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US 9,850,648 B1Granted
Stormwater chamber with stackable reinforcing ribs
OwnerRobert J. DiTullioinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An arch-shaped corrugated chamber having corrugation peaks and valleys, with reinforcing ribs provided on the corrugation peaks. The ribs extend upwardly from a chamber base to a rib upper end, and have an arch-shaped cross-section with an outer surface extending outwardly from a corrugation peak and a fin extending inwardly from the corrugation peak, and optionally, a rib line provided on the rib outer surface centered on the rib arch-shaped cross-section. A channel formed by the inner surface of the rib is sized to receive a corresponding rib of a second chamber so that multiple similar chambers with ribs may be stacked together.
Claims22
A method of manufacturing a stormwater chamber, comprising steps of:
- providing a polymer melt;
- injecting a CO2 blowing agent into the polymer melt;
- and
- injecting the polymer melt and CO2 blowing agent blend into a mold cavity to form a cellular plastic foam chamber, the formed chamber being an arch-shaped corrugated chamber having a plurality of corrugation peaks and a plurality of corrugation valleys distributed along a length of the chamber, the corrugation peaks and corrugation valleys extending transverse to a lengthwise axis of the chamber, the chamber having a top portion and two side portions, with a base at a lower end of each side portion, and a rib provided on a plurality of the plurality of corrugation peaks, each rib having an arch-shaped cross-section with an outer surface extending outwardly from a corrugation peak and a fin extending inwardly from the corrugation peak, wherein each rib extends upwardly from one of the bases to a rib upper end, the rib having a depth and the fin having a depth, the rib depth and the fin depth tapering from a greater depth adjacent to the one of the bases to a lesser depth above the one of the bases such that the rib and the fin define a channel sized to receive a corresponding rib of a second chamber, the channel having a depth varying from a maximum depth adjacent the one of the bases to a minimum depth adjacent a location above the one of the bases.
1 more element
A method of manufacturing a stormwater chamber, comprising steps of:
- providing a polymer melt;
- injecting a CO2 blowing agent into the polymer melt;
- and
- injecting the polymer melt and CO2 blowing agent blend into a mold cavity to form a cellular plastic foam chamber, the formed chamber being an arch-shaped corrugated chamber having a plurality of corrugation peaks and a plurality of corrugation valleys distributed along a length of the chamber, the corrugation peaks and valleys having a thickness, the corrugation peaks and corrugation valleys extending transverse to a lengthwise axis of the chamber, the chamber having a top portion and two side portions, with a base at a lower end of each side portion, and
- a rib provided on a plurality of the plurality of corrugation peaks, each rib having an arch-shaped cross-section extending outwardly from a corrugation peak and having an outer wall, each rib further having a fin extending inwardly from a center of the rib arch-shaped cross-section,
- each rib extending upwardly from one of the bases to a rib upper end,
- the rib arch-shaped cross-section having a wall thickness and a depth, and the fin having a depth,
- the fin depth being greater than the arch-shaped cross-section wall thickness at a location adjacent to the one of the bases,
- the rib arch-shaped cross-section depth and the fin depth tapering from a greater depth adjacent to the one of the bases to a lesser depth above the one of the bases,
- whereby the rib arch-shaped cross-section and the fin define a channel sized to receive a corresponding rib of a second chamber, the channel having a depth varying from a maximum depth adjacent the one of the bases to a minimum depth adjacent a location above the one of the bases.
7 more elements
A method of manufacturing a stormwater chamber, comprising steps of:
- injecting a polymer melt into a mold cavity to form a cellular plastic foam chamber, the formed chamber being an arch-shaped corrugated chamber having a plurality of corrugation peaks and a plurality of corrugation valleys distributed along a length of the chamber, the corrugation peaks and corrugation valleys extending transverse to a lengthwise axis of the chamber, the chamber having a top portion and two side portions, with a base at a lower end of each side portion, and a rib provided on a plurality of the plurality of corrugation peaks, each rib having an arch-shaped cross-section with an outer surface extending outwardly from a corrugation peak and a fin extending inwardly from the corrugation peak, wherein each rib extends upwardly from one of the bases to a rib upper end, the rib having a depth and the fin having a depth, the rib depth and the fin depth tapering from a greater depth adjacent to the one of the bases to a lesser depth above the one of the bases such that the rib and the fin define a channel sized to receive a corresponding rib of a second chamber, the channel having a depth varying from a maximum depth adjacent the one of the bases to a minimum depth adjacent a location above the one of the bases.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.