Gland and Mount System and Components Thereof

This invention relates to the art of closing off a movement tolerance space between relatively movable bodies, and is more particularly concerned with gland and mount systems and components thereof which are adapted to identify with relatively movable bodies, for bridging across the movement tolerance space between those bodies.

An object of this invention is the provision of commercially feasible elastomeric glands, and gland and mount systems, which are well adapted as glands, or with gland and mount systems, to be associated with relatively movable bodies to close off a movement tolerance space between the bodies and have the gland appropriately narrow and widen laterally with the movement tolerance space.

Another object herein is to achieve elastomeric glands of the character indicated which have quite satisfactorily high compression ratios in terms of width of the gland when the gland is fully relaxed to width of the gland when the gland is fully compressed.

Another object of this invention, in accordance with certain embodiments thereof, is to provide mounts which lend themselves to being associated with elastomeric glands, where the gland has lateral end anchor means to be engaged with the mount, and which mount is characterized by having a base to be secured to a relatively movable body to move therewith for supporting the gland end, and by having cover structure well correlated with the base enabling the gland end anchor to be housed by the mount while quite satisfactorily engaged and covered.

Other objects of this invention in part will be obvious and in part pointed out more fully hereinafter.

As conducive to a clearer understanding of certain features of this invention, it is noted here that elastomeric glands, with or without mounts for opposite lateral ends of the gland, are intended to be associated with space which is made to occur between relatively movable bodies such as between portions of a building structure, or sections of a highway, sidewalk or floor of a bridge. Elastomeric glands, as for example in the environments just named, are often needed to close off movement tolerance space allowing for expansion and contraction of the bodies due to temperature change. In instances where relatively movable bodies are vibrated, such as during an earthquake, glands within spaces closed off by the glands are beneficial against having the bodies directly meet. Other functions often fulfilled by elastomeric glands are numerous, among these being that of serving as a barrier or seal against extraneous matter.

Longitudinally multi-tubular elastomeric glands, being in a fully relaxed condition, can be reduced in width to an extent permitted by the multi-tubular lattice structure thereof, and then the gland can be operated to resume the fully relaxed condition. When the gland structure as defined by the multi-tubular lattice of the gland enables a relatively high compression ratio to be had, based upon width of the gland while the gland is fully relaxed to width of the gland while the gland is fully compressed, this ratio is favorable and stands to represent that the gland will longer allow the movement tolerance space between the relatively movable bodies to be reduced before the gland is fully compressed.

In being compressed, some of the elastomeric glands in the prior art, when used inside a movement tolerance space between relatively movable bodies, will bulge at outer face to extend past the outer faces of the relatively movable bodies, thus to present obstructions and furthermore be prone to wear. The bulges have no worthwhile stress relief and therefore become more pronounced as the gland is further compressed. Although the related compression ratio of the gland may in certain instances prove to be favorable, this would be at the expense of having the gland bulge forwardly unduly to achieve that ratio.

It is accordingly another object of this invention to provide elastomeric glands which are operable with favorable compression ratios and successfully avoid having structure and stresses therein which otherwise could produce objectionably distended gland portions at the front of the gland.

In accordance with the present invention, elastomeric glands are provided for being associated with relatively movable bodies while the gland occupies a movement tolerance space between the bodies. The glands are longitudinally hollow multi-tubular units, formed as by extrusion. There is a chevron wall member laterally centrally of the gland and the chevron wall member defines a front valley-forming portion and a back rib-forming portion along with having a pair of strut walls interconnecting opposite lateral ends of the valley and rib-forming portions. An intermediate strut wall of the gland, inside the chevron wall member, interconnects the valley and rib-forming portions medially of the valley and the rib, while being disposed about equilaterally between the pair of strut walls of the chevron wall member, and defines a pair of longitudinal passageways through the gland with the chevron wall member.

