WO2013119196A1

WO2013119196A1 - Methods of preparing a concrete deck

Info

Publication number: WO2013119196A1
Application number: PCT/US2012/023938
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pavel POJIDAEV; Sergei POJIDAEV
Original assignee: Build Strong Llc
Priority date: 2012-02-06
Filing date: 2012-02-06
Publication date: 2013-08-15

Abstract

A method of preparing a light weight concrete deck comprising: (a) preparing an external framing structure comprising a longitudinal base and upwardly extending side walls; (b) fixing a reinforcing element within the external framing structure; (c) fixing a solid filling element within the space defined by the reinforcing element and the external framing structure; (d) pouring concrete over the reinforcing element located between the upwardly extending side walls of the external framing structure and the filling element; and (e) removing the external framing structure.

Description

METHODS OF PREPARING A CONCRETE DECK

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to methods for preparing concrete decks for roadways, sidewalks, bridges and similar surfaces. Additionally, the present invention relates to methods of preparing light-weight concrete deck for bridges, roadways, sidewalks, and similar surfaces, which are cost efficient, highly reproducible and can be prepared at the installation site.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Modern traffic conditions have resulted in heavier and faster-moving vehicles which have increased the pressures on bridges and roadways. This has resulted in problems of reliability and durability for the concrete decks of bridges and roadways. Further, bridge superstructures have become increasingly redundant because of attempts to reduce the dead weight of the bridge. Additionally, it has become increasingly important to quickly accomplish any bridge repairs in order to avoid prolonged traffic congestion.

There is a need for a method of preparing concrete decks which is simple, reliable, and produces light-weight and durable concrete decks. Further, there is a need for a method of preparing concrete decks which results in quicker installation time and/or repair time. There is also a need to provide a method of preparing concrete decks, which allows for prefabrication without sacrificing durability and reliability, in order to shorten the interruption of traffic during construction or repair.

Examples of methods of preparing bridges and bridge designs employing a deck surface on top of a supporting structure can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,841, in which a deck surface takes the form of precast, pre-stressed concrete panels that are supported by floor beams. In an embodiment in the patent, the floor beams have the form of conventional I-beams. Another example of a bridge design using a deck surface on top of a supporting structure can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,794,433, in which the deck surface rests on top of concrete and open-topped box beams. Further examples can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 890,769, which discloses a bridge in which a deck surface is supported on top of integral concrete ribs. Methods employing modular precast concrete slabs for construction of roadways, sidewalks, bridge decks and similar surfaces are also known in the art. An example of such precast concrete paving slabs is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,984,944. It is also known to reinforce concrete roadways, whether constructed in modular form or as a continuous casting at the job site, with metal or plastic grids, as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,184,146 and 4,168,924. U.S. Pat. No. 3,181,187 discloses a bridge construction which employs longitudinally extending box beams for supporting the bridge deck and road surface.

Russian Patent No. 2,283,911, also published as RU 2004 127 602 A, discloses a concrete bridge deck that has been prepared by forming a bottom rectangular or trapezoidal section, filling the hollow interior with filling material, such as sand, laying the concrete roadway followed by removing of the filling material. The removal of the filling material results in increased time and complications during the installation of the bridge deck.

Russian Patent No. 2,178,036 discloses a hollow concrete bridge deck, where a heat- insulating element is placed in the hollow cavity. The placement of the heat-insulating element allows for an improvement in the coefficient of thermal conductivity of the concrete beams.

Other prior art pre-cast modular concrete panels disclose a grating or grid which can be filled with concrete. This results in an extremely heavy modular panel which is unwieldy and costly to transport to construction sites, and imposes undesirable dead load which serves no useful purpose in bridge deck construction. However, open grating bridge decks without a concrete or similar wear surface are unacceptable because they are too dangerous to traffic.

One of the first forms of modern concrete bridge deck designs employed T-shaped concrete decks, however, these concrete decks are not capable of withstanding current usage and pressures. The development of rectangular or trapezoidal hollow bridge concrete decks resulted in increased strength with reduced overall weight, however, these concrete decks are expensive and difficult to construct. Common methods in the art used to construct these hollow concrete decks require expensive external casings and internal casings to create the overall structure of the concrete deck. Additionally, the internal casings must be removed prior to installation of the concrete deck. The internal casings are removed either after the pouring of the concrete deck or after the concrete deck is delivered to the installation site, but prior to the installation of the concrete deck. One of the procedures known in the art for removing the internal casing material involves employing a train that travels the length of the bridge deck removing the internal casing. This procedure is time and cost intensive. Additionally, due to changes in the internal shape of the concrete decks, the train must be able to operate in different internal dimensions, often moving from a narrow width to a wider width and back to a narrow width, which results in further complexity of the train design. Examples of this procedure can be found at http ://sanbo .com. cn/.

Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a method for preparing light-weight, durable, and reliable concrete decks.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for preparing a concrete deck which is capable of prefabrication and installation in a quick and reliable manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention claimed and described herein is a method for preparing concrete decks which employs a pre-formed modular external framing structure to construct a light-weight, durable and easily transportable concrete deck that can be employed in construction of bridges, roadways, sidewalks, and similar surfaces. The method comprises the following steps:

a) preparing an external framing structure comprising a longitudinal base and side walls extending upwardly from the longitudinal base;

b) fixing a reinforcing element within the external framing structure; and

c) fixing a solid filling element within the space defined by the reinforcing element and the external framing structure.

The method further comprises the step of pouring concrete over the reinforcing element, which may be accomplished in a single step or in a sequential manner. More specifically the concrete may be poured in a single manner after the solid filling element has been fixed into position within the space defined by the reinforcing element and the external framing structure. The single pouring will allow the concrete to flow into the space between the external framing structure and the solid filling element and thereby surround the reinforcing element.

Depending upon the dimension of the concrete deck, it may be advantageous to pour the concrete is sequential steps wherein the first concrete pour occurs before the solid filling element is fixed in position. The first concrete pour will cover the longitudinal base of the external framing structure and the reinforcing element above the longitudinal base of the external framing structure. After the first concrete pour the solid filling element is inserted above the first concrete pour. A second concrete pour supplies concrete to the space created between the upwardly extending side walls of the external framing structure and the solid filling element. The second concrete pour can occur before or after the concrete from the first concrete pour has set or hardened.

The method of the present invention may further comprise the step of removing the external framing structure and the step of applying a travel surface, such as a road way or walkway to the upper surface of the concrete deck. The travel surface may cover the solid filling element and be supported by the upwardly extending concrete walls. The travel surface may also extend beyond the span of the concrete deck.

In an alternate method of the present invention, the longitudinal base of the concrete deck can be poured at an off-site location away from the final installation site, the solid filling element can be fixed in the space created by the reinforcing element and the exterior framing structure and secured, and the partially completed concrete deck can be shipped to the construction site for completion of the upwardly extending side walls of the concrete deck.

In a still further method of the present invention, the partially completed concrete deck described above can be completed by the pouring of the concrete for the upwardly extending side walls at the off-site location, followed by removal of the external framing structure and transportation of the concrete deck to the final installation site.

By pre-fabricating the framing structure, reinforcing element, and solid filling element a light weight, strong, readily transportable concrete deck can be prepared. The overall shape, length and design of the concrete deck, as well as width or thickness of the upwardly extending concrete side walls and height or thickness of the longitudinal base of the concrete deck can be varied based on the desired construction project. The external framing structure can be easily modified based on the desired shape of the final concrete deck, and the reinforcing element and solid filling element can also be varied accordingly.

Further because the method of the present invention does not involve the removal of the solid filling element from the concrete deck after pouring of the concrete, construction and installation time for the final concrete deck is reduced compared to prior art construction techniques. Specifically, there is no need for a train or other machine to remove an internal casing structure, because the solid filling element is part of the final concrete deck. The method of the present invention will further comprise post-tensioning to further improve the strength and reinforcement of the concrete decks.

The method of the present invention will produce concrete decks with significantly reduced weight compared to prior art concrete decks, which can be prepared in an overall reduced size, thereby leading to further ease in transportation and installation.

