Plate concrete dowel system

A disc dowel system for installing an orthogonally shaped dowel plate within a pour joint between adjacent first and second concrete pours, the pour joint being formed by a concrete form, the dowel plate having an embedded portion and a slidable portion, the disc dowel system comprising:

• a positioner bracket having a vertically disposed base flange and a horizontal plate portion, the base flange being attachable to the concrete form;
• and
• a pocket former having an interior compartment configured to be complementary to the dowel plate and having an open, straight side, the pocket former having upper and lower outer surfaces and at least one former alignment rib disposed thereon for resisting flexion under the pressure of wet concrete;
• wherein the plate portion is sized and configured to be complementary to the interior compartment such that the positioner bracket may slidably receive the pocket former with the straight side generally abutting the base flange during pouring of the first pour prior to removal of the concrete form and positioner bracket for subsequent insertion of the slidable portion into the interior compartment and pouring of the second pour to encapsulate the embedded portion therewithin.

A method for installing a generally orthogonally shaped dowel plate within a pour joint between adjacent first and second concrete pours using a pocket former having an interior compartment and having an open, straight side and being configured complementary to the dowel plate, the pocket former having upper and lower outer surfaces and at least one former alignment rib disposed thereon for resisting flexion under the pressure of wet concrete, the dowel plate defining an embedded portion and a slidable portion, the method comprising the steps of:

• positioning a concrete form along a desired location of the pour joint;
• positioning the pocket former adjacent to the concrete form such that the interior compartment extends substantially horizontally outwardly therefrom with the straight side being disposed in abutment therewith;
• pouring the first pour such that the pocket former is rigidly encapsulated therewithin;
• removing the concrete form after the first pour has cured;
• inserting the slidable portion into the interior compartment;
• and
• pouring the second pour such that the embedded portion is rigidly encapsulated within the second pour and the slidable portion is slidably disposed within the pocket former.

An orthogonally shaped dowel plate for a disc dowel system adapted to minimize relative vertical displacement of adjacently disposed concrete slabs, the dowel plate comprising:

• a slidable portion and an embedded portion;
• wherein:
• the slidable portion is configured to be laterally slidable within a pocket former having horizontally oriented upper and lower outer surfaces;
• at least one of the upper and lower outer surfaces having at least one former alignment rib disposed thereon;
• the embedded portion being configured to be encapsulated within one of the adjacently disposed concrete slabs.

A positioner bracket for installing an orthogonally shaped pocket former of a disc dowel system within a pour joint located between adjacent first and second concrete pours, the pour joint being formable by a concrete form, the positioner bracket comprising:

• a base flange;
• an orthogonally shaped plate portion extending laterally outwardly from the base flange and including upper and lower exterior surfaces and at least one positioner alignment rib formed on at least one of the exterior surfaces;
• wherein:
• the plate portion is sized and configured to be complementary to the pocket former;
• the base flange being configured to be attachable to the concrete form.