Method of manufacturing prestressed concrete culverts
AssigneeGifford-Hill & Company, Inc.
InventorJames K. Kitzmiller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of manufacturing a three-sided culvert includes prestressing tendons in the culvert form. A series of prestressing tendons are secured within a form adapted for casting a concrete culvert having three orthogonal sides. The prestressing tendons are utilized in the top slab of the three-sided culvert and are positioned within the form prior to the pouring of concrete therein. Reinforcing steel can be eliminated along with the costs associated therewith and a culvert configuration can be provided with enhanced strength and improved material properties. Such culverts may thus be provided in modular form for placement upon foundations at remote locations for the creation of bridges, drainage areas and the like.
Claims15
A method for efficiently manufacturing a plurality of three-sided, reinforced modular concrete culverts in an upside-down position, each of said culverts comprising two opposite sidewalls and a top slab formed therebetween, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a casting table having two opposite sidewalls, said sidewalls forming a pour cavity therebetween, said pour cavity providing for the formation of the top slabs of said plurality of inserted modular concrete culverts;
- providing at least two adjacent pairs of sidewall forms, each sidewall form having a first sidewall form part and a second sidewall form part opposite to said first sidewall form part, said first and second sidewall form parts when in engagement with each other forming a chamber therebetween within which reinforcing steel is placed, each pair of sidewall forms in cooperation with said pour cavity of said casting table providing for the formation of each of said modular concrete culverts including said opposite sidewalls and said top slab formed therebetween;
- positioning at least one prestressing tendon in said pour cavity of said casting table;
- securing reinforcing steel within said chamber of each of said sidewall forms;
- resting said at least two adjacent pairs of sidewall forms upon and across said casting table sidewalls in a generally parallel, spaced relationship one to the other, said chambers projecting generally perpendicularly upward from said casting table sidewalls, thereby providing for the formation of adjacent concrete culverts;
- stressing said at least one tendon by exerting a force from outside said pour cavity;
- pouring concrete into said pour cavity of said casting table and over said at least one prestressed tendon;
- pouring concrete into said chambers of said at least two adjacent pairs of sidewall forms;
- cutting said at least one tendon at an intermediate point between said two adjacent pairs of sidewall forms;
- removing said at least two adjacent pairs of sidewall forms;
- and
- separating said plurality of inverted modular concrete culverts into individual reinforced modular concrete culverts, said plurality of inverted modular concrete culverts disposed in side-to-side relationship along said casting table, said individual modular concrete culverts each having first and second opposite sidewalls and said top slab formed therebetween.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.