The method of the present invention produces a concrete deck for bridges or roadways, or other similar structures, which results in significant material and labor savings due to the structurally highly efficient nature of each component of the concrete deck, and the simple manufacturing and assembly of the concrete deck components. Additionally, in view of the substantial reduction in the overall weight of the concrete deck the construction or repair of a bridge, or corresponding structure, is correspondingly simplified leading to further cost savings in time and energy required to transport the necessary materials. Additionally, since the method of the present invention provides concrete decks which are ready for immediate installation, traffic and pedestrian inconvenience can be kept to minimum.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. la is an exploded cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the external framing structure, reinforcing element and solid filling element employed in the method of preparing concrete decks of the present invention;

FIG. lb is an exploded view of an embodiment of the external framing structure, reinforcing element and solid filling element employed in the method of preparing concrete decks of the present invention;

FIG. 2a is a view of an embodiment of the external framing structure, reinforcing element and solid filling element employed in the method of preparing concrete decks of the present invention prior to the addition of concrete;

FIG. 2b is a view of an embodiment of the external framing structure, reinforcing element and solid filling element employed in the method of preparing concrete decks of the present invention after the addition of concrete;

FIG. 2c is a view of an embodiment of a concrete deck prepared by the method of the present invention after the removal of the external framing structure; FIG. 3 is an alternate view of an embodiment of the concrete deck prepared by the method of the present invention after the removal of the external framing structure;

FIG. 4a is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the external framing structure, reinforcing element and solid filling element employed in the method of preparing concrete decks of the present invention prior to the addition of concrete;

FIG. 4b is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the external framing structure, reinforcing element and solid filling element employed in the method of preparing concrete decks of the present invention after the addition of concrete;

FIG. 4c is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a concrete deck prepared by the method of the present invention after the removal of the external framing structure;

FIG. 5a is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the external framing structure, reinforcing element and solid filling element employed in the method of preparing concrete decks of the present invention prior to the addition of concrete;

FIG. 5b is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the external framing structure, reinforcing element and solid filling element employed in the method of preparing concrete decks of the present invention after the addition of concrete;

FIG. 5c is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a concrete deck prepared by a method of the present invention after the removal of an external framing structure;

FIG. 6 is an alternate cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the reinforcing element employed in the method of preparing concrete decks of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an alternate cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the reinforcing element employed in the method of preparing concrete decks of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an alternate cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the reinforcing element employed in the method of preparing concrete decks of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an alternate cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the reinforcing element employed in the method of preparing concrete decks of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is an alternate cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the concrete deck prepared by the method of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is an alternate cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the concrete deck prepared by the method of the present invention; FIG. 12 is an alternate cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the concrete deck prepared by the method of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a view of an embodiment of a solid filling element employed in the method of preparing concrete decks of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will be described by references to the figures, which depict embodiments employed in the methods of the present invention. The following description of the figures is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to any particular shape, design or dimensions. Alternate methods employing alternate shapes and structures are provided in the figures and more will be readily apparent to individuals skilled in the art based upon the following description.

The present invention is related to methods of preparing a concrete deck (100). The method comprises the following steps:

a) preparing an external framing structure (11) comprising a longitudinal base (15) and side walls (14a, 14b) extending upwardly from the longitudinal base

(15);

b) fixing a reinforcing element (12) within the external framing structure (11); and c) fixing a solid filling element (13) within the space defined by the reinforcing element (12) and the external framing structure (11).

The method further comprises the step of pouring concrete over the reinforcing element (12), which may be accomplished in a single step or in a sequential manner. More specifically the concrete may be poured in a single manner after the solid filling element (13) has been fixed into position within the space defined by the reinforcing element (12) and the external framing structure (11). The single pouring will allow the concrete to flow into the space between the external framing structure and the solid filling element (13) and thereby surround the reinforcing element (12). The above method is demonstrated in FIGs. 2a-2c, 4a-4c and 5a-5c.

Depending upon the dimension of the concrete deck (100), it may be advantageous to pour the concrete is sequential steps wherein the first concrete pour occurs before the solid filling element (13) is fixed in position. The first concrete pour will cover the longitudinal base (15) of the external framing structure (11) and the reinforcing element (12) above the longitudinal base (15) of the external framing structure (11). After the first concrete pour the solid filling element (13) is inserted above the first concrete pour. A second concrete pour supplies concrete to the space created between the upwardly extending side walls (14a, 14b) of the external framing structure (11) and the solid filling element (13). The second concrete pour can occur before or after the concrete from the first concrete pour has set or hardened.

FIG. la is an exploded cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the external framing structure (11), reinforcing element (12) and solid filling element (13) employed in the method of preparing concrete decks (100) of the present invention.

