Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
  • E01C—CONSTRUCTION OF, OR SURFACES FOR, ROADS, SPORTS GROUNDS, OR THE LIKE; MACHINES OR AUXILIARY TOOLS FOR CONSTRUCTION OR REPAIR
  • E01C11/00—Details of pavings
  • E01C11/22—Gutters; Kerbs ; Surface drainage of streets, roads or like traffic areas
  • E01C11/221—Kerbs or like edging members, e.g. flush kerbs, shoulder retaining means ; Joint members, connecting or load-transfer means specially for kerbs
  • E01C11/223—Kerb-and-gutter structures; Kerbs with drainage openings channel or conduits, e.g. with out- or inlets, with integral gutter or with channel formed into the kerb ; Kerbs adapted to house cables or pipes, or to form conduits

Definitions

• the present invention relates to combined kerb drainage elements and in particular combined kerb drainage elements formed from polymers such as recycled and virgin plastic materials.
• Combined kerb drainage elements are commonly used in civil engineering projects because of their dual functionality as a kerb for delineating road/pedestrian areas and drainage means for disposing of water that would otherwise accumulate on said road/pedestrian areas.
• PPC precast concrete
• polymer resin concrete formed as single monolithic elements.
• the present invention provides a manufacturing method that can be employed to produce polymer based combined kerb drainage elements with improved drainage and/or anchoring capabilities.
• the present invention provides a combined kerb drainage element according to claim 1 and a method of manufacturing combined kerb drainage elements according to claim 1 1 .
• the present invention provides a polymer based combined kerb drainage element comprising: a first moulded component having side walls that define a first longitudinal channel; a second moulded component having side walls that define a second longitudinal channel; and wherein the side walls of at least one of the moulded components are linked by a living hinge such that said hinged side walls can be aligned with the side walls of the associated moulded component to construct the combined kerb drainage element with an internal conduit.
• the living hinge enables the hinged side walls of a moulded component to be inclined inwards towards one another. It will be appreciated that employing a living hinge to orient the side walls in such a manner would not otherwise be achievable using established moulding techniques because the moulded component could not be removed from its mould due to overhanging.
• the first moulded component provides the upper portion of the combined kerb drainage element, at least a portion of which is, in use, exposed above ground, and the second moulded component provides the lower portion of the combined kerb drainage element, which is typically completely buried.
• the polymer used to form the combined kerb drainage element may be a mouldable plastic material. It is envisaged that both virgin and recycled plastic materials of suitable structural strength can be usefully employed either alone or in combination in the combined kerb drainage elements of the present invention.
• one of the side walls of the first moulded component may be provided with at least one aperture that, in use, allows water to enter the internal conduit of the combined kerb drainage element. In this way, once the combined kerb drainage element is in situ, any water running off the adjacent road/pedestrian surfaces can get into the internal conduit and flow away.
• the side walls of the first and second mould components may be provided with complementary engagement means that co-operate to help retain the alignment of the side walls in the constructed combined kerb drainage element.
• complementary engagement means which may for example take the form of tongue and groove, serve to structurally support the connective alignment of the side walls of the first and second moulded components.
• additional securing means e.g. adhesive
• the cross-sectional area of the longitudinal channel of the second moulded component may be greater than that of the first moulded component.
• the capacity of the internal conduit of the combined kerb drainage element can be increased by only increasing the channel provided in the lower, buried, portion of the combined kerb drainage element. This enables the combined kerb drainage element as a whole to comply with industrial standards with regard to kerb sizes, for example.
• the combined kerb drainage element may further comprise at least one anchoring portion configured to retain the combined kerb drainage element in position relative to surrounding ground works once such has been installed.
• anchoring portions may be provided on the front (i.e. road facing surface), the back (i.e. pavement facing surface) or both to help securely locate the combined kerb drainage element in position within the surrounding ground works.
