Manhole Cover Support

This invention relates to raising a manhole cover in a pavement to a higher level corresponding to a new pavement level caused by resurfacing.

Applicant's prior patents U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,428 of Nov. 20, 1973, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,600 of July 13, 1976 are related to similar problems.

It will be understood that in the repair of resurfacing of streets and highways, usually the resurfaced roadway is somewhat higher than the original roadway so that the upper surfaces of numerous manhole housings are disposed below the new road surface. This lower position of the manhole covers creates hazardous driving conditions.

A purpose of this invention is to provide a manhole cover support wherein there is provided a sectional, circumferentially expansible base member which may be adjusted radially outwardly to compressively engage the upper end portion of the manhole housing when in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sectional manhole cover support having an upwardly radially outwardly extending projection on the base member of the adjustable unit which would provide a more stable engagement with the manhole housing on which it is adapted to rest.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and specification and the essential features thereof will be set forth in the accompanying claims.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of this invention assembled for use in the top of a manhole housing;

FIG. 2 is a fractional elevational view taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fractional elevational view enlarged taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of one of the sections of a vertically adjustable elevating member for assembly upon the base member shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of this invention of the base members of the assembly connected by bolt means so as to be expanded and contracted in a manhole cover top;

FIG. 2 in this embodiment is as it was in the first described embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a fractional sectional view enlarged taken along the line 6--6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a form of vertically adjustable elevating member to be assembled on each of the base sections shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of one quadrant of another embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 9 is an elevational view taken from the lower side of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view enlarged taken along the line 10--10 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of still another quadrant of another embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 12 is an elevational view of FIG. 11 to which has been added a sealing ring and a lateral support member; while

FIG. 13 is a sectional view slightly enlarged taken along the line 13--13 of FIG. 11 to which has been added the sealing ring and the lateral support member and a locking member.

FIGS. 3 and 6 show in section a portion of a standard manhole housing 10 having an annular recess round its upper edge 11 and 11' which has a flat horizontal bottom wall 11a and 11a' and an associated radially outer wall 11b and 11b' sloping upwardly and radially outwardly at a slight angle to the bottom wall 11a or 11a'.

The recess normally receives the outer edge 12a of a manhole cover 12 in the original construction of the street surface.

This invention provides an adjustable support for use with the manhole housing after the street surface 13 has been raised by the addition of a top surface 14.

The first embodiment of this invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 provides a generally channel shape arcuate base member 15 made in four sections, each a little less than 90.degree. in extent, and adapted to be assembled in a generally circular configuration as seen in FIG. 1 by connecting four of the base members 15a by adjustable bolt connections 16. The novelty here is that vertically disposed posts 17 are integrally provided extending in a downward position on each end of each adjustable section 15a. Each of these posts has two walls, 17a and 17b, constructed at approximately right angles to each other as seen in FIG. 1.

It will be noted that each of the base members 15a is of generally channel shape opening upwardly and following the arc of the sectional part of the unit. As clearly seen in FIG. 3 the inner walls of each channel-shape section 15a provide inwardly projecting teeth 18, each tooth having a horizontal, flat upper surface 18a and an oblique lower surface 18b. The upper surfaces 18a of each tooth is coplanar with the tooth directly opposite on the other side of the channel, and each lower surface 18b is directed downwardly and laterally outwardly of the channel 15a. These teeth 18 enable small increments of adjustment to be made to the elevating section 19 while providing strong supporting surfaces for the elevating sections presently to be described.

Each base member 15a has an integral downwardly extending post 17 at each end thereof as clearly seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. This is an improvement over the structure shown in my previous U.S. Pat. No. 3,218,943 granted Nov. 23, 1965 which relied upon bosses 27 located generally at the same horizontal level as the base member. These posts 17 are drilled and tapped as indicated at 17c in FIG. 3 in the generally radially extending wall 17b to receive one end of an adjusting bolt 16. Each adjusting bolt has a noncircular gripping portion 16a and other bolt portions extending in either direction from the gripping portion having right- and left-hand threads. The posts 17 at 17c are provided with internal right- and left-hand threads respectively at opposite ends of the bolt connection whereby the base members 15a may be drawn together or expanded by turning the bolt connections in opposite directions to enable the base to accommodate a plurality of diameters of manhole housing openings. By having these bolt connections located in the posts 17 as above described, a greater leverage is provided than if the bolt connections were in bosses at the same level as the base member.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show an elevating section 18 which is arcuately formed about the same radius and extends substantially the same circumferential distance as the base members 15a upon which they are mounted. In section, as shown in FIG. 3, the elevating section includes a vertical arcuate member indicated at 19 and a dovetail base 19a which fits into the notches formed between the teeth 18 as previously described. At the upper end of the vertical wall 19 there is a horizontal ledge portion 19b which extends horizontally radially outwardly and then upwardly at 19c at a slight angle diverging radially outwardly. The adjustable elevating member 19 is so formed as to slidably interfit with the central opening in the base member 15a. In use, the coacting members 15a and 19 are fit together before the assembly of the generally circular ring 15.

Referring to FIG. 3, another novel feature of this invention will be seen. Here the lower portion of the radially outermost base of the base member 15a is provided with an outwardly and upwardly diverging surface 15b which is inclined at a small angle, preferably about 9.degree. 30" to the vertical. Preferably, this is the same angle as that found in the inclined wall 11b of the manhole housing so that when the assembled ring 15 is placed within the housing, and expanded outwardly by use of the bolt connections 16, then the mating surfaces 11b and 15b provide a tight fit which improves the stability of the manhole cover.