In the method of the present invention comprising sequential pouring of concrete, the first portion of concrete can be poured to cover the longitudinal base (15) of the external framing structure (11) up to a desired height or thickness. Generally, the desired height or thickness of the first pour of concrete will be the height or thickness of the longitudinal base (23) of the reinforcing element (12). Next a solid filling element (13) is placed or formed within the interior space created by the reinforcing element (12). Subsequently an additional pouring of concrete is poured onto the reinforcing element (12) located between the external framing structure (11) and the solid filling element (13) creating the upwardly extending side walls (19a, 19b) of the concrete deck (100). To ensure that the solid filling element (13) does not move during the second pouring of concrete, which could allow unwanted additional concrete to cover the newly poured base section (20) of the partially prepared concrete deck (100), the solid filling element (13) is preferably secured to the external framing structure (11), the reinforcing element (12) or a further element. After the concrete for the upwardly extending side walls (19a, 19b) sets, the external framing structure (11) can then be removed leaving the concrete deck (100).

The overall structure of the concrete deck (100) prepared in accordance with the present invention can be any shape commensurate with the desired construction project, possible shapes include, but are not limited to rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, trapezoidal, or arched (a trapezoidal shape is shown in FIGs. 1 and 2a-2c).

The concrete employed in the methods of the present invention can be any type of concrete used by skilled artisans for concrete bridge construction. Preferred types of concrete used in the present invention are any types of concrete used by qualified concrete deck/bridge builders. Additional materials that can be substituted for concrete include fiber reinforced plastics ("FRP") or carbon fiber reinforced plastics ("CRFP"). Plastic reinforced with fibers, a type of composite material, can be used to repair, strengthen, or as replacement parts for concrete bridge decks. FRP's are composite materials which are combinations of materials. FRP's are composite materials that consist of high strength fibers immersed in a structural matrix such as epoxy or other durable resin. The most common fibers used are glass, carbon, and aramid (a/k/a KEVLAR®).

Alternatively, the concrete material can be replaced with a plastic composed of a mixture of recycled consumer or industrial plastic waste. This results in a low cost, light weight and highly environmentally friendly substitute for concrete.

In an alternate method of the present invention, at a factory or other construction facility away from the installation site, a first layer of concrete can be poured to cover the longitudinal base (15) of the external framing structure (11) and the longitudinal base (23) of the reinforcing element (12). Next the solid filling element (13) is placed or formed within the interior space created by the reinforcing element (12) and the external framing structure (11). Subsequently an additional pouring of concrete is added between the external framing structure (11) and the solid filling element (13) creating the upwardly extending side walls (19a, 19b) of the concrete deck (100). Next, the external framing structure (11) is removed from the concrete deck (100). The concrete deck (100) can then be transported to the installation site.

As shown in FIGs. la and lb, the external framing structure (11) possesses at least two upwardly extending side walls (14a, 14b) and a longitudinal base (15). The external framing structure (11) can be constructed of any suitable material capable of maintaining the weight of the final concrete deck (100). Preferably the external framing structure (11) is prepared from wood, steel, high density plastics, or other suitable materials known in the art.

FIG. lb further shows a reinforcing element (12) that adds structure and stability to the concrete deck (100). The method of the present invention fixes the reinforcing element (12) in a position which is internal and generally parallel to the external framing structure (11), wherein the reinforcing element (12) extends along both the upwardly extending side walls (14a, 14b) and the longitudinal base (15) of the external framing structure (11). The reinforcing element (12) shown in FIG. lb is prepared in a web like design of multiple reinforcing elements (12a, 12b, 12c, etc .). A preferred method employs a reinforcing element (12), which is a metal structure, such as cables or rebar. Additional materials will be readily apparent to the skilled artisan based on the present disclosure. The reinforcing element (12) can also be a composite material such as fiber glass, carbon fiber, or geosynthetics, such as categories: geotextiles, geogrids, geonets, geomembranes, geosynthetic clay liners, geofoam, geocells and geocomposites.

The reinforcing element (12) can also be composed of fiber reinforced plastics ("FRP"). These composite materials can be used as the reinforcing element (12) and can also be added in addition to the reinforcing element (12) to add additional strengthening to the bridge deck construction.

FRP's are light weight and possess high strength which enable them to strengthen existing concrete bridge structures or be added to the concrete deck (100) before installation. FRP's can be wrapped around the concrete bridge deck (100) to provide additional reinforcement to increase earthquake resistance, durability, and corrosion resistance. Techniques known in the art that can be employed include the wet lay-up procedure in which high strength fibers are matted or woven into a fabric and then immersed in an epoxy matrix, followed by adhesive bonding of the material to the concrete bridge deck (100).