A gland of the character just described is adapted to be supported adjacent to opposite lateral ends thereof within a movement tolerance space between relatively movable bodies for the chevron wall member to be carried rearwardly, within the movement tolerance space, while the gland is being compressed, and to be advanced forwardly when compression against the gland is relieved. This action occurs within the compression and relaxation range of the gland and is enabled by having the chevron wall member carried in the gland by a front pair of connecting walls and by a back pair of connecting walls which have inner lateral ends connected with the pair of strut walls of the chevron wall member adjacent to opposite lateral ends of the valley and rib-forming portions of the chevron wall member. Thrust transmitted by the front and back pairs of connecting walls of the gland promotes having the chevron wall member be compressed. During that time, the valley and the rib defined by the chevron wall member are narrowed, and the intermediate strut wall member moves rearwardly. With having the opposite lateral ends of the gland supported, and the inner lateral ends of the back pair of connecting walls of the gland free to deflect, the front and back pairs of connecting walls are arranged in the gland to carry the chevron wall member backwardly somewhat, to have inner lateral end portions of the front pair of connecting walls more nearly approach one another, to cover where the valley in the chevron wall member beforehand extended, and preferably eventually be abutted against one another. Moreover, in certain embodiments, the inner lateral end portions of the front pair of connecting walls after being abutted against one another, are enabled to be urged farther together at outside faces thereof progressively as the gland continues to be compressed.

By having the chevron wall member bodily carried rearwardly by the front and back pairs of connecting walls, the compression ratio of the gland is improved, and stresses which otherwise would intensify at the front face of the gland are alleviated to reduce bulging. The front pair of connecting walls alleviate by being free in the gland to fill in outside where the chevron wall member has been.

Glands in accordance with the present invention may be allied with relatively movable bodies in many possible ways, such as through use of mount means in system with the gland. The present invention is inclusive of mount means, such as may be used in system with an elastomeric gland of the character hereinbefore set forth, and an embodiment involving the mount means per se and a related system will hereinafter be described.

In the accompanying drawings representing embodiments of this invention which presently are preferred:

FIG. 1 is a transverse cross-sectional view of an elastomeric gland in system with mounts, in an installation including relatively movable bodies, having the view isometrically prolonged to represent a brief portion of the installation longitudinally of the gland, with the gland being about fully relaxed;

FIG. 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the elastomeric gland from FIG. 1, and represents the gland once more in about a fully relaxed condition of the gland;

FIG. 2a, corresponding to FIG. 2, is a transverse cross-sectional view of the gland while the gland is partially compressed and is supported in accordance with FIG. 1;

FIG. 2b corresponds to FIG. 2a and is a transverse cross-sectional representation of the gland with the gland being about fully compressed while supported in accordance with FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 3 and 4 are isometric views representing respectively base means and cover means of one of the gland mounts shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the gland and mount emplacement 10, represented in FIG. 1, includes therein an elastomeric gland 11 and a pair of mounts 38. Gland 11 and the mounts 38 are associated with a pair of relatively movable bodies 41 and 42 which form a movement tolerance space 43 with one another. The bodies 41 and 42 illustratively are slabs or sections of a pavement, such as of a highway, sidewalk or building floor type, and as shown in FIG. 1 have anchor components 59 of the pair of mounts 38 embedded therein. Top lands 45 of the pair of mounts 38, as the latter are installed, are about flush with the outside faces of the bodies 41 and 42.

Where the two bodies 41 and 42 are being produced from a fluent settable material, such as concrete, the pair of mounts 38, or the bases 40 thereof, or any further such mounts, or the bases thereof, needed for longitudinal prolongation, are beneficially used as members of form work, so as to have the lands 45 serves as screeds or guides either in bringing the fluent mix about flush with the lands, or in adding a topping of any desired type over the set fluent mix thereby to have the topping about flush with the lands.

Rest walls 46 on the bases 40 are directed laterally toward one another inside the movement tolerance space 43 when the bases 40 are in place on the relatively movable bodies 41 and 42. The gland 11, as installed, is rearwardly against forward faces of the rest walls 46, while spanning a gap between the rest walls within the movement tolerance space 43 and while laterally endwise being against abutments 47 afforded by the bases 40 of the pair of mounts 38. Gland 11 is further associated with the mounts 38 by being anchored thereto in a manner hereinafter to be described. In certain other embodiments, still in accordance with the present invention, anchor structure of the gland is omitted such as in favor of securing the gland, properly situated on mounts, by use of a suitable adhesive bonding agent.

Gland 11, as represented in FIGS. 1 and 2, is approximately in a fully relaxed condition in order to facilitate an understanding of structure of the gland. Proportionately, the movement tolerance space 43, as shown in FIG. 1, is somewhere near a preferred maximum, illustratively reached by relative movement of the bodies 41 and 42, such as through having had the bodies respond to an expected minimum regional temperature condition. When the movement tolerance space 43 is reduced to be of intermediate width, such as through having the bodies 41 and 42 expand due to an increase in temperature, the gland 11 accordingly is compressed to an intermediate extent, and thereafter the gland 11 and space 43 can widen or narrow concurrently within limits, due to temperature change or other influences encountered by the bodies 41 and 42.