• the at least one anchoring portion may be located adjacent to or coterminous with a region on the combined kerb drainage element where the side walls of the first and second moulded components engage one another.
• the at least one anchoring portion may comprise a longitudinal protrusion that extends away from the main body of the combined kerb drainage element along the length thereof.
• the longitudinal protrusion may extent along the entire length of the combined kerb drainage element or only a portion thereof.
• the longitudinal protrusion can key in to the surrounding ground works (e.g. concrete) and thereby anchor the combined kerb drainage element securely in position.
• the protrusion may define a leading edge with a plurality of apertures located between the main body of the combined kerb drainage element and the leading edge. Such an arrangement allow for the surrounding ground work to get behind the leading edge, and in case of concrete set, to provide further structural strength to the anchor.
• the leading edge may protrude from the back (i.e. pavement facing surface) of the combined kerb drainage element.
• each moulded component differs in height so that when the first and second moulded components are connected together the joint formed at the front (i.e. the surface facing the road in use) by the complementary shaped engagement means is offset from the joint formed at the back (i.e. the surface facing the pavement in use) by the complementary shaped engagement means.
• the present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a combined kerb drainage element, said method comprising: moulding first and second components each having side walls that define longitudinal channels, wherein at least one of the moulded components is provided with a living hinge between the side walls thereof; bending the hinged moulded component such that the side walls of the first and second moulded components align with one another; securing the first and second moulded components together to construct an integrated combined kerb drainage element with an internal conduit.
• the method of the present invention enables the manufacture of combined kerb drainage elements with more sophisticated designs having improved anchoring and drainage characteristics.
• the longitudinal channel defined by the second moulded component may be formed with a greater cross-sectional area than the longitudinal channel defined by the first moulded component.
• the first and second components may be moulded from a mouldable plastic.
• a mouldable plastic As detailed above, it is envisaged that both virgin and recycled plastic materials of suitable structural strength can be used either alone or in combination.
• first and second moulded components may be secured together by sealing means that ensure the connection between the moulded components is watertight.
• the seal may be achieved by the use of hot melt, synthetic compound, polyurethane, induction loop welding, hot plate welding or similar technology.
• the method may further comprise providing at least one aperture in the first moulded component. It is envisaged that said at least one aperture might be formed during the moulding process or milled out of the moulded product post moulding.
• the method may further comprise providing the combined kerb drainage element with at least one anchoring portion.
• said at least one anchoring portion might be formed during the moulding process or secured to the combined kerb drainage element post moulding.
• the method may further comprise providing the side walls of the moulded components with complementary shaped engagement means configured to structurally strengthen the connection formed between the first and second moulded components. It is envisaged that said complementary shaped engagement means might be formed during the moulding process or milled out of the moulded product post moulding.
• first and second components of the complementary shaped engagement means may be additionally moulded with structural reinforcement in the form of external ribs.
• Figure 1 shows a perspective view from the front of a preferred embodiment of the combined kerb drainage element of the present invention
• Figure 2 shows a perspective view from the back of the combined kerb drainage element shown in Figure 1 ;
• Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional diagram of the preferred embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 in situ adjacent a road;
• Figure 4 shows the stages involved in constructing the combined kerb drainage element of the preferred embodiment from its component parts
• Figure 5 shows a comparison of the capacities of the internal conduits provided by a combined kerb drainage element known in the art and the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
• the present invention relates to an improved combined kerb drainage element formed from moulded polymer components. It is envisaged that provided the material used to form the combined kerb drainage element is mouldable is considered to fall within the scope of the present invention, in so far as in is a material that comprises polymers such as recycled and virgin plastic materials. In view of this it is envisaged that the polymers may be mixed with additives, such as mineral fillers (e.g. calcium carbonate, talc, etc.) or fibres that aid with stiffness of the moulded product. Such polymer composites, provided they can be moulded, are considered to fall within the general teaching of the present invention. Only those features of a combined kerb drainage element considered relevant to the description of the present invention will be referred to in detail. However the person skilled in the art will appreciate that further features may be added to the described design without departing from the general concept of the present invention.
