape as shown in Fig. 6 for forming an arch shape or modified to be adapted to a bridge deck as shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

[50] The deck tube of the fiber reinforced polymer composite materials is composed of reinforcing fibers and resin. The deck tube is manufactured by a pultrusion method. The reinforcing fibers may be selected from a group including glass fibers, carbon fibers, aramid fibers and so on, to which the reinforcing fibers are not essentially limited. Various fibers and a combination of the fibers described above can be used as the reinforcing fibers. The resin may be selected from a group including polyester, polyurethane, vinylester, phenol or epoxy.

[51] The deck tubes 1 having such cross-sectional structure are arranged parallelly in a longitudinal direction (a direction marked as arrow A in FIG. 1) at their side portions and integrally assembled, forming a deck. In the present invention, the deck tube 1 approaches the neighboring deck tube 1 vertically (in a direction marked as arrow B in FIG. 1) and is thereto coupled by a simple and firm mechanical coupling method of snap-fit type. To this end, at one side of the deck tube 1, a first downward interlocking piece 15a and a second downward interlocking piece 15b are provided. At the other side of the deck tube 1, a first upward interlocking piece 15a and a second upward interlocking piece 15b are provided. The first downward interlocking piece 15a of the deck tube 1 is to be detachably and mechanically coupled in snap-fit type to the first upward interlocking piece 15a of the neighboring deck tube 1'. The second downward interlocking piece 15b of the deck tube 1 is to be detachably and mechanically coupled in snap-fit type to the second upward interlocking piece 15b' of the neighboring deck tube T.

[52] Specifically, in an embodiment illustrated in the drawings, at one side of the deck tube 1, an upper extension 5 is formed to extend from the upper plate 2, the first downward interlocking piece 15a is protruded downward at the end of the extension 5 of the upper plate 2 (FIG. 2). The second downward interlocking piece 15b is protruded downward at a lower outer surface of the web 4. Meanwhile, at the other side of the deck tube 1, the first upward interlocking piece 15a is protruded upward at an upper outer surface of the web 4, a lower extension 5 is formed to extend from the lower plate 3, and the second upward interlocking piece 15b is protruded upward at the end of the extension 5 of the lower plate 3, wherein upon assembling the deck tubes with each other, the first and second downward interlocking pieces 15a and 15b of one deck tube are detachably and mechanically snap-fit coupled to the first and second upward interlocking pieces 15a and 15b' respectively, of the other tube.

[53] FIGs. 9 to 11 are enlarged views showing a coupling structure between the first downward interlocking piece 15a and the first upward interlocking piece 15a according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively. Fig. 9 is a state before assembling, Fig. 10 shows a state in which a first upward interlocking piece 15a is set back when assembling, and Fig. 11 shows a state in which the first upward interlocking piece 15a is elastically restored due to an elastic property of a fiber reinforced composite material and completely engaged.

[54] As shown in the drawings, the first downward interlocking piece 15a and the first upward interlocking piece 15a' have protrusions 15c and 15c' respectively having a shape corresponding to each other, so that the protrusions 15c and 15c' are engaged with each other to form a firm mechanical coupling. Meanwhile, in order to increase a resistance against a horizontal direction in a state that the protrusions have been coupled to each other, at an inner side of the end of the upper extension 5, a supporting portion 51 is preferably protruded to support the end of the first upward interlocking piece 15a from the back of the first upward interlocking piece 15a'. The structure explained above can be similarly adapted to a coupling structure between the second downward interlocking piece 15b and the second upward interlocking piece 15b'. Meanwhile, in FIGs. 9 to 11, an example of a shape of transverse fiber arrangement in the interlocking pieces 15a and 15a is illustrated in dotted lines. In the present invention, fibers can be arranged in the interlocking pieces 15a, 15a', 15b and 15b' as illustrated in dotted lines, so that even if a shear force is exerted to the protrusions between the deck tubes 1 and 1 a sufficient strength is provided through such fiber arrangement.

[55] In the present invention, the deck tube 1 is engaged side by side and coupled with the neighboring deck tube 1 having the corresponding shape, forming a panel structure, i.e., a deck. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the deck tube 1 is pressed downwardly toward the neighboring deck tube 1'. Therefore, the first and the second downward interlocking pieces 15a and 15b of the deck tube 1 are engaged from upside with the first and second upward interlocking pieces 15a and 15b of the neighboring deck tube 1'. Thus, both deck tubes 1 and 1' are firmly and mechanically coupled with each other.