Referring further to the gland 11, and especially to FIG. 2, the gland is characterized in the relaxed condition by having a chevron wall member C which produces two longitudinal passageways 27 and 28 through the gland with an intermediate strut wall 16 of the gland. The chevron wall member C is defined by a pair of strut walls 17 and 18 which are about equidistantly removed laterally from opposite sides of the intermediate strut wall 16 and accordingly lead laterally and longitudinally about parallel with the intermediate strut wall. A front wall portion 12 of the chevron wall member C includes at the front of the gland 11 two inner wall panels 12a and 12b and two outer wall panels 12c and 12d which connect outer lateral ends of the inner wall panels 12a and 12b with forward lateral ends of the strut walls 17 and 18 of the chevron wall member C and form approximately equal obtuse angles with the inner wall panels 12a and 12b inside the chevron wall member. The inner walls panels 12a and 12 b produce a longitudinal laterally forwardly opening valley with one another outside the chevron wall member C and have inner lateral ends connected with a forward lateral end of the intermediate strut wall 16 of the gland.

At the rear of gland 11, the chevron wall member C has a back wall portion 14 which provides a pair of inner wall panels 14a and 14b and a pair of outer wall panels 14c and 14d interconnecting the outer lateral ends of the inner wall panels 14a and 14b with rearward lateral ends of the strut walls 17 and 18 of the chevron wall member. A pair of obtuse angles formed outside the chevron wall member by the outer wall panels 14c and 14d with the inner wall panels 14a and 14b are approximately equal to one another and are approximately equal to each of the obtuse angles in the pair produced by the outer wall panels 12c and 12d with the inner wall panels 12a and 12b inside the chevron wall member C. Wall panels 12a, 12b, 14a and 14b are about equilateral with reference to one another and the wall panels 12c, 12d, 14c and 14d are also about equilateral with reference to one another. The wall panels 14a and 14b form a longitudinal laterally rearwardly tapering rib with one another outside the chevron wall member C and are joined medially of the rib with the intermediate strut wall 16 inside the chevron wall member, while the junction of the intermediate strut wall 16 with the pair of wall panels 12a and 12b, though also being inside the chevron wall member C, is medially behind the valley formed by the panels 12a and 12b outside the chevron wall member.

A front pair of connecting walls 19 and 20 and a back pair of connecting walls 21 and 22 of the gland 11 interconnect the opposite lateral ends of the strut walls 17 and 18 of the chevron wall member C with the opposite lateral ends of a second pair of strut walls 23 and 24 of the gland 11 which are shorter in reach fron front to back of the gland than the strut walls 17 and 18. The connecting walls 19 and 20 in the front pair are slanted between the forward lateral ends of the pair of strut walls 17 and 18 toward the forward lateral ends of the pair of strut walls 23 and 24, and thus converge with reference to the connecting walls 21 and 22 in the back pair. There are generally trapezoidal passageways 29 and 30 longitudinally through the gland 11, having the pair of strut walls 23 and 24 laterally and longitudinally about parallel with the pair of strut walls 17 and 18, while the strut walls 17, 18, 23 and 24 are closed boundaries for the passageways 29 and 30 with the front and back connecting walls 19, 20, 21 and 22. The strut walls 17, 18, 23 and 24 are about perpendicular to the back pair of connecting walls 21 and 22 as viewed in FIG. 2. Outer lateral end portions 19a and 20a of the front pair of connecting walls 19 and 20 and outer lateral end portions 21a and 22a of the back pair of connecting walls 21 and 22 are components of lateral end means of the gland 11 along with the second pair of strut walls 23 and 24 and a pair of longitudinal laterally rearwardly open-hooked lateral end anchors 25 and 26. The lateral end anchors 25 and 26 have a first pair of side walls 25a and 26a which provide forward extensions of the second pair of strut walls 23 and 24 and are interconnected with a second pair of side walls 25c and 26c by means of a pair of bight walls 25 b and 26b, thus to have the side walls 25c and 26c lead backwardly and the anchors 25 and 26 define rearwardly laterally open grooves 25e and 26e.

Gland 11 preferably is an extrusion and is made of any suitable elastomeric material with or without being reinforced such as by fabric embedded in the elastomer. Also, as preferred, the gland 11 bi-laterally is approximately symmetrically configurated, having the intermediate strut wall 16 inside the chevron wall member C as a reference for symmetry.