• additives such as mineral fillers (e.g. calcium carbonate, talc, etc.) or fibres that aid with stiffness of the
• Figure 1 shows a combined kerb drainage element 1 from the front thereof.
• any references made to the 'front' of the combined kerb drainage element are intended to relate to the portion of the combined kerb drainage element that abuts the ground works that make up the road.
• any reference to the 'back' of the combined kerb drainage element is intended to relate to the portion of the combined kerb drainage element that abuts the ground works that make up a pavement or pedestrian walkway, for example.
• the term ground works is intended to refer to any structural component that forms part of the road or pedestrian areas that the kerb serves to delineate. This term will be further described in relation to Figure 3.
• the combined kerb drainage element 1 shown in Figure 1 is made up of two moulded components.
• the first, upper component 2, in use, is at least partially exposed above the ground.
• the second, lower component 3, in use, is buried within ground works.
• the first component 2 has side walls 2a and 2b which run along the length of component with a longitudinal channel running there between.
• the second component 3 has side walls 3a and 3b which run along the length of the component with a channel there between.
• Side walls 2a and 3a align with one another at connection point 6.
• side walls 2b and 3b align with one another at connection point 7.
• Both connection points run the length of the combined kerb drainage element 1 .
• the connection points 6, 7 are sealed using, for example, adhesive, a hot melt, induction loop welding, hot-plate welding. Other suitable technologies will be appreciated by the skilled person.
• connection points 6, 7 the abutting ends of the connecting side walls (i.e. 2a with 3a and 2b with 3b) are provided with a tongue and groove arrangement.
• connection arrangements might be employed without departing from the general concept of the present invention.
• the second, lower moulded component 3 is provided with a living hinge 4 that facilitates the relative pivotal movement of side walls 3a and 3b. As will be described in more detail later, this pivoting action facilitates the construction of an internal conduit 16 (see Figures 3 & 5) with a cross-sectional shape that would not otherwise be achievable using standard moulding techniques.
• the first, upper component 2 is provided with apertures 5 that provide access to the internal conduit 16 from outside the constructed combined kerb drainage element 1 .
• the apertures 5 are located on the portion of the first component 2 that is not buried when installed adjacent a road/pedestrian area. In this way water can flow off a road and into the conduit of the combined kerb drainage element from where it can be disposed of.
• the combined kerb drainage element 1 is provided with anchoring means 8 on the front face thereof.
• the anchoring means 8 take the form of a bulged portion which protrudes away from the main body of the combined kerb drainage element 1 and helps key it is position within surrounding ground works (e.g. concrete). This interaction can be seen in Figure 3 and will be described in more detail below.
• the bulging portion of the anchor means 8 and connection means 7 are coterminous, in so far as they are co-located. This arrangement is considered particularly advantageous because it enables the contact surface area formed between the ends of the associated sidewalls 2b and 3b to be maximised.
• the surrounding ground works e.g. concrete
• Figure 2 shows the back of the combined kerb drainage element 1 , a second anchoring means 9 will be appreciated.
• Anchoring means 9 comprises a rib, with a leading edge, that runs longitudinally along the length of the combined kerb drainage element 1 .
• multiple rib portions may be spaced longitudinally along the back of the combined kerb drainage element in place of a single continuous rib.
• a plurality of apertures 10 are provided between the leading edge of the rib 9 and the main body of the combined kerb drainage element 1 .
• the apertures 10 allow the surrounding ground work, for example concrete, to get behind the rib 9 and, in doing so, further anchor the combined kerb drainage element 1 within the surrounding ground works.
• structural reinforcement means 1 1 which take the form of multiple horizontally oriented ribs.
• the ribs 1 1 are spaced equally along the back of the combined kerb drainage element 1 .