[56] Herein, the first downward interlocking piece 15a and the first upward interlocking piece 15a are elastic, and thus, if downward force exceeding a certain level is exerted to the deck tube 1, the protrusions 15c and 15c are slid to each other, and slightly push the first upward interlocking piece 15a' facilitating an easy mechanical coupling between the two protrusions 15c and 15c'. After the slip of protrusions, the first downward interlocking piece 15a and the first upward interlocking piece 15a are elastically restored to their original positions so that the protrusions 15c and 15c' are firmly engaged each other. Particularly, the deck tube of the present invention includes the supporting portion 51 supporting the ends of the first upward interlocking piece 15a at its back side so as to exert a horizontal resistance force. [57] On the contrary, if the deck tube 1 is pulled up with an upward force exceeding a certain level, similar to the above, the protrusions 15c and 15c' are slid to each other, and slightly push the first upward interlocking piece 15a toward its back side, facilitating an easy disengagement between the two pieces. Accordingly, the deck tube can be easily disassembled after the use and repetitively reused due to its high durability. In addition, the deck tube can be easily disassembled when maintaining and/or replacing it. In addition to the above method, the deck tube 1 can be also disassembled by pushing out it in a horizontal direction (i.e., a hollow direction of the deck tube perpendicular to an arrow A in Fig. 1).

[58] As shown in Fig. 1, after assembling the deck tubes 1 to construct the mat-type deck, a closure deck tube 1-1 can be equipped in a last stage. The closure deck tube 1-1 has a bent shape such as reversed L-shape ("D").

[59] At one side of the closure deck tube 1-1, the first downward interlocking piece 15a is protruded downward at the end of the horizontal plate of the closure deck tube 1-1. The first downward interlocking piece 15a will be detachably and mechanically snap- fit coupled to the first upward interlocking piece 15a provided at the deck tube 1. The second downward interlocking piece 15b is protruded downward at the side of the vertical web of the closure deck tube 1-1. The second downward interlocking piece 15b will be detachably and mechanically snap-fit coupled to the second upward interlocking piece 15b provided at the deck tube 1. The closure deck tube 1-1 is respectively connected to the outermost deck tube 1, thereby finishing ends of the mat- type deck.

[60] Like this, when the deck tubes 1 of the invention are continuously connected in a longitudinal direction of the arrow A in Fig. 1, an access road through which various vehicles and equipments pass can be conveniently and firmly constructed on the ground surface. In particular, since the deck tube 1 of the invention consists of the composite material and thus has a light weight, the assembly and establishment thereof can be quickly carried out. Accordingly, it is possible to quickly and conveniently construct the temporary roads for oil drilling, felling or military operations. In addition, according to the deck tube 1 of the invention, as described above, since the deck tubes can be easily disassembled, it can be easily dismantled after the use. Further, since it has a high durability, the deck tube can be continuously reused.

[61] In the mean time, when constructing the mat- type deck of the invention, it may be necessary to connect the deck in a transverse direction (i.e., a direction perpendicular to the arrow A in Fig. 1). To this end, according to the invention, a horizontal connection structure is provided as follows.

[62] Fig. 12 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing a horizontal connection structure of a mat- type deck according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 13 is a schematic partial perspective view of a horizontal connection assembly 300 used for the horizontal connection structure shown in Fig. 12. The connection assembly 300 comprises a vertical center wall 301 and a pair of connection plates 302 vertically mounted to both sides of the center wall 301 and having web plates 4 of the deck tube 1 interposed therebetween and through holes 305 into which a connection rod 303 is inserted. As shown, when the deck tube 1 is respectively connected to both sides of the connection assembly 300, the web plates 4 of the deck tube 1 are fitted between the connection plates 302. At this time, the connection rod 303 is inserted to pass through the connection plate 302 and the web plates 4 with the web plates 4 being fitted. In a position in which the protrusion connection part exists in the deck tube 1, as shown, either one or both of the connection plates 302 has a reduced height. With the horizontal connection structure, the mat-type deck of the invention can be firmly connected in even the transverse direction.