The mounts 38 hereinbefore preliminarily described with reference to FIG. 1 as being used in system with gland 11 are oppositely faced toward one another across the movement tolerance space 43 between the relatively movable bodies 41 and 42, and are similar to one another and may be longitudinally prolonged, as need may be, by continuing with one or more of the mounts or mount components. One of the mounts 38 has the components thereof represented in FIGS. 3 and 4, and will be described to enable and understanding of the structure of the several mounts 38 assembled in system with gland 11 in FIG. 1 and applied to the relatively movable bodies 41 and 42.

As will be understood from FIG. 3, the base 40 for each of the mounts 38, has a top land 45, hereinbefore referred to as being disposed substantially flush at outer face with either of the relatively movable bodies 41 and 42 in FIG. 1, and a second land 50 joined with the top land 45 by a slanted transition face 53 of the base 40. The transition face 53 forms an acute angle with the second land 50, and thus a groove 52 which opens laterally across the second land 50, having the second land form a side of the groove 52. Laterally forwardly open grooves 55 and 56 in the base 40, and longitudinally co-extending substantially parallel with the groove 52, are between opposite side faces which are substantially parallel and are afforded by walls 54, 57 and 58. Groove 55 is entrant from the second land 50 into the base 40, between the walls 54 and 57, and groove 56 is entrant into the base 40 between the walls 57 and 58. Forward endwise, at portion 57a, the wall 57 provides part of the surface of the second land 50, and the wall 58 has a forward end 58a which is stepped backward from the second land 50 to an extent which hereinafter will be realized is needed. Outside the wall 58, the base 40 introduces the hereinbefore preliminarily mentioned laterally projecting rest wall 46 or ledge, longitudinally of the base 40. Extending forwardly from the rest wall 46, the base 40 includes the abutment face 47 about right angularly disposed with reference to a forward face 46a of the rest wall 46. The abutment face 47 merges with an outside face of the wall 58.

A generally L-shaped support and anchor member of the base 40 has a support leg wall 48 about right angularly related to the rest wall 46, with the leg wall backwardly leading from the rest wall 46 and thence connected with the anchor wall 59, so that the anchor wall and the rest wall 46 are directed laterally away from the support leg wall 48 in generally opposite senses, for the base 40 to be installed having the anchor wall 49 embedded, and thereafter have the leg wall 48 support the rest wall 46 and the remainder of the forward portion of base 40. All of the bases 40 used in the FIG. 1 installation, in being similar to one another, are for example metal products of extrusion.

When the bases 40 of the pair of mounts 38 are assembled with the elastomeric gland 11 as represented in FIG. 1, the grooves 56 in the bases (see also FIG. 3) accommodate the second side walls 25c and 26c of the gland anchors 25 and 26 therein, while the walls 58 of the pair of bases 40 project into the grooves 25e and 26e in the gland anchors, to have the bight walls 25b and 26b of the gland anchors extend about flush with those portions of the surfaces of the lands 50 afforded at the ends of walls 57 in the bases 40. With the anchors 25 and 26 thus engaged with the bases 40, the portions 21a and 22a of the back pair of connecting walls 21 and 22 are against the forward faces 46a of the pair of rest walls 46, and the back connecting walls thence extend laterally past free ends 46c of the rest walls out into the movement tolerance space 43 to the rearward lateral ends of the pair of strut walls 17 and 18 of the chevron wall member C. The chevron wall member C meanwhile projects backwardly in the movement tolerance space 43 between the relatively movable bodies 41 and 42 and thus reaches between the free ends 46c of the pair of rest walls 46, having the front and back pairs of connecting walls 19, 20, 21 and 22 support the chevron wall member and apply or relieve compressive thrust against the chevron wall member as the case may be, when the bodies 41 and 42 relatively move with reference to one another. Thrust is applied and relieved against the second pair of strut walls 23 and 24 of the gland from the bases 40 in the system while the strut walls 23 and 24 abut against the related abutment faces 47 of the bases 40 and the anchors 25 and 26 are engaged with the bases in the manner hereinbefore described. The outer lateral end portions 21a and 22a of the pair of back connecting walls 21 and 22 of the gland member meanwhile are seated against the rest walls 46.

