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US 7,197,854 B2Granted
Prestressed or post-tension composite structural system
AssigneeThe D.S. Brown Company
InventorsRobert A. Bettigole, Christopher Higgins
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A prestressed or post-tensioned composite structural system for bridge floors, road beds, pedestrian walkways, building floors, building walls, or similar structural elements. The structural system comprises a composite structure comprising an unfilled grating as a base component, and a prestressed, post-tensioned reinforced concrete slab as a top component. The base grating component is preferably a plurality of main bearing bars without any distribution bars or tertiary bars. The upper portions of the main bearing bars are embedded in the concrete component permitting horizontal shear transfer and creating a composite deck structure which maximizes the use of tensile strength of steel and the compressive strength of concrete.
Claims23
A structural element comprising:
- a grating base member formed solely by a plurality of main bearing bars and without distribution or tertiary bars, said main bearing bars spaced to define interstices therebetween, said main bearing bars having an upper portion and a bottom portion;
- a top component fixed to said grating base member, said top component being in compression in the direction normal to the main bearing bars, said top component having a planar top surface and a planar bottom surface, said planar bottom surface of said top component being substantially above the bottom portion of said main bearing bar so that said top component does not fill the interstices of said grating base member;
- and
- at least one compression-inducing element within said top component for creating said compression;
- said upper portions of said plurality of main bearing bars defining a shear transfer element, and said shear transfer element embedded within said top component.
2 more elements
A structural element comprising:
- a grating base member formed solely by a plurality of main bearing bars and without distribution or tertiary bars, said main bearing bars spaced to define interstices therebetween, said main bearing bars having an upper portion and a bottom portion;
- a top component fixed to said grating base member, said top component in compression under service loads in the direction normal to the main bearing bars, said top component having a planar top surface and a planar bottom surface, said planar bottom surface of said top component being substantially above the bottom portion of said main bearing bar so that said top component does not fill the interstices of said grating base member;
- said upper portions of said plurality of main bearing bars defining a shear transfer element, said shear transfer element embedded within said top component;
- compression-inducing elements within said top component for creating said compression within said top component, said compression-inducing elements placed within the top component so as to induce compression in a direction normal to the main bearing bars.
1 more element
A structural element comprising:
- a grating base member formed solely by a plurality of main bearing bars and without distribution or tertiary bars, said main bearing bars spaced to define interstices therebetween, said main bearing bars having an upper portion and a bottom portion;
- a top component fixed to said grating base member, said top component in compression in the direction normal to the main bearing bars, said top component having a planar top surface and a planar bottom surface, said planar bottom surface of said top component being substantially above the bottom portion of said main bearing bar so that said top component does not fill the interstices of said grating base member;
- said upper portions of said plurality of main bearing bars defining a shear transfer element, and said shear transfer element embedded within said top component;
- wherein said top component compression is provided by prestressing;
- and
- wherein prestressing strands are placed within the top component transverse to the main bearing bars.
3 more elements
A structural element comprising:
- a grating base member formed solely by a plurality of main bearing bars and without distribution or tertiary bars, said main bearing bars spaced to define interstices therebetween, said main bearing bars having an upper portion and a bottom portion;
- a top component fixed to said grating base member, said top component in compression in the direction normal to the main bearing bars, said top component having a planar top surface and a planar bottom surface, said planar bottom surface of said top component being substantially above the bottom portion of said main bearing bar so that said top component does not fill the interstices of said grating base member;
- said upper portions of said plurality of main bearing bars defining a shear transfer element, and said shear transfer element embedded within said top component;
- wherein said top component compression is provided by post-tensioning;
- and
- wherein post-tensioning tendons are placed within the top component transverse to the main bearing bars.
3 more elements
A method of making a structural element comprising the steps of:
- forming a grating base member from a plurality of main bearing members without distribution or tertiary bars;
- spacing said main bearing bars to define interstices therebetween,
- connecting a top component to said grating base member so that said top component does not fill the interstices of said grating base member,
- said step of connecting the top component to the grating base member further comprising the step of embedding upper portions of the main bearing bars within the top component for transferring shear and for preventing vertical separation between the top component and said grating base member;
- and
- creating compression with compression-inducing elements within said top component in the direction normal to the main bearing bars whereby said compression is maintained under service loads.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.