[63] The mat-type deck may be installed on the ground surface having much water. In this case, if the water is frozen with being introduced in the protrusions, the protrusions may be damaged due to the volume expansion of the water. In addition, the deck tube 1 itself may be damaged due to the freeze expansion of the water introduced in the hollow space of the deck tube 1. In order to prevent this, according to the invention, as shown in Fig. 14, a contractible member 304 having a contractible volume is respectively provided to the hollow inside of the deck tube 1 and the inside of the protrusion connection part. For example, urethane foam may be used as the contractible member. By providing the contractible member 304, even when the water is frozen and the volume is thus expanded, it is possible to compensate for the volume expansion due to the contraction of the contractible member 304. As a consequence, it is possible to prevent the protrusion connection part and the deck tube itself from being damaged due to the volume expansion.

[64] There may be a situation where the mat-type deck is equipped on an irregular ground surface. In this case, if the mat-type deck is excessively curved, the protrusion connection part may be damaged. In order to prevent this, a following connection structure may be further provided.

[65] Fig. 15 is a sectional view of a gradient-correspondence connection assembly 400 which can be bent in a predetermined angle correspondingly to a longitudinal gradient of the ground surface. The gradient-correspondence connection assembly 400 comprises closure deck tubes 1-1 which are arranged in an opposite direction and an elastic member 401 integrated between them. In other words, as shown in Fig. 15, the gradient-correspondence connection assembly 400 has such structure that the elastic member 401 having a predetermined thickness is integrated between the web plates 4 of the closure deck tubes 1-1 arranged in an opposite direction. The elastic member 401 may be integrated with the closure deck tubes 1-1 using the adhesive, etc. Fig. 16 is a sectional view showing that the mat-type deck having the gradient-correspondence connection assembly 400 is laid on the ground surface having a gradient. As shown in Fig. 16, in case that the mat- type deck is downwardly inclined due to the gradient of the ground surface, the elastic member 401 is correspondingly deformed, so that the gradient-correspondence connection assembly 400 is bent. As a consequence, the mat- type deck can be arranged to correspond to the gradient of the ground surface. In addition, even when the mat-type deck is upwardly inclined, the gradient-correspondence connection assembly 400 is likewise bent, so that the mat-type deck can be arranged to correspond to the gradient of the ground surface. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the protrusion connection part of the deck tube from being damaged due to the gradient of the ground surface.

[66] In the mean time, the mat-type deck of the invention can easily form a curved part using a following structure. Fig. 17 is a plan view showing a structure of a curved part capable of being applied to a mat-type deck of the invention. Fig. 20 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a curved part-connection assembly 500 used for the curved structure.

[67] When the mat-type deck should be arranged in a curved shape, the curved part- connection assembly 500 as shown in Fig. 20 is used for the curved part. The curved part-connection assembly 500 comprises the closure deck tubes 1-1 arranged in an opposite direction and a box-shaped connection tube 501 arranged between the closure deck tubes 1-1 and having a tapered shape. The box-shaped connection tube 501 may be arranged in a single or plural type and is integrated with the closure deck tubes 1-1 using a connecting tie 502, with being arranged between the closure deck tubes 1-1 so that it can be later disassembled.

[68] When the curved part-connection assembly 500 is connected between the deck tubes 1-1 as shown in Fig. 20, a curved part can be easily formed. If a curved degree is changed depending on the construction fields, it is possible to cope with the situations by adjusting the number of box-shaped connection tubes 501.

[69] In addition, the mat-type deck of the invention may be easily assembled into an arch shape. For example, there may be a situation where the mat-type deck is assembled to a small brook or creek. In this case, the mat-type deck of the invention can be manufactured into an arch shape using a following structure to easily cope with the situation. Fig. 21 is a schematic perspective view of the mat- type deck assembled into an arch shape. As shown in Fig. 21, it is possible to easily assemble a mat- type deck having an arch shape as shown by lengthening and forming one of an upper plate and a lower plate of the deck tube 1 into an arch shape (Fig. 6).

[70] Hereinafter, an example of construction method for a girder bridge of composite deck fabricated by use of the deck tubes of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGs. 8, and 22 through 24, and 25 through 27. Figs. 22 to 24 and 25 to 27 show examples of construction of a composite girder bridge structured with a bridge deck which is manufactured by a deck tube of the invention. Fig. 22 is a perspective view showing an example of a bridge constructed with a bridge deck structured by a deck tube of the invention.