The width of the upwardly extending side walls (22a, 22b) and longitudinal base (23) of the reinforcing element (12) can be varied based on the desired height or thickness of the concrete in the concrete deck (100). Additionally, as shown in FIG. lb, the upper portion of the reinforcing element (12) forms an overhang or lip (16), which is designed to enclose the solid filling element (13). The shape of the overhang or lip (16) of the reinforcing element (12) can be varied in accordance with the overall desired shape of the final concrete deck (100). The overall internal structure of the reinforcing element (12) shown in FIG. la, and in FIGs. 2a-2c, 4a-4c, and 5a-5c can vary from one longitudinal end of the reinforcing element (12) to the opposite longitudinal end of the reinforcing element (12). As shown in FIG. lb, and in FIGs. 2a-2c, the reinforcing element (12) projects further into the internal space created by the reinforcing element (12) and external framing structure (11), and thereby, the area to be filled with the solid filling element (13) is reduced. As shown in FIG. la and in FIGs. 2a-2c, this configuration is repeated at the opposite longitudinal end of the reinforcing element (12), which results in a tapered shape of the solid filling element (13). The overall shape of the solid filling element (13) will be determined by the space defined by the reinforcing element (12). The space defined by the reinforcing element (12) can posses any internal shape commensurate with the structural needs of the final concrete deck (100). The overhang or lip (16) of the reinforcing element (12) serves to enclose the solid filling element (13) within the reinforcing element (12), and assists in anchoring the solid filling element (13) during the pouring of concrete to prepare the upwardly extending side walls (19a, 19b) of the concrete deck (100). Alternate shapes for the reinforcing element (12) can be seen in FIGs. 6-9.

The solid filling element (13) employed in the method of the present invention can be selected from any filling materials suitable for the present invention. Preferred filling elements (13) will include foams, such as styrofoam.

The foam materials employed in the methods of the present invention can be selected from expanded polystyrene (EPS), polyurethane-foam (PPU), and other foam materials which will be readily apparent to the skilled artisan based on the present disclosure.

Foam with a lower density and overall lower weight will reduce the overall weight of the concrete deck, which will result in less tension on the overall structure.

Additional filling elements (13) will be readily apparent to the skilled artisan based on the present disclosure. The solid filling element (13) can be prepared prior to the installation of the solid filling element (13), or the solid filling element (13) can be formed by pouring a flowable filling material used to create the solid filling element (13) into the reinforcing element (12) and allowing it to set. In a method of the present invention where the solid filling element (13) is formed within the reinforcing element (12), a barrier layer (18) can be employed between the reinforcing element (12) and the solid filling element (13) to ensure that filling material does not seeps into the reinforcing element (12) prior to the pouring of the concrete. The barrier layer (18) can be prepared from plastics, wood, or other material which will be readily apparent to the skilled artisan based on the present disclosure.

The solid filling element (13) can be a unitary element within the concrete deck (100) or it may be multiple filling elements (13a, 13b, 13c, etc ..) fixed in position within the space created by the reinforcing element (12) and the external framing structure (11). As shown in FIG. lb, the solid filling element (13) can comprise at least two separate sections. The solid filling element (13) can comprise 20% to 95% of the volume of the final concrete deck (100), preferably 35-75% of the volume of the final concrete deck (100), and most preferably 40-60% of the volume of the final concrete deck (100). The filling element (12) will have a density 3 3 3 ranging from 5-800 kg/m , preferably 50-400 kg/m , and most preferably 100-300 kg/m . Additionally, the coefficient of thermal conductivity of the filling element (12) will be less than 80%, preferably less than 75%, and most preferably less than 50% of the coefficient of thermal conductivity of concrete beams.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. lb, the upper portion (17) of the solid filling element (13) is generally flat, which forms a travel surface which allows for the application of a road way or walkway (21) on top of the solid filling element (13). The road way or walkway (21) can be formed of concrete, steel or other material which will be readily apparent to the skilled artisan based on the present disclosure. The upper portion (17) of the solid filling element (13) can also be prepared with a grooved formation to allow for increased adherence of the road way or walkway (21) to the upper portion (17) of the solid filling element (13). A black top material can also be applied to the road way or walkway (21) to finalize the concrete deck (100) either prior to, or after installation of the concrete deck (100). The road way or walkway (21) can also be prepared with a grooved formation to allow for increased adherence of black top or other finishing material. The travel surface may cover the solid filling element (13) and be supported by the upwardly extending concrete walls (19a, 19b). The travel surface may also extend beyond the span of the concrete deck (100).