Having reference to FIG. 4, a cover plate 60, such as of metal, to be used with the base 40, includes laterally opposite beveled edges 61 and 65 which longitudinally of the plate 60 are approximately parallel with one another. The bevel at edge 61 slants laterally from a top surface 62 of the plate toward a back surface 63 of the plate so as to produce a tongue which fits into the acute angle groove 52 in the base 40, thereby enabling plate 60 at the back surface 63 to be against the second land 50 of the base 40 while the top surface 62 of the plate is about flush with the top land 45 of the base 40. At the opposite edge 65, the bevel of plate 60 laterally slants forwardly and outwardly from the back surface 63 and leads to a nose 67 which is rounded outwardly back to the top surface 62 of the plate. Further, the plate 60 has a longitudinal row of apertures 64 which in the row extend from the front surface 62 to the back surface 63 of the plate, having the row about parallel with the edge 61 of the plate and disposed marginally inwardly from the latter edge. The body of plate 60 may be a product of extrusion, later drilled to provide the apertures 64 or, of course, may be produced in any other suitable manner.

When the cover plate 60 is in place on base 40, having the beveled edge 61 of the plate inserted into the groove 52 in the base 40, this quite helpfully aligns the apertures 64 with groove 55 in the base 40, to have the self-tapping screws 70 (see FIG. 1) thereafter be inserted through the apertures 64 and operated to self-tap the walls of groove 55, thus serving to secure the cover 60 to the base 40. Since all of the bases 40 and plates 60 used in the gland and mount system of FIG. 1 are similar as products that they are, the gland anchors 25 and 26, being also similar, are readily engaged with the bases 40 in a manner hereinbefore described and later are held in place by the cover plates 60 fastened to the bases by means of the self-tapping screws 70. Any one or more of the bases 40, are carried correspondingly by the relatively movable bodies 41 and 42 as need may be in view of length of the joint, and are covered by the plates 60 in number also as need may be.

From FIG. 1, it will be observed that the bevels at edges 65 of the cover plates 60 project laterally beyond the abutment faces 47 afforded for the gland 11 by the bases 40, and thus are forward of the rest walls 46 of the bases. The plates 60 accordingly are adapted to extend outside the front pair of connecting walls 19 and 20 of the gland and present the slants of the bevels of the plate ends 65 directly forward of the slanted front pair of connecting walls 19 and 20 of the gland. The gland 11 and the pair of mount means 38 in FIG. 1 are interrelated so that when the gland is fully compressed, the edges 65 of the cover plates 60 will be reasonably close to meeting one another.

In order to provide insight as to how the elastomeric gland 11 alters form, let it be assumed that the gland in the about fully relaxed FIG. 1 condition is continuously receiving thrust from the mounts 38 with having the movement tolerance space 43 continuously reducing in width due to relative movement of the bodies 41 and 42 toward one another. The inner lateral ends of the front and back pairs of connecting walls 19, 20, 21 and 22 at their connections with the forward and rearward lateral ends of the strut walls 17 and 18 of the chevron wall member C begin to carry the chevron wall member rearwardly, and the valley and the rib in the chevron wall member narrow, having the inner lateral ends of the front pair of connecting walls 19 and 20 approach one another until the gland reaches the FIG. 2a form. The gland in moving from the FIG. 2a form to the about fully compressed form represented in FIG. 2b has the chevron wall member continue to be carried rearwardly by the front and back pairs of connecting walls 19, 20, 21 and 22, for the chevron wall member further to narrow the rib and moreover erase the valley of the chevron wall member and have the chevron wall member, by being retracted rearwardly, allow the inner lateral end portions of the front pair of connecting walls 19 and 20 to approach one another and meet outer side facially to fill in where the valley in the chevron wall member has been and still further carry the chevron wall member rearwardly in co-operation with the back pair of connecting walls 21 and 22. The gland 11 accordingly reaches the FIG. 2b form. Faces of the pair of strut walls 17 and 18 of the chevron wall member meanwhile are against corresponding faces of the front wall portion 12 inside the chevron wall member, and faces of the back portion 14 of the chevron wall member are contiguous to the corresponding opposite side faces of the intermediate strut wall 16 inside the gland. Notably, too, the inner side faces of the second pair of strut walls 23 and 24 have closely approached the pair of strut walls 17 and 18 of the chevron wall member upon having the gland take the FIG. 2b form, and in all the lattice of the gland is quite densified. While the gland is being operated from the FIG. 2b form back to the FIG. 2 form, the front and back pairs of connecting walls 19, 20, 21 and 22 carry the chevron wall member in the forward direction having the chevron wall member restore the valley and widen the rib of the chevron wall member.

The present invention is, of course, in no way restricted to the specific disclosure of the specification and drawings herein, but also encompasses any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.