[71] FIGs. 23 and 24 are side views showing an order for constructing a bridge deck through installing a deck tube to a steel girder. FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing a details of connection between deck tubes and a steel girder in accordance with the present invention, in a state that the deck has been constructed by assembling the deck tube to the girder, and FIG. 26 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along a line C-C of FIG. 25. FIG. 27 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along a line D-D of FIG. 25.

[72] First, a leveling element 45 is installed on the upper flange of the girder 10 on which shear connectors 31 are provided. Two form dams 50 are provided with the inside of the deck tube 1. The deck tube 1 is placed on the leveling element 45. Subsequently, the neighboring deck tube 1 is arranged at the side of the deck tube 1 (FIG. 23). Herein, the neighboring deck tube 1 is arranged adjacent to the deck tube 1 from upside, and then pressed to mechanically couple the two deck tubes 1 and 1' each other (FIG. 23).

[73] If a deck is completely constructed through the coupling of the deck tubes, filler materials 33, such as non-shrinkage mortar and so on, are poured in an installing portion of the shear connectors 31 through the hole 35, and then cured (FIG. 24).

[74] Since the deck tubes of the prior art should be assembled horizontally, the shear connectors cannot be installed beforehand on the girder. Thus, as seen in the description of the prior art, many problems and defects would be caused on installing the shear connector after complete placement of deck panel. However, in the present invention, the deck tube is to be placed vertically and pressed from upside, there is no problem even if the shear connectors have already been installed on the girder. Thus, it is not necessary to weld and assemble the shear connectors later through a narrow space, so that an installing work of the shear connectors becomes easy, and time and efforts consumed for the work are reduced. Particularly, a checking of weld state of the shear connectors and a quality control are facilitated.

[75] In the present invention, the girder is not limited to the steel girder, but includes various kinds of girders such as reinforced concrete girder, prestressed concrete girder, steel box girder and so on. FIG. 28 is a schematic perspective view of a connection structure between the deck tube 1 and the prestressed concrete girder 10'. In FIG. 28, the deck tube 1 has been installed on the prestressed concrete girder 10'. As shown in FIG. 28, in case of the prestressed concrete girder, shear reinforcing bar 52 has already been placed during the construction of the prestressed girder.

[76] In the present invention, only a small hole in the upper plate instead of a large hole is enough to pour concrete for girder connection. Therefore, damaged portion of the deck and closing work for the hole can be minimized. In the present invention, the deck tube 1 can be assembled on the construction site without assembling the deck panel beforehand in a plant. Thus, transportation work in the present invention is easier than that of the prior art, to that the cost for transportation can be reduced. Particularly, the adjustment of leveling space between the upper surface of the girder and the lower portion of the module is easy during the installation of the deck tubes since the width of the deck to be assembled in a time is small. Checking the quality of inserting filler material into the leveling space is also easy. Of course, if necessary, the modules are pre-assembled into panels at the site and the panels are finally assembled upon the girder.

[77] In the mean time, the bridge deck structured with the deck tube 1 of the invention may be equipped in a non-composite type. Fig. 29 is a schematic sectional view of a connection structure of a bridge deck and a girder when the deck is constructed in a non-composite type. As shown in Fig. 29, a bolt member 60 is fixedly provided on an upper surface of a girder 10 and an elastic plate 61 is mounted. A through-hole is formed in a corresponding part of the deck tube 1, through which the bolt member 60 is inserted into the deck tube 1. A nut member 63 is inserted through another through- hole 62 formed in the upper surface of the deck tube 1 and fitted with the bolt member 60, so that the bridge deck can be equipped to the girder 1 in a non-composite type.

[78] The deck of the present invention can be easily disassembled for the partial repair or reuse. The disassembling method thereof is as follows. First, if the whole deck is disassembled, the connection portion of the shear connector of the girder is disassembled, and the respective deck tubes are successively pulled up vertically from the outermost side deck tube thus to be disassembled. If a part of the middle of the deck is intended to be disassembled, the corresponding deck tube can be disassembled by pushing it in a longitudinal direction.

[79] It has been described the structure of the deck of the invention equipped in a curved type, with reference to Figs. 17 to 20. The deck may be further constructed into a following type.