The concrete deck (100) prepared by the method of the present invention will possess a longitudinal base portion (20) and side walls (19a, 19b) that extend upwardly from the longitudinal base portion (20) and run parallel to the length of the longitudinal base portion (20), in accordance with the shape of the external framing structure (11). The upwardly extending side walls (19a, 19b) can extend at any angle commensurate in scope with the overall design of the concrete deck (100), such as from about 45° to about 160°. Additionally, because the concrete deck (100) can be prepared in any desired shape, the upwardly extending side walls (19a, 19b) can be segmented and angled at various angles to create the overall desired shape of the concrete deck (100). Further, the concrete deck (100) prepared by the method of the present invention will possess an internal core comprising the solid filling element (13).

As can be seen in FIGs. 2a-2c, 3, 4a-4c and 5a-5c the reinforcing element (12) can be designed to extend above the upwardly extending side walls (19a, 19b) of the concrete deck (100). The extension of the reinforcing element (12) above the concrete deck (100) allows for additional reinforcing that can be used to reinforce a travel surface, such as a road way or walkway (21) added to the upper portion (17) of the solid filling element (13) and/or reinforcing element (12). Further, the present invention can further comprise methods for applying a travel surface such as a road way or walkway (21) with a highly efficient corrosion protection or road surfacing material to aid in the application of a final road way or walkway (21), such a black top material.

Also disclosed are a variety of different methods all of which employ the above- discussed main features of the present invention to a greater or lesser extent.

FIGs. 6-9 disclose embodiments of the reinforcing element (12) for use in the method of the present invention that possess different shapes, which will result in varying internal shapes for the solid filling element (13).

In an embodiment disclosed in FIG. 12 the concrete for the upwardly extending side walls (19a, 19b) is poured to a height above the uppermost portions of the reinforcing element (12).

The invention illustratively described herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element or elements, limitation or limitations which are not specifically disclosed herein. Thus, for example, in each instance herein, any of the terms "comprising," "consisting essentially of and "consisting of may be replaced with either of the other two terms. The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed. Thus, it should be understood that although the present invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optional features, modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed may be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method for preparing a concrete deck comprising the following steps:

b) fixing a reinforcing element within the external framing structure;

c) fixing a solid filling element within the space defined by the reinforcing element and the external framing structure;

d) pouring concrete over the reinforcing element located between the external framing structure and the solid filling element; and

e) removing the external framing structure.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises:

(i) pouring a first portion of concrete to cover the longitudinal base of the framing structure; and

(ii) pouring a second portion of concrete over the reinforcing element located between the upwardly extending side walls of the external framing structure and the solid filling element.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first portion of concrete is allowed to set before the second portion of concrete is poured.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first portion of concrete is not allowed to set before the second portion of concrete is poured.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein steps (a)-(e) are completed at a final installation location.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein steps (a)-(e) are completed prior to transportation of the concrete deck to the installation site.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the concrete deck is a bridge deck.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the concrete deck is a roadway.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the concrete deck is a sidewalk.

10. A concrete deck prepared according to the method of claim 1.

11. A concrete deck prepared according to the method of claim 1 , further comprising a travel surface above the filling element.

12. A concrete deck prepared according to the method of claim 11, further comprising a black top material applied to the travel surface.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said black top material further comprises a corrosion resistant material.

14. A method for preparing a concrete deck comprising the following steps:

b) fixing a reinforcing element within the external framing structure;

c) pouring a first portion of concrete over the longitudinal base of the external framing structure;

d) fixing a solid filling element within the space defined by the reinforcing element and the external framing structure;

e) pouring a second portion of concrete over the reinforcing element located between the upwardly extending side walls of the external framing structure and the solid filling element; and

f) removing the external framing structure.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first portion of concrete is allowed to set before the second portion of concrete is poured.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first portion of concrete is not allowed to set before the second portion of concrete is poured.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein steps (a)-(f) are completed at a final installation location.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein steps (a)-(f) are completed prior to transportation of the concrete deck to the installation site.

19. A concrete deck prepared according to the method of claim 14.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the solid filling element is formed from a filling material within the space defined by the reinforcing element and the external framing structure.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the solid filling element is formed from a filling material within the space defined by the reinforcing element and the external framing structure.