• Preferably the ribs may also run underneath the underside of the combined kerb drainage element and rise up at least a portion of the front of the combined kerb drainage element 1 .
• this arrangement of the ribs can be varied depending on the inherent structural strength of the materials used to construct the combined kerb drainage element.
• the moulded components 2, 3 that come together to construct the combined kerb drainage element 1 can be formed from virgin and/or recycled plastics.
• Thermoplastics and thermosets are considered particularly suitable; with, polyolefin such as Polyethylene and Polypropylene of particular note.
• these plastic materials can be mixed with other additives to achieve further benefits without departing from the general concept of the present invention.
• Figure 3 show the preferred embodiment of the combined kerb drainage element in situ within surrounding ground works, the anchoring features of combined kerb drainage element 1 can be better appreciated.
• the entire second, lower component 3 of the combined kerb drainage element 1 is buried within a concrete haunch 12, which in turn abuts against associate pavement support structures (not shown).
• the concrete haunch encloses both anchoring means 8, at the front of the combined kerb drainage element, and anchoring means 9, at the back of the combined kerb drainage element. In this way the combined kerb drainage element 1 is firmly held in position with the haunch 12.
• anchoring means 8 and 9 co-operate to ensure that the combined kerb drainage element 1 is prevented from tilting or twisting when struck from the sides. This improvement will be appreciated when compared to the known design of combined kerb drainage element, an example of which is shown in Figure 5.
• the road which runs adjacent to the combined kerb drainage element 1 , is formed from layers of ground work.
• the lowest layer 13 is typically crushed limestone or similar, the top of which aligns with the front portion of the base of the haunch 12.
• this layer is provided the base course 14, this layer abuts against the front face of the combined kerb drainage element and help hold it and the haunch 12 in position.
• the final top layer is the wearing course 15.
• This layer which forms the road's surface, is aligned with the apertures 5 of the combined kerb drainage element so that any water run-off from the road can enter the internal conduit 16 of the combined kerb drainage element and flow away. This helps keep the road free from flooding.
• the construction of the combined kerb drainage element 1 will now be described with reference to Figure 4, which shows the key construction steps for forming the combined kerb drainage element from the first and second moulded components 2, 3 of the preferred embodiment.
• the second moulded component 3 is produced using standard moulding techniques (e.g. casting, compression moulding, rotational moulding, injection moulding, forming, etc ..) with a living hinge 4 provided between side walls 3a and 3b.
• the side walls generally project away from each other so that the moulded product can be easily removed from its mould.
• the side walls 3a and 3b are folded in towards one another such that they go past parallel and are inclined towards one another.
• the living hinge 4 ensures that the walls do not come too close together.
• first, upper component 2 is brought into contact with the second, lower component 3.
• the living hinge 4 enables the side walls of the second component to be adjusted to ensure they align with the side walls of the first component.
• first and second moulded components 2, 3 are aligned they can be secured/sealed together using a suitable connection technique (i.e. adhesive, hot melt, etc.).
• One of the key benefits of the combined kerb drainage element 1 of the present invention is that it can be constructed with an internal conduit that has a non-uniform cross-sectional shape. This flexibility of design enables the capacity of the conduit to be increased below ground without requiring the upper exposed portion of the combined kerb drainage element to be increased in size too.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Road Paving Structures (AREA)
• Sewage (AREA)

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• 2015
  • 2015-10-23 GB GB1518838.6A patent/GB2543576A/en not_active Withdrawn
• 2016
  • 2016-10-21 US US15/770,475 patent/US20190055700A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2016-10-21 CN CN201680063569.XA patent/CN108350667A/zh active Pending
  • 2016-10-21 WO PCT/GB2016/053300 patent/WO2017068367A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2016-10-21 EP EP16787541.8A patent/EP3365495B1/en not_active Not-in-force
  • 2016-10-21 AU AU2016342567A patent/AU2016342567A1/en not_active Abandoned

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