[80] Hereinafter, a structure of a deck tube for constructing a curved deck and a method for constructing the curved deck will be described with reference to FIGs. 30 to 33. FIG. 30 is a perspective view showing an assembly of a curved deck using a deck tube of the present invention. FIG. 31 is a schematic perspective view of a transition connector for the curved deck. FIG. 32 is an end view taken along a line G-G of FIG. 30. FIG. 33 is an end view taken along a line H-H of FIG. 30. [81] As illustrated in the drawings, in order to construct the curved deck, transition connectors 40 and 40 are provided between both deck tubes 11 and 11'. The two transition connectors 40 and 40 have the same shape. The transition connectors 40 and 40 are coupled to both deck tubes 11 and 11' respectively, in a state that they turn upside down to each other, and are directly coupled to each other at one of their sides.

[82] As illustrated in FIG. 32, a first transition connector 40 has coupling protrusions at both sides of a vertical web 41. Another transition connector is to be coupled to the first side of the web 41. A first transition interlocking piece 17c is provided to be protruded upward at the upper part of a first side of the web 41. Gap with a certain width is formed between the transition interlocking piece 17c and the web 41. At the lower part of the first side of the web 41, a lower horizontal extension 42 is extended horizontally. The lower horizontal extension 42 has a second transition interlocking piece 17d protruded upward at its end. The deck tube 11 is coupled to the second side of the web 41. At the second side of the web 41, the first and the second downward interlocking pieces 15a and 15b to be respectively coupled to the coupling protrusions of the deck tube 11 are provided. The first and the second downward interlocking pieces 15a and 15b have the same structure as that of the deck tube mentioned previously.

[83] The other transition connector, i.e., a second transition connector 40 to be coupled to the neighboring deck tube 11 has the same construction as that of the first transition connector 40 except that it is coupled to the deck tube 11 in a state of being turned upside down in comparison with the first transition connector 40'. That is, in the second transition connector 40 as illustrated in the drawing, the first and the second transition interlocking pieces 17c and 17d thereof are protruded downward.

[84] A curved deck is constructed by coupling the first and the second transition connectors 40 and 40' to each other between the deck tubes 11 and 11'. The first transition connector 40 is coupled with the deck tube 11' and the second transition connector 40 is also coupled with another deck tube 11. The first and the second downward interlocking pieces 15a and 15b of the first transition connector 40 are respectively coupled to the corresponding first and the second upward interlocking pieces of the left side deck tube 11'. When the transition connectors 40 and 40' are coupled to the deck tubes 11 and 11', respectively, the deck tubes 11 and 11' form a slightly curved shape. On coupling the transition connectors 40 and 40', at an inner side of a curved deck as shown in FIGs. 30 and 32, the second transition interlocking piece 17d of the second transition connector 40 is coupled to the first transition interlocking piece 17c of the first transition connector 40'. Simultaneously, the second transition interlocking piece 17d of the second transition connector 40 contacts with the first side of the web 41 of the first transition connector 40'. Thus, there is an inner space Sl between the second transition interlocking piece 17d of the second transition connector 40 and the first transition interlocking piece 17c of the first transition connector 40'.

[85] Similarly, the first transition interlocking piece 17c of the second transition connector 40 is coupled to the second transition interlocking piece 17d of the first transition connector 40'. Simultaneously, the second transition interlocking piece 17d of the first transition connector 40 contacts with the second side of the web 41 of the second transition connector 40. Thus, there is an inner space S2 between the first transition interlocking piece 17c of the second transition connector 40 and the second interlocking piece 17d of the first transition connector 40'.

[86] On the contrary, on the outer side of the curved deck as illustrated in FIG. 33, the second transition interlocking piece 17d of the second transition connector 40 and the first transition interlocking piece 17c of the first transition connector 40 are coupled to each other. Thus, there is an open space S3 between the second transition interlocking piece 17d of the second transition connector 40 and the web 41 of the first transition connector 40'. The first transition interlocking piece 17c of the second transition connector 40 and the second transition interlocking piece 17d of the first transition connector 40 are coupled to each other. Thus, there is an open space S4 between the second transition interlocking piece 17d of the first transition connector 40 and the web 41 of the second transition connector 40. As shown in FIG. 30, fixing wedge members 12 have shapes corresponding to those of the open spaces S3 and S4, and they extend laterally. The fixing wedge members 12 are inserted into the open spaces S3 and S4, respectively, and thus firmly maintain the coupling of the interlocking pieces 17c and 17d. Of course, fixing wedge members 12 are respectively inserted into the spaces Sl and S2. Meanwhile, the fixing wedge members 12 to be inserted into the spaces S3 and S4 can be a tapered shape section in which an upper portion thereof is narrower than a lower portion thereof. Such tapered shape section prevents the fixing wedge members from being separated upward and downward. If the deck tubes are successively coupled as described above, the curved deck can be constructed.

