US 5,173,981 AGranted

Bridge construction kit and bridge elements included therein

AssigneeKarlskronavarvet AB

InventorRolf Hasselkvist

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Abstract

A construction kit for a multispan military or army bridge, comprising a plurality of bridge elements (1) which carry track lanes (10, 11), and coupling devices (15, 16) for coupling a plurality of bridge elements together to form a row of such elements, and further comprising a plurality of ramp sections (2, 3) which form drive-on and drive-off ramps on the bridge construction. The construction kit is characterized in that it comprises a crane carriage (4) for lifting a bridge element into a position in which it can be coupled to another bridge element; locking devices for coaction with the locking devices (15, 16) when coupling to bridge elements together; and support-leg pairs (120, 121) which function to support the mutually coupled bridge elements. The whole of the construction kit can be accommodated on conventional trucks or lorries (8). The invention also relates to the actual bridge element, crane carriage, locking devices and support-leg pairs themselves.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A bridge element comprising a first track lane and a second track lane which are mutually parallel, a framework structure attached to said first track lane and said second track lane, and coupling means for connecting together a plurality of bridge elements sequentially to form a row of bridge elements, said framework structure including a first section which is attached to said first track lane, a second section which extends parallel to the first section and is attached to said second track lane, and a third section which connects the first section and the second section together, the first section and the second section being identical to each other and each including:

(a) a pair of mutually parallel, longitudinally extending bottom beams which are spaced a short distance apart in a first plane;
(b) a triplet of top beams including two outer beams and a central beam, arranged in a second plane located above the first plane, said top beams being mutually parallel and spaced apart at a somewhat larger distance than the bottom beams;
(c) pairs of vertically mounted struts which extend between the pair of bottom beams and the two outer beams of the triplet of top beams, to form a V-shape;
and
(d) vertical diagonal struts which extend between the pair of bottom beams and connect said pair of bottom beams together and to the central beam of the triplet of top beams;
said third section including a plurality of cross-beams which extend transversely between adjacent outer beams of the first and the second sections to form a longitudinally extending space which is located beneath the tack lanes and which, in section, has the form of an inverse V with a truncated apex.

3 more elements

Apparatus for supporting a bridge structure of the type which includes a plurality of bridge elements each comprising two mutually parallel track lanes and coupled together end to end to form a row of bridge elements, comprising:

a pair of support legs extendable from a base to a bridge structure, to support said bridge structure, each leg of said pair of support legs having an outer cylindrical tube having a first end and an opposite second end, and an inner cylindrical tube telescopically slideably mounted within said outer cylindrical tube and having one end and an opposite end, a supporting foot being mounted upon said one end of said inner cylindrical tube;
an auxiliary unit mounted on the first end of the outer cylindrical tube, said auxiliary unit including a hydraulic means comprising a piston, and a piston rod having one end attached to said piston and an opposite end extending towards the second end of the outer cylindrical tube;
bottom latching means mounted on the inner cylindrical tube for releasibly connecting the piston rod relative to the inner tube so that the hydraulic means supports the bridge element when activated in a first direction;
and
upper latching means mounted on the outer tube for releasibly connecting the outer tube and the inner tube so that the outer tube and the inner tube may be rigidly connected together to support the bridge element.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.