Concrete slab load transfer and connection apparatus and method of employing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10870985-B2
Application number	US-201815967689-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2018
Priority date	May 3, 2017
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a cast-in-place concrete slab load transfer and slab connection apparatus and method of employing same.

First claim

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A concrete floor or roadway comprising:
a first concrete slab;
a second concrete slab longitudinally adjacent to the first concrete slab;
a third concrete slab transversely adjacent to the first concrete slab;
a fourth concrete slab longitudinally adjacent to the third concrete slab and transversely adjacent to the second concrete slab; and
a slab load transfer and connection apparatus including:
a first set of load transfer dowels positioned at a first contraction joint formed between the first concrete slab and the second concrete slab, the first set of load transfer dowels configured for load transfer between the longitudinally adjacent first and second concrete slabs;
a second set of load transfer dowels spaced apart from the first set of load transfer dowels and positioned at a second contraction joint formed between the third concrete slab and the fourth concrete slab, the second set of load transfer dowels configured for load transfer between the longitudinally adjacent third and fourth concrete slab; and
a basket supporting the first and second set of load transfer dowels said basket including:
a first basket leg including an upper elongated member and a lower elongated member, wherein the first basket leg is partially encapsulated within the transversely adjacent first concrete slab and the third concrete slab;
a second basket leg spaced apart from the first basket leg, the second basket leg including an upper elongated member and a lower elongated member, wherein the second basket leg is partially encapsulated within the transversely adjacent second concrete slab and the fourth concrete slab, such that movement of the first and third concrete slabs in a first direction away from the second and fourth concrete slabs causes movement of the first basket leg in the first direction but does not cause movement of the second basket leg in the first direction and does not cause movement of the second and fourth concrete slabs in the first direction;
a first slab connection member positioned at a third contraction joint between the first concrete slab and the third concrete slab, the first slab connection member fixedly connecting the transversely adjacent first and third concrete slabs such that movement of one of the first concrete slab and the third concrete slab in a third direction causes movement of the other one of the first concrete slab and the third concrete slab in the third direction, wherein the first slab connection member is integrally formed with at least one of the upper elongated member and the lower elongated member of the first basket leg; and
a second slab connection member positioned at a fourth contraction joint formed between the second concrete slab and the fourth concrete slab, the second slab connection member fixedly connecting the transversely adjacent second and fourth concrete slabs such that movement of one of the second concrete slab and the fourth concrete slab in a fourth direction causes movement of the other one of the second concrete slab and the fourth concrete slab in the fourth direction, wherein the second slab connection member is integrally formed with at least one of the upper elongated member and the lower elongated member of the second basket leg.

2. The concrete floor or roadway of claim 1 , wherein the first basket leg further includes a first upper elongated member and a second upper elongated member and the second basket leg further includes a first upper elongated member and a second upper elongated member.

3. The concrete floor or roadway of claim 2 , wherein the first slab connection member includes an elongated rod having two opposing ends integrally and respectively connected to the first upper elongated member and the second upper elongated member of the first basket leg and wherein the second slab connection member includes an elongated rod having two opposing ends integrally and respectively connected to the first upper elongated member and the second upper elongated member of the second basket leg.

4. The concrete floor or roadway of claim 1 , wherein the first slab connection member includes an elongated body, a first downwardly extending leg, and a second downwardly extending leg spaced apart from the first downwardly extending leg, and wherein the second slab connection member includes an elongated body, a first downwardly extending leg, and a second downwardly extending leg spaced apart from the first downwardly extending leg.

5. The concrete floor or roadway of claim 4 , wherein the first slab connection member elongated body is connected to the first basket leg upper elongated member and the first slab connection member first and second downwardly extending legs are each connected to the first basket leg upper elongated member and lower elongated member, and wherein the second slab connection member elongated body is connected to the second basket leg upper elongated member and the second slab connection member first and second downwardly extending legs are each connected to the second basket leg upper elongated member and lower elongated member.

6. The concrete floor or roadway of claim 1 , wherein the first slab connection member includes a cylindrical rod having a first rod end connected to the first basket leg lower elongated member and a second rod end connected to the first basket leg upper elongated member, and wherein the second slab connection member includes a cylindrical rod having a first rod end connected to the second basket leg lower elongated member and a second rod end connected to the second basket leg upper elongated member.

7. A concrete slab load transfer and connection apparatus comprising:
a first slab load transfer and connection apparatus configured to transfer load of a first plurality of adjacent concrete slabs including:
a first set of load transfer dowels configured for load transfer of a first pair of longitudinally adjacent concrete slabs of the first plurality of adjacent concrete slabs;
a second set of load transfer dowels spaced apart from the first set of load transfer dowels configured for load transfer of a different second pair of longitudinally adjacent concrete slabs of the first plurality of adjacent concrete slabs; and
a first basket supporting the first and second set of load transfer dowels, the first basket including:
a first basket first leg including a lower elongated member and an upper elongated member, wherein the first basket first leg is partially encapsulated within a first pair of transversely adjacent concrete slabs of the first plurality of adjacent concrete slabs;
a first basket second leg spaced apart from the first basket first leg and including a lower elongated member and an upper elongated member, wherein the first basket second leg is partially encapsulated within a different second pair of transversely adjacent concrete slabs of the first plurality of adjacent concrete slabs such that movement of the first pair of transversely adjacent slabs in a first direction away from the different second pair of transversely adjacent concrete slabs causes movement of the first basket first leg in the first direction but does not cause movement of the first basket second leg in the first direction and does not cause movement of the different second pair of transversely adjacent slabs in the first direction;
a first slab connection member integrally formed with at least one of the upper elongated member and the lower elongated member of the first basket first leg, the first slab connection member configured to form a first fixed connection fixedly connecting the first pair of transversely adjacent concrete slabs of the first plurality of adjacent concrete slabs such that movement of one slab of the first pair of transver

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Rodden Robert Alan

Classifications

• E01C11/18

  for cement concrete pavings {(prefabricated reinforced units E01C5/08)} · CPC title

• E01C11/14

  Dowel assembly {; Design or construction of reinforcements in the area of joints (coupling devices for prefabricated units E01C5/005; combined with characteristic packings E01C11/08 - E01C11/12; removable holders E01C23/045)} · CPC title

• E01C11/06

  Methods of making joints · CPC title

• E04B1/483

  Shear dowels to be embedded in concrete · CPC title

• E04B2103/02

  of ceramics, concrete or other stone-like material · CPC title