[87] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. The bridge deck described in the specification including claims does not essentially mean only a deck installed in a bridge, but it should be understood to include all of decks adapted to civil and architectural constructions, which are supported by a girder or beam. Also, the deck tubes of the present invention are coupled to each other to form a wall type construction, so that its use cannot be limited to the above deck. That is, the deck tubes of the present invention can be adapted to various constructions such as reservoir, tank, platform, footway, box culvert and so on. Accordingly, in the specification including claims, the deck should be understood to mean a wall type construction. Industrial Applicability

[88] As described above, according to the invention, it is possible to interconnect the fiber reinforced composite material deck tubes to manufacture a mat-type deck for temporary roads for constructing an access road, etc.

[89] The mat-type deck of the invention is very useful for constructing an access road for various sites and purposes, for example an access road for oil drilling or felling, a temporary road for military operations and an access road for diverse construction sites. According to the invention, since the deck tube is made of fiber reinforced polymer composite with high corrosion resistance and high durability, it can be usefully used under severe condition such as cold area.

[90] In addition, according to the invention, the mat-type deck can be easily assembled, disassembled and constructed into a curved shape and properly equipped to correspond to the gradient of the ground surface.

[91] In particular, the deck of the invention can be also used as a bridge deck forming the upper structure of the bridge. Further, the invention can be used to improve the old bridge and to construct the decks of a new bridge and a temporary bridge.

[92] According to the present invention, since a deck tube is made of fiber reinforced polymer composite with high corrosion resistance and high durability, life span of the bridge deck can be increased. Also, since composite deck is durable, it may be expected that maintenance costs are considerably reduced in comparison with the conventional reinforced concrete deck.

[93] According to the present invention, dead load of the deck can be reduced by more than 80% because heavy concrete decks are substituted with lightweight composite decks. This facilitates upgrade of the bridge because the bridge becomes to have an increased load carrying capability by the amount corresponding to the reduced dead load.

[94] Further, it is viable to economically construct a new bridge since slender superstructure and substructure are possible due to lightweight composite decks.

[95] Particularly, according to the invention, since the deck is pressed and left from the top, it does not matter even when the shear connector has been already equipped on the upper surface of the girder. Accordingly, contrary to the prior art, it is not necessary to later weld the shear connector through the narrow space, so that it is possible to easily mount the shear connector and thus to save the time and the labors required for the works. In addition, it is easy to verify and quality-manage the welded state of the shear connector. Further, in case of the concrete girder, it is possible to manufacture the concrete girder with the reinforcing rod for the shear connector being arranged in advance.

Claims

[1] A fiber reinforced composite deck tube 1 comprising : an upper plate 2 having an upper extension at its one side, a lower plate 3 having a lower extension at its one side opposite to the side of the upper plate, and a web 4 therebetween, forming therein a plurality of divisional portions of polygonal tubular cross-sectional shape, wherein at one side, including a first downward interlocking piece 15a protruded downward at the end of the extension 5 of the upper plate 2 and a second downward interlocking piece 15b protruded downward at a lower outer surface of the web 4, and at the other side, including a first upward interlocking piece 15a' protruded upward at an upper outer surface of the web 4 and a second upward interlocking 15b' piece protruded upward at the end of the extension 5' of the lower plate 3, wherein upon assembling the deck tubes with each other, the first and the second downward interlocking pieces 15a and 15b and of one tube are detachably and mechanically snap-fit coupled to the first and the second upward interlocking pieces 15a' and 15b' and, respectively, of the other tube, and wherein the interlocking pieces 15 a, 15a', 15b and 15b' coupled to each other have protrusions 15c and 15c' with a shape corresponding to each other for mutual mechanical engagement so that neighboring deck tubes 1' are detachably and mechanically snap-fit coupled in a vertical direction to each other to form a deck.

