Cantilevered sliding gate
AssigneeTymetal Corp.
InventorsDouglas C. Peterson, Kenneth C. Fischer, Richard E. Dawson, III, Peter J. Smith
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cantilevered sliding gate made up of a number of panels is disclosed. The panels are joined by post-tensioning rods, carried within horizontal members of the gate and extending substantially the length of horizontal members of the gate. During gate assembly, a tensile stress is induced in the post-tensioning means, which stress is transmitted to the horizontal member as a compressive stress. The resulting stress pattern results in a stiffening effect on the gate assembly, permitting lighter-weight construction than previously possible. The gate is mounted on vertical supports for movement in a plane defined by the supports.
Claims14
A planar gate structure having a height dimension and a width dimension for spanning at least a predetermined gap, the gate structure comprising:
- a plurality of separate rectangular panels assembled edge-to-edge in a common plane to provide said width dimension of the gate structure, each panel having an elongated top member, an elongated bottom member, and means for spacing the top and bottom members apart by a distance approximately equal to said height dimension, each top and bottom member being formed with a longitudinally extending through passage, and the panels being arranged so that all the top members and all of the bottom members are aligned;
- means for connecting adjacent panels together;
- a first elongated tension member extending the width dimension of the gate through the passages of the top members of all the plurality of panels;
- a second elongated tension member extending the width dimension of the gate through the passages of all the bottom members of the plurality of panels;
- and
- means for post-tensioning the first and second tension members so as to apply predetermined compression forces on the respective upper and lower members sufficient to prevent camber of the gate assembly when the gate is cantilevered to span said predetermined gap.
A planar cantilever gate structure for spanning a predetermined gap, the gate structure having a height dimension and a width dimension and comprising:
- a plurality of separate rectangular panels assembled edge-to-edge in a common plane to provide said width dimension of the gate structure, each panel having an elongated top member, an elongated bottom member, and means for spacing the top and bottom members apart, each top and bottom member having a cross section comprising a first box portion defining a through passage and a second portion extending from the first portion on only one side of the panel, and each top and bottom member having a preset slight curvature in a plane perpendicular to the gate, the panels being arranged so that all of the top members are aligned and all of the bottom members are aligned;
- means are connecting adjacent panels together;
- a first elongated tension member extending the width dimension of the gate through the passages of the top members of all the plurality of panels;
- a second elongated tension member extending the width dimension of the gate through the passage of the bottom members of all the plurality of panels;
- and
- means for post-tensioning the first and second tension members so as to apply compression forces on the respective top and bottom members sufficient to straighten the preset curvature of said members.
A method of assembling a planar gate structure, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of unitary rectangular panels, each panel having a top member and a bottom member each with a through passage parallel to the panel;
- assembly the plurality of panels edge-to-edge with the through passages of the top members and the through passages of the bottom members in alignment;
- inserting a first tension through the through passages of the top members of all the panels;
- inserting a second tension member through the through passages of the bottom members of all the panels;
- and
- post-tensioning the first and second tension members so as to apply sufficient compression forces on the respective aligned top members and aligned bottom members to prevent camber of the gate structure when the assembly is cantilevered from a position spaced from a free end of the structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.