A second, slightly different, form of the invention is shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7. Here, the ring 20 assembled as shown in FIG. 5, is composed of four arcuate base members 20a, each formed in channel section as shown in FIG. 6 with the parallel walls of the channel of the base member 20a having inturned pairs of teeth 21 horizontally opposite each other exactly as described in the first embodiment. Each base member has at its opposite ends an integral vertically downwardly extending post 22 which in this case is extended inwardly a small amount from the innermost wall of the base member as clearly seen in FIG. 6. Each post has a radially outer wall 22a and a cross wall 22b at right angles to the wall 22a. In this case there is a third wall 22c parallel to the wall 22a. Each wall 22b is pierced and threaded at 22c to receive a bolt structure 23 which, as in the first embodiment, has a central noncircular gripping portion and two end portions extending in opposite directions and having right- and left-hand threads respectively fitting into similarly threaded bores in the walls 22b. Thus, as in the first embodiment, the manipulation of the bolted structures 23 permits the contraction and expansion of the generally circular structure 20 of the base members to enter into, and to be expanded radially outwardly, to fit the base member structure into the manhole housing 10.

The elevating member 24 comprises an upstanding vertical wall 24a having a dovetail base 24b and having a ledge 24c extending at right angles from the vertical portion 24a to receive a manhole cover 12a as shown in FIG. 6. Here again, as in the first embodiment, the elevating members 24 are each arcuately slidable into one of the base member sections 15a before the assembly is connected in a circle as shown in FIG. 5. In this case the dovetail portion 24b of the elevating member is placed in the suitable notch between the teeth 21 of the base member to hold the ledge 24c at the proper height so that the manhole cover 12a will be at the level of the resurfaced road 14.

Here, the base member 20a has its radially outermost wall sloping upwardly and outwardly as indicated at 20b' at the same angle as the inclined wall 11b of the manhole housing to that when the complete assembly is fastened in a manhole housing the base members 20a fit tightly and snugly into the recess in the manhole housing.

FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 show another embodiment of this invention. Four quadrants of arcuate base sections are represented by a single quadrant of such a section indicated at 25. Near each end of each quadrant there is an integral downwardly extending post 26 welded to the arcuate base section at 27. Each of these posts has respectively right-hand and left-hand threads 28 in adjacent ends of each pair of arcuate members. These are in a position to register with each other when the entire device is connected by joining four arcuate members by threaded members as originally indicated at 23 in FIGS. 5-7 and also at 16a in FIGS. 1-3. The arcuate base members 25 are assembled on a shelf 29 of the manhole housing 30. The manhole cover 31 when assembled on the arcuate base members lies about at the top of the surface or a resurfaced road indicated at 31.

It will be noted in FIGS. 9 and 10 that a lateral support member 32 is cast integrally with the base member 25 with the upper end of the lateral support member lying about at the top surface of the repaved road at 31.

Another embodiment of this invention is shown in FIGS. 11, 12 and 13. FIG. 11 is a plan view of one of the four quadrants of base members 33 having welded thereto near each end a substantially integral downwardly extending post 34, each post being welded to its associated arcuate base member at 35. Each post 34, near its lower end, has a threaded opening 36, each of the posts having respectively right-hand and left-hand threads in adjacent ends of each pair of arcuate base members. These are intended to be connected together by a male bolt member 37 having its opposite ends respectively right-hand and left-hand threaded.

In this embodiment, each arcuate base member 35 has an outwardly opening arcuate recess 33a at the outer upper edge of the upper linear surface thereof which is preferably about one-eight to three-sixty fourths inches in radial depth and about one-quarter to three-eights inches in axial length, that is, vertically. After the four arcuate members 33 are assembled in substantially a circle resting on the shelf 38 of the manhole housing, a separate arcuate lateral support member 39 is substantially integrally secured into the outwardly opening arcuate recesses 33a as shown in FIG. 13. This preferably is by welding. At the upper edge of the lateral support member 39, an integral flange 39a extends radially outward for a short distance as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. It will be noted in FIG. 13 that the manhole housing 40 has an integral peripheral face 40a sloping upwardly and outwardly in a linear fashion at a slight angle, about 10 degrees preferred. It will be noted that each end of each arcuate base member has an outer peripheral face 33b sloping upwardly and outwardly at the same slight angle.

The arcuate members of this embodiment are assembled on the shelf 38 of the manhole housing 40 at a level to cause the manhole cover 41 to remain approximately at the same level as the new road grade 42, with the flange 39a being at the same level.

In this embodiment, and in any of the other embodiments of this invention, a resilient annular flat seal 43 is firmly secured on the top surface of the quadrant arcuate member 33 in any suitable manner, an electro-chemical process being preferred.

As seen in FIG. 13, a locking piece 44 may be secured by a bolt 45 to the bottom of one or more of the posts 34, with the strip extending radially outwardly from the post, as at 44a, sufficiently to engage the underside of the shoulder 38 of the manhole housing if there is an attempt to lift the fittings of this invention out of the manhole housing.

The posts 26 and 34 of the last two embodiments may be placed between about three-quarters of an inch and one and one-half inches from the near end of the associated arcuate base member.