DETECTABLE WARNINGS
A detectable warning tile which aims to solve the problem of buckling and cracking associated with different thermal expansion properties of the tile and the substrate in which it is installed. Said tile is provided with underside flanges on only some of the outermost vertical surface of the tile. The tile need not be a quadrilateral, the tile may have more or fewer than fours edges.
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This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/542,532 filed 3 Oct. 2011.
SUMMARYMethods, systems and devices for detectable warnings are disclosed.
The tiles of
The anchors are formed with a bottom portion that is wider that at least some other portion of the anchor. Once the concrete cures and hardens, the wider, lower portion will be locked in place vertically by the hardened concrete. In some cases, anchors are formed so that the hardened concrete will lock the anchor in place horizontally as well. As shown in the figures, some anchors are formed with a polygonal, e.g., hexagonal, horizontal cross-section. Because this part of the anchor is not circular, the cured, hardened concrete will prevent the anchor from spinning about a vertical axis. The anchor may also include vertical protrusions that similarly prevent the anchor from spinning.
The tile is attached to the anchors by the fasteners. If the fasteners are removed, the tile can be removed leaving the anchors in place in the concrete. The tile can be removed because it is shaped or otherwise formed so that the cured concrete does not lock it in place. To the extent that the tile protrudes downward into the concrete, and to the extent that such downward protrusions vary in width as a function of height, the protrusions should be narrower, or at least not broader, the lower they go (except in the isolation tray embodiment described below).
Such replaceable detectable warning tiles can have a number of problems which are addressed by inventions disclosed herein.
Preventing Buckling
A first problem is buckling. Because the tile is typically not made out of the same material as the substrate in which it is installed (e.g., polymer composite tile vs. concrete substrate), the tile and the substrate may have different thermal expansion properties. When the tile is installed and the concrete cures, the void in the concrete formed by the tile will conform to the tile precisely. But as the temperature varies, the expansion or contraction of the concrete will change the shape of the void into which the tile must fit. At the same time, the size of the tile will also change due to thermal expansion, and it will do so at a different rate than the concrete. If the tile becomes too large for the space in the concrete into which the tile must fit, the unit must somehow deform and may buckle.
Similarly, when the tile is installed and the concrete cures, the anchors are aligned with attachment points on the tile where the anchors are fastened to the tile. As the temperature varies, it is the thermal expansion of the concrete that determines the location of the locked-in anchors, while the thermal expansion of the tile determines the location of the attachment points. If the tile and concrete expand at different rates, the anchors may cease to be well-aligned with their attachment points. This too may cause the tile to buckle.
Generally, buckling may be prevented or reduced by reducing the interaction of flanges on the tile with the underlying concrete. In particular, the FIGS. schematically depict several ways of addressing the problem of buckling.
The flanges may extend from the outermost vertical surface of the tile unit, or, as shown, the tile may extend horizontally beyond the flange. The tile need not be rectangular. For example, the tile could have an arcuate shape, or trace out an angular sector of an annulus. The tile also need not be a quadrilateral, even a curvilinear quadrilateral; the tile may have more than four or fewer than four edges.
Another way of reducing the problem of buckling is to allow the anchors and/or fasteners to move relative to the tile. Since the anchors are locked into the concrete, they will necessarily move differently due to the thermal expansion than the points on tile to which the anchors are attached, e.g., the holes for the fasteners.
Alternatively, the fastener may be fixed to the tile, but allowed to move slightly relative to the anchor. The anchor may be made of some flexible material that allows the fastener to move slightly with the tile while the anchor stays fixed in the concrete.
In any case, the amount of relative thermal expansion or contraction allowed may be the amount of expansion or contraction associated with a specific change in temperature of the tile, for example 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40 or 50 degrees centigrade.
Protecting Detectable Warnings
A second problem with some detectable warning tiles is damage to the truncated domes when a snow plow or shovel is scraped across the top of the tile. Where detectable warnings protrude above the level of the surrounding walking surface, a plow or shovel that travels along the walking surface may shear off or otherwise damage a truncated dome.
Cleaning
A third problem with some detectable warning tiles is the difficulty of cleaning the tile.
Venting
Wet-set tiles are installed by pressing the tile down into wet concrete. If the tile has downward projections, such as flanges or ribs on the underside, depending on the geometry of those projections, air may get trapped between the wet concrete and the tile. A number of different mechanisms can be used to allow such air to vent from underneath the tile. For example, if the only downward protrusions are flanges on two sides and there are other sides with no flanges, air will escape along the sides that have no flange.
Venting can also be achieved by leaving room for air to flow around the fasteners.
Any arrangement of fastener and through hole that leaves space for air to vent could be effective to allow venting around the fastener.
The fasteners attach to anchors that seat tightly against the underside of the tile. In order for air to flow around the fastener, the anchor cannot be allowed to completely block the hole.
