Method of forming, installing and a system for attaching a pre-fabricated pavement slab to a subbase and the pre-fabricated pavement slab so formed

• US 20020085882A1
• Filed: 12/11/2001
• Published: 07/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Fort Miller Company Incorporated (The Fort Miller Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The Fort Miller Company Incorporated (The Fort Miller Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Peter J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,962,462 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 404/34
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 11/005 Methods or materials for repairing pavings E01C7/35 takes precedence; for concrete coverings E01C7/147; for bituminous coverings E01C7/187; devices for repair works E01C23/06; repairing bridge floorings E01D22/00
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 23/10 for raising or levelling sunken paving; for filling voids under paving; for introducing material into substructure consolidating soil in general E02D3/12
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 5/08 Reinforced units with steel frames with metal upper or under layers E01C5/22
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 5/10 Prestressed reinforced units ; Prestressed coverings from reinforced or non-reinforced units prestressed concrete coverings E01C7/16

Abstract

A pre-fabricated pavement slab having a binder distribution system and an interconnection system formed for attachment of the bottom surface of the slab, wherein both the binder distribution system and the interconnection system are accessible from the top surface of the slab, such that the binder material may be injected into the binder distribution and interconnection systems from the top surface of the slab.

Claims

1. A pre-fabricated pavement slab comprising:

at least one connector extending from a first end of the slab;

at least one mating interconnection formed within a second end thereof to receive the connector, wherein the interconnection is accessible from a top surface of the slab; and

a plurality of channels formed within a bottom surface of the slab, wherein at least one channel is accessible from the top surface of the slab.

2. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 1, further comprising at least one interconnection formed at a first and second side.

3. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 2, wherein each interconnection within the first and second sides of the slab receives a connector extending from a side of an adjacent slab.

4. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 3, wherein the connectors extending from the side of the adjacent slab comprise a unitary reinforcement rod.

5. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 3, wherein the connectors extending from the side of the adjacent slab comprise a reinforcement bar have a connectable male and female end.

6. The pre-fabricate pavement slab of claim 2, wherein the interconnection formed within the first and second ends and the first and second sides of the slab comprise inverted slots.

7. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 6, wherein the inverted slots have a rounded top section and at least one shear pin along a side of the slot.

8. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 6, wherein the inverted slots have a top width greater than a base width.

9. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 6, wherein the inverted slots have substantially vertically oriented sides, and wherein the sides have a roughened surface.

10. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 6, wherein each inverted slot further comprises at least one vertically oriented opening extending from the top surface of the slab to the slot.

11. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 1, wherein the connectors extending from the first end of the slab comprise a unitary reinforcement rod.

12. The prefabricated pavement slab of claim 1, wherein the channels within the bottom of the slab comprise inverted half round openings.

13. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 1, wherein the channels within the bottom of the slab extend longitudinally along the length of the slab.

14. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 1, wherein the at least one opening of the binder distribution system extends vertically from the top surface of the slab to the channel.

15. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 1, wherein the binder distribution system, accessible from the top surface of the slab, uniformly distributes a binder material to the bottom surface of the slab.

16. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 15, wherein the binder material comprises grout.

17. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 15, wherein the binder material comprises a polymer foam.

18. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 1, wherein the channels further include at least one port within each channel providing access to the channel from the top surface of the slab.

19. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 18, wherein the ports are vertically oriented.

20. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 1, further comprising a gasket surrounding the perimeter of the slab on the bottom surface thereof.

21. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 20, wherein the gasket forms a plurality of chambers on the bottom surface of the slab.

22. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 20, wherein the gasket comprises a closed-cell foam material.

23. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 1, further comprising a reinforcement mat formed within the slab substantially near the top surface of the slab.

24. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 23, further comprising a reinforcement mat formed within the slab substantially near the bottom surface of the slab.

25. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 24, wherein the mat substantially near the top and bottom surfaces of the slab comprise reinforcement rods.

26. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 24, wherein the mat substantially near the top and bottom surfaces of the slab comprise reinforced steel mesh.

27. The pre-fabricated pavement slab of claim 1, wherein the at least one connector is post tensioned.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the binder distribution system further comprises:

at least one channel formed within the bottom surface of the slab; and

at least one port connecting the channel to the top surface of the slab.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the interconnection system further comprises:

a plurality of reinforcement bars extending from a first end of the slab;

a plurality of mating interconnection slots formed within the bottom of the slab at a second end thereof; and

a plurality of interconnection slots formed within the bottom of the slab at a first and second side thereof.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the interconnection slots formed within the second end and first and second sides further comprise at least one port connecting the slots to the top surface of the slab.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the interconnection slots comprise inverted openings having a top width greater than a base width.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the interconnection slots comprise inverted holes having rounded tops and at least one shear pin formed along side of the holes.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the interconnection slots comprise inverted holes having substantially vertically oriented sides, wherein the sides have a roughened surface.

35. The system of claim 28, further comprising a gasket formed along a perimeter of the bottom surface of the slab.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the gasket forms a plurality of chambers on the bottom surface of the slab.

37. The system of claim 28, further comprising a reinforcement mat formed within the slab substantially near the top surface of the slab.

38. The system of claim 28, further comprising a reinforcement mat formed within the slab substantially near the bottom surface of the slab.

39. The system of claim 28, wherein the interconnection system is post tensioned.

28. A system for installation of a pre-fabricated pavement slab comprising:

a binder distribution system formed for attachment of bottom surface of the slab and accessible from a top surface of the slab; and

an interconnection system along edges of the slab and accessible from the top surface of the slab.

40. A method of installing a pre-fabricated pavement slab, comprising:

placing the slab on a graded subbase; and

uniformly distributing a binder material along a bottom surface of the slab via at least one access in a top surface of the slab.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising grading the subbase to a slope with at least a {fraction (1/16)}^th of an inch accuracy.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising grading the subbase using a screeding device selected from the group consisting of:

a conventional scredding device and a laser-controlled screeding device.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein uniformly distributing a binder material to the bottom surface of the slab further comprises:

providing a binder distribution system, having at least one access opening extending from a top surface of the slab to the channel; and

injecting the binder material through the access and into the channel until the binder material is uniformly distributed between the bottom surface of the slab and the subbase.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the binder distribution system comprises a plurality of channels.

45. The method of claim 40, wherein the binder material comprises grout.

46. The method of claim 40, wherein the binder material comprises a polymer foam.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the form further comprises a surface for forming a plurality of mating interconnection slots in a second end of the slab.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the form further comprises at least one surface for forming a port extending from the slots to a top surface of the slab.

50. The method of claim 47, wherein the form further comprises at least one surface for forming a port extending from the channel to a top surface of the slab.

51. The method of claim 47, wherein the interconnections comprise reinforcement rods.

52. The method of claim 47, wherein the pavement material comprises a cementitious material.

47. A method of forming a prefabricated pavement slab comprising:

providing a form for forming a binder distribution system within a bottom surface of the slab;

pouring a pavement material into the form; and

incorporating a plurality of interconnections within a first end of the slab.

53. A device comprising:

a first slab and a second slab, wherein the first and second slabs further comprise a binder distribution system formed within a bottom surface of the first and second slabs; and

a shear transfer device between the first and second slabs.

54. The device of claim 53, wherein the shear transfer device is post tensioned.