[2] The fiber reinforced composite deck tube as claimed in claim 1, wherein at an inner side of the end of the upper extension 5, a supporting portion 51 is protruded to support the leading end of the first upward interlocking piece 15a' from the back of the first upward interlocking piece, and at an inner side of the end of the lower extension 5', a recess is formed so that another supporting portion 51 is protruded to support the leading end of the second downward interlocking piece 15b from the back of the second downward interlocking piece when the second downward interlocking piece 15b and the second upward interlocking piece 15b' are coupled to each other, whereby the interlocking pieces are more firmly coupled through increasing a resistance force against a horizontal direction in a state that the interlocking pieces have been coupled to each other.

[3] The fiber reinforced composite deck tube as claimed in claim 1 or 2 , further comprising a curve transition connector 40' at the other side of the deck tube 1 in order to be used to construct a curved deck, wherein the curve transition connector 40' has interlocking pieces provided at both faces of a web 41, wherein at one face of the web 41, a first transition interlocking piece 15c is provided to be protruded upward at the upper side of the web 41 so that a gap with a certain width is formed between the first transition interlocking piece 15c and the web 41, and at the lower side of the web 41, a lower horizontal extension 42' is extended horizontally and has a second transition interlocking piece 15d protruded upward at its end, wherein at the other face of the web 41, the first and the second downward interlocking pieces 15a and 15b to be respectively coupled to the coupling protrusions of the deck tube 1 are provided, and wherein the curved deck is constructed by coupling and assembling the first and the second downward interlocking pieces 15a and 15b of the curve transition connector 40' to the interlocking pieces provided at the other side of the deck tube 1 and by coupling and assembling the first and the second transition interlocking pieces of the curve transition connector to the first and the second transition interlocking pieces of another curve transition connector.

[4] A deck constructed by assembling fiber reinforced composite deck tubes side by side, wherein each deck tube 1, 1', 11 and 11' comprises an upper plate 2 having an upper extension at its one side, a lower plate 3 having a lower extension at its one side opposite to the side of the upper plate, and an web 4 therebetween, forming therein a plurality of divisional portions of polygonal tubular cross-sectional shape, wherein the deck tube 1, 1', 11 and 11' includes, at its one side, a first downward interlocking piece 15a protruded downward at the end of the extension 5 of the upper plate 2 and a second downward interlocking piece 15b protruded downward at a lower outer surface of the web 4, and at the other side, a first upward interlocking piece 15 a' protruded upward at an upper outer surface of the web 4 and a second upward interlocking piece 15b' protruded upward at the end of the extension 5' of the lower plate 3, wherein upon assembling the deck tubes 1, 1', 11 and 11' with each other, the first and the second downward interlocking pieces 15a and 15b of one tube are detachably and mechanically snap-fit coupled to the first and the second upward interlocking pieces 15a' and 15b', respectively, of the other tube, and wherein the interlocking pieces 15a, 15a', 15b and 15b' have protrusions 15c and 15c' with a shape corresponding to each other for mutual mechanical engagement so that the deck tube 1 and 11 is detachably and mechanically snap-fit coupled in a vertical direction to the neighboring deck 1' and 11' tube to form a deck.

[5] The deck as claimed in claim 4, wherein at an inner side of the end of the upper extension 5 of the deck tube, a supporting portion 51 is protruded to support the leading end of the first upward interlocking piece 15a' from the back of the first upward interlocking piece, and at an inner side of the end of the lower extension 5' of the deck tube, a recess is formed so that another supporting portion 51 is protruded to support the leading end of the second downward interlocking piece 15b from the back of the second downward interlocking piece when the second downward interlocking piece 15b and the second upward interlocking piece 15b' are coupled to each other, whereby the interlocking pieces are more firmly coupled through increasing a resistance force against a horizontal direction in a state that the interlocking pieces have been coupled to each other.

[6] The deck as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein the deck is a mat- type deck which is mounted on the ground surface.