Claims
1. A detectable warning tile comprising:
- a body having a first edge, a second edge, and a third edge;
- a first flange integral with and depending from the body, the flange aligned with the first edge; and
- no integral flange aligned with the second and third edges.
2. The tile of claim 1 wherein the body further comprises a fourth edge opposed to the second edge.
3. The tile of claim 2 further comprising a second flange integral with and depending from the body, the second flange aligned with the fourth edge.
4. The tile of either of claim 2 or 3 wherein the first and fourth edges are opposed to one another and the second and third edges are opposed to one another.
5. The tile of claim of either of claim 2 or 3 wherein the first and second edges are opposed to one another and the third and fourth edges are opposed to one another.
6. The tile of any of claims 2-5 wherein the body is rectangular.
7. A detectable warning tile comprising:
- a body with a plurality of attachment points, a plurality of fasteners, and a plurality of anchors;
- wherein the number of attachment points is equal to the number of fasteners and the number of anchors;
- wherein each fastener is affixed to a single anchor and attaches that anchor to the body at a single attachment point; and
- wherein each fastener is attached to the body in such a way that the body can expand or contract and move each attachment point without moving the each fastener and anchor, and without otherwise deforming the body.
8. The tile of claim 7, wherein:
- the body defines a plurality of through-holes equal to the number of fasteners;
- each fastener passes through one through-hole; and
- the through-holes are sufficiently larger than the fasteners that the body can expand or contract and move each attachment point without moving the each fastener and anchor, and without otherwise deforming the body.
9. The tile of claim 8 further comprising a plurality of grommets equal to the number of fasteners, each grommet positioned within a through-hole and surrounding a fastener, each grommet being sufficiently deformable to allow the body to expand or contract and move each attachment point without moving each fastener and anchor, and without otherwise deforming the body.
10. The tile of any of claims 7-9 wherein each fastener is attached to the body in such a way that the body can expand or contract an amount equal to tile's expansion due to a change in temperature of 20 degrees centigrade.
11. A detectable warning tile comprising:
- a body with a plurality of attachment points, a plurality of fasteners, and a plurality of anchors;
- wherein the number of attachment points is equal to the number of fasteners and the number of anchors;
- wherein each fastener is affixed to a single anchor and attaches that anchor to the body at a single attachment point in such a way that the body can expand or contract and move each attachment point and fastener without moving the each anchor, and without otherwise deforming the body.
12. The tile of claim 11 wherein the anchors are sufficiently deformable that the body can expand or contract an amount equal to tile's expansion due to a change in temperature of 20 degrees centigrade.
13. A detectable warning tile assembly comprising:
- a body, a fastener, an anchor and an isolation tray;
- wherein the isolation tray is affixed to the body by the fastener and the anchor; and
- wherein the body fits within the isolation tray over predetermined range of temperatures despite thermal expansion or contraction of the body relative to the tray.
14. A detectable warning tile comprising:
- a body having at least one edge and an upper surface;
- a plurality of detectable warnings on the upper surface; and
- an upper lip along the at least one edge;
- wherein the detectable warnings rise a specified height off the upper surface, and the upper lip rises a greater height off the upper surface.
15. The tile of claim 14 wherein the upper lip is broken so as to define at least one opening in the upper lip.
16. The tile of claim 15 wherein the upper lip is widest at a point between two openings and is narrowest where the upper lip defines the two openings.
17. A detectable warning tile comprising:
- a body with a plurality of attachment points and an equal plurality of fasteners; and
- an anchor attached to the body by each of the plurality of fasteners;
- wherein each of the fasteners attaches the anchor to the body at a different one of the plurality of attachment points.
18. A detectable warning tile assembly comprising:
- an anchor, a fastener, and a body defining a through-hole;
- wherein the fastener passes through the through-hole and attaches the anchor to the body; and
- wherein the through-hole, fastener and anchor are sized and shaped such that, when the tile assembly is pressed into wet concrete, air can vent from below to above the body.
19. The tile of claim 18 wherein the through-hole defines at least one channel sized and shaped so that when the fastener attaches the anchor to the body, air above the tile is in fluid communication with air below the tile through the at least one channel.
20. The tile of claim 18 wherein the fastener comprises at least one rib sized and shaped to prevent a surface of the fastener from contacting the body, so that the fastener and the body define at least one channel through which air above the tile is in fluid communication with air below the tile.
21. The tile of claim 18 wherein the anchor comprises at least one boss sized and shaped to prevent a surface of the anchor from contacting the body, so that the anchor and the body define at least one channel through which air above the tile is in fluid communication with air below the tile.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 3, 2012
Publication Date: Sep 25, 2014
Applicant: ENGINEERED PLASTICS INC. (Williamsville, NY)
Inventors: Kenneth E. Szekely (Oakville), David N. Sambrook (Toronto), John A. Heffner (Clarksburg, CA)
Application Number: 14/349,549
International Classification: E01C 9/00 (20060101); E01C 11/00 (20060101); E01C 5/00 (20060101); E01C 15/00 (20060101);