[7] The deck as claimed in claim 6, wherein the deck has a horizontal connection structure comprising a horizontal connection assembly 300 which comprises a vertical center wall 301 and a pair of connection plates 302 vertically mounted to both sides of the center wall 301 and having web plates 4 of the deck tube 1 interposed therebetween and through holes 305 into which a connection rod 303 is inserted, and wherein the connection rod 303 is inserted to pass through the connection plate 302 and the web plates 4 with the web plates 4 of the deck tube 1 being fitted between the connection plates 302 and the web plates 4, so that the deck tube 1 is respectively connected to both sides of the connection assembly 300.

[8] The deck as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a contractible member 304 having a contractible volume which is respectively provided to the hollow inside of the deck tube 1 and the inside of the protrusion connection part.

[9] The deck as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a gradient-correspondence connection assembly 400 having an elastic member 401 of a predetermined thickness integrated between the web plates 4 of the closure deck tubes 1-1 which are arranged in an opposite direction so that it is bent to correspond to a gradient of the ground surface.

[10] The deck as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a curved part-connection assembly 500 including closure deck tubes 1-1 arranged in an opposite direction and a box-shaped connection tube 501 having a tapered shape and arranged between the closure deck tubes 1-1 and integrated with the closure deck tubes 1-1 by a connecting tie 502 so that it is assembled and disassembled, wherein the deck forms a curved deck.

[11] The deck as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein the deck is a bridge deck installed on a girder.

[12] The deck as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a first and a second transition connectors 40' and 40 at the sides of the deck tubes 11' and 11, respectively, wherein the transition connector has interlocking pieces provided at both faces of a vertical web 41 , wherein at one face of the web 41, a first transition interlocking piece 15c is provided to be protruded upward at the upper side of the web so that a gap with a certain width is formed between the first transition interlocking piece 15c and the web 41, and at the lower side of the web, a lower horizontal extension 42' is extended horizontally and has a second transition interlocking piece 15d protruded upward at its end, wherein at the other face of the web of the first transition connector 40', the first and the second downward interlocking pieces 15a and 15b to be respectively coupled to the coupling protrusions of the deck tube 11' are provided so that the first and the second downward interlocking pieces 15a and 15b of the first transition connector 40' are respectively coupled to the interlocking pieces provided at the other side of the deck tube 11', wherein at one side of the neighboring deck tube 11, a second transition connector 40 is to be coupled, the second transition connector 40 having the same construction as that of the first transition connector 40' except that it being coupled to the deck tube in a state of being turned upside down in comparison with the first transition connector 40', wherein when the transition connectors 40 and 40' are coupled to the deck tubes 11 and 11', respectively, the deck tubes are coupled in a slightly tilted position to each other to form a curved deck, and at an inner side of the curved deck, a second transition interlocking piece 15d of the second transition connector 40 is coupled to the first transition interlocking piece 15c of the first transition connector 40' so that the second transition interlocking piece 15d of the second transition connector 40 is installed to become contact with the outer side face of the web of the first transition connector 40', thereby forming an inner space S 1 between the second transition interlocking piece 15d of the second transition connector 40 and the first transition interlocking piece 15c of the first transition connector 40', wherein the first transition interlocking piece 15c of the second transition connector 40 is coupled to the second transition interlocking piece 15d of the first transition connector 40' so that the second transition interlocking piece 15d of the first transition connector 40' contacts with the outer side face of the web of the second transition connector 40, thereby forming an inner space S2 between the first transition interlocking piece 15c of the second transition connector 40 and the second transition interlocking piece 15d of the first transition connector 40', wherein at an outer side of the curved deck, the second transition interlocking piece 15d of the second transition connector 40 and the first transition interlocking piece 15c of the first transition connector 40' are coupled to each other, forming an open space S3 between the second transition interlocking piece 15d of the second transition connector 40 and the web 41 of the first transition connector 40', wherein the first transition interlocking piece 15c of the second transition connector 40 and the second transition interlocking piece 15d of the first transition connector 40' are coupled to each other, forming an open space S4 between the second transition interlocking piece 15d of the first transition connector 40' and the web 41 of the second transition connector 40, and wherein fixing wedge members 12 are inserted into the open spaces S3 and S4, respectively, each member having a shape corresponding to that of the corresponding open space and extending laterally, thus firmly maintaining a coupled structure of the interlocking pieces 15c and 15d.

[13] The deck as claimed in claim 12, wherein the fixing wedge members 12' are respectively inserted into the inner spaces S 1 and S2, the member having a shape corresponding to